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Lily Connor, an Episcopal priest, accepts posting as an interim priest at St. Mary of the Garden while the parish searches for a new rector. She is just recovering from the death of her father and has lost faith in God. She is being kept out of the lives of the parish and its parishioners. This is a wealthy parish which is gradually coming to grips with the sudden death of its rector of many years, Fred Barnes. Lily senses that all is not well in the church community but is unable at first to determine why. The Church is wrestling with two questions: allowing the marriage of gays, and permitting gays to enter the ministry. Barnes who had agreed with the Church's stand against this, had changed his stance. This was upsetting to the most powerful of the vestry, Don Talbot and John Neville. Barnes, a diabetic, died suddenly of an insulin overdose. He had been tortured by a secret about a person in power in the parish. Mrs, Hanlon, the cleaning woman who was friendly with Barnes, cannot believe that Barnes would be careless in taking an overdose and will not accept this verdict. She voices her suspicions to Lily. When the sexton, Roger Frye, is found collapsed on the cellar stairs close to death from the combination of alcohol and Antabase, Lily feels that some sinister force is at work. This is a compelling and thoughtful book. In addition to the mystery it deals with the human doubts of faith and beliefs. We learn of the intrigues and politics of the Church both at he highest level and the common people. The book is well-written. The characters are portrayed as real people. The action flows at a steady pace. Michelle Blake may join the ranks of Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael), G K Chesterton (Father Brown), Andrew M Greeley ( Bishop Blackwood Ryan), Harry Kemelman ( Rabbi Small) as a purveyor of "church mysteries". This is her first novel. I hope it is not her last.
Reviewed by Barbara Buhrer, August 2001
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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