Told in the genre of the supernatural in keeping with most of Deric Shaw"s novels, Sins of the Father seeks to throw some light on the secretive attitude of the Catholic Church when, as has occurred so often over the years, it is faced with sexual involvement of members of its clergy with young people in their care, it covers up such happenings and moves the offender to another parish rather than surrender the priest to the police. Diana and Geoffrey Peterson along with their two children Ryan and Sophie have recently moved from the North of England down to Berkshire where the father has been appointed headmaster of a local comprehensive school in the mythical town of Broadlake settling in a local property known as the Big House. Strict Catholics themselves, Diana and Geoffrey enrol their children in the nearby Saint Vincent"s Catholic school. Shortly after moving into the Big House Diana has a disturbing experience when a young schoolboy appears on the landing one afternoon and issues a warning that her children are in danger. Her distress is heightened when the apparition appears again and tells her the danger emanates from the Catholic Church. Her husband refuses to believe her and dismisses her claims as delusions, leaving her distressed and isolated. Just when her desperation is getting the better of her she is befriended by Marilyn Foster, a divorcee with a daughter named Wendy who listens to her story and whilst reserving judgement offers to help establish who the ethereal visitor might be. Using as a basis the lettering Diana saw on the young apparition"s blazer badge they trawl the internet in an attempt to locate his former school. Instinct and an educated guess lead them to a long-closed residential school in Northumberland. They employ a private investigator called Justin Towers who, after several days" investigation uncovers the unsavoury history of what happened at the school some forty years earlier when three priests from the school avoided arrest for alleged sexual offenses by being sent back to the Vatican City. One of the young boys abused was Edmund Winters, Diana"s mysterious visitor, whilst one of the offending priests appeared to have been relocated to England some time ago. Diana instructs Justin Towers to try and locate him as the evidence appears to indicate he may be the "danger" Edmund refereed to. Further investigation leads Justin Towers to locate first the priest"s sister then, by chance, the deceased Edmund"s sister Margaret who now works for the Catholic Diocesan Council. The story moves swiftly to the eventual identification of the priest and, to the horror of Diane and her family, his all too close presence in their community.