Book of dreams

The book “Evangelist Caper” is a rollicking faith-based escapade that combines the grim suspense of a police procedural with the twists of a murder mystery. But in many ways it’s the story behind the story that really matters. Written by Richard Malta, a 68-year-old cerebral palsy patient, “Evangelist Caper” is more than a first book. It’s the fulfillment of a dream.

“This is something from my bucket list,” Malta said. “Writing a book is something I’ve wanted to do ever since my mother introduced me to Hemingway, Joyce and Dostoyevsky when I was 14.” Speaking with painstaking care from his wheelchair while signing books at the Baldwin Coach Diner last Sunday, Malta said that his latest achievement was just one more episode in a life rich with experience.

Born in Lynbrook in 1943, Malta went to a cerebral palsy education center in Roosevelt. In spite of predictions to the contrary, he went on to earn a degree in English and a master’s in rehabilitation counseling from Hofstra University. He now lives in Freeport with his wife of 26 years, Alice.

“This is the culmination of a dream,” Alice said, taking a break from helping her husband sign books. “He’s fought all his life. They never thought he’d even go to college, but he went on to get a master’s degree. It’s a life that could have been a failure, but Richard kept battling.”

Asked about his work on the book, Alice laughed at Richard’s intensity and single-mindedness. “He got so into it I thought I’d lost my husband,” she recalled. “He was so focused he disappeared for more than a year.”

There were friends, neighbors and fans in the crowd at the Baldwin Coach. Michael McGinty and his wife, Jeanne, who have known the Maltas for 30 years, said they had already read “Evangelist Caper” twice. “It combines the classic murder mystery with a story of people finding religious fulfillment,” Michael McGinty said, adding that the book’s setting — Nassau County — was a treat for local readers.

“There are scenes all over this area,” said John Kanaras, the owner of the Baldwin Coach, who helped Malta come up with the idea of a book signing. “There are parts of the book set in Roosevelt, Hempstead, Sunrise Highway … You read it and you think, I know that place, or, Hey, that place isn’t there anymore.”

Seated behind a stack of books and surrounded by admirers, Malta was clearly a man living a dream on Sunday. A blue NYPD cap, slightly cockeyed, perched on his head as he warmly greeted friends and signed books with Alice’s help. But even as he reveled in the accomplishment of a goal, Malta revealed that he was planning a new project.

“I’m think about a sequel,” he said, grinning as he broke the news. “I’m going to call it “Ryan’s Curse.”

“Evangelist Caper” is now available at evangelistcaper.com, barnesandnoble.com or Amazon.com.