The Murders at Saint Charles Seminary by Janet A. BrownMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Terror and suspicion grip Saint Charles Seminary as a murderer stalks its dark and hallowed halls!
The Murders at Saint Charles Seminary is the third book in author Janet A. Brown's cozy A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Baptist Minister mystery series featuring Father Brendan O'Clery, his homicide detective niece, Maureen, and his close friends in the clergy, Rabbi Ezra Lieberman and Pastor Langdon Boothe, who use their unique expertise and insights to solve murders. The story hits close to home for Father Brendan when a murderer kills a young seminarian, with a vow of more death to come at the Saint Charles Seminary, where his young nephew, Aiden, is also enrolled. Since his niece, Detective Maureen McNeely, is supposed to be on vacation, the case is assigned to her untested coworker, Deputy Caleb Martinez. Maureen sticks around, off the books, to help guide Caleb through his first homicide investigation and avoid the confusion and wrath of their vindictive supervisor that she experienced during her first case. Still, as Aidan was the one who found the body of the murder victim, Caleb's suspicion naturally falls on him as the possible killer, raising the stakes for the O'Clery clan.
Told from multiple points of view, readers have a front row seat to what's not being told the police as they question the residents of Saint Charles, as well as the terror the young men there are experiencing as the killer strikes again. Aiden O'Clery is only three months into his studies and is a kind and gentle soul, and friends with most of the others in his year, one of whom may very well be the murderer. As this is the same seminary Father Brendan attended, he is able to come and go at will and enlists Aiden to be his eyes and ears on site.Father Brendan's two close friends, Ezra and Langdon, are only on the fringes of the case; Brendan uses them as sounding boards for his theories and as backup observers when they visit the seminary. They are so peripheral to the story that if they'd been omitted completely, they wouldn't have been missed. Even though I love this trio of clerical sleuths, Father Brendan has always been my favorite, and the series is really his. Also, the banter between Ezra and Langdon regarding Ezra's purported diminutive size and Langdon's prodigious appetite quickly palled.
The charm of the book lies in the O'Clery family relationships. Family matriarch Eabhe O'Clery has been moved to assisted living, and, as expected, is not happy about it. She is lovable but sly, crabby, and manipulative, and knows exactly what buttons to push or cards to play to get exactly what she wants. Her scenes are delightful as she pointedly proclaims whatever is on her mind or wants to know. Her favorite son and golden boy, Archbishop Malachy O'Clery, stirs the pot as the older brother he is.The resolution of the case was exciting, and I didn't catch on to who the killer was until it was revealed, much like most of the characters of the book, although there was a big old hint right in front of our eyes that no one considered. The plot delves into Father Brendan's continued struggles with PTSD from his Gulf War and Afghanistan service and his worrisome reliance on his prescription medications to survive, but there may be light at the end of this tunnel for him, too.
I recommend THE MURDERS AT SAINT CHARLES SEMINARY to readers of mysteries and thrillers, especially those who enjoy amateur sleuths with a religious vocation.I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.
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