A Novena for Murder
By Sister Carol Anne O'Marie
Ulverscroft Large Print, 2007
ISBN: 978-1597226042
Genre: Mystery
Reviewed by Auggie Moore - December 31, 2007
A Novena for Murder is a wonderful cozy mystery from the pen of Sister Carol Anne O'Marie, a Roman Catholic nun with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. A Novena for Murder is the eleventh book in her mystery series featuring Sister Mary Helen, a seventy-five-year-old retired nun who fills her spare time solving mysteries - often ones involving murder. While all the stories in this series are interconnected, each can be read as a stand-alone book.
In A Novena for Murder, Sister Mary Helen arrives at Mount St. Francis College for Women just in time to be on hand for an earthquake and a murder. During the earthquake Professor Villanueva, a history professor at the college, is bludgeoned to death. Mary Helen had hoped to find a quiet retreat at the college in which to do some historical research and to read her mystery novels. Her hopes are quickly shattered as she finds herself at the center of the investigation into the murder. Not only is Mary Helen the person who found the body, but when the police arrest an innocent person for the murder, Mary Helen sets out to find the real killer. Along the way she also manages to find the time to help Inspector Kate Murphy with her love life and solve a few other minor problems.
A Novena for Murder is a quick and often humorous read. O'Marie's writing is fluid and well-paced, and while the mystery is complex enough to be interesting, but not so much that it will tax your brain. This makes it a perfect read for lazy days or when reading in a hectic environment such as an airport or when children are climbing all over you! This was the first book by O'Marie that I've read and I really enjoyed it, and I look forward to going back and reading the earlier Sister Mary Helen mysteries.
A Novena for Murder can be purchased directly from Ulverscroft.
Related Reviews:
The Corporal Works of Murder, by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie.
When an undercover cop is murdered on the doorstep of a shelter for homeless women, Sister Mary Helen steps in to help the police discover just who killed her and how her murder is connected to that of several other homeless women. (Large Print)
The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side, by Agatha Christie.
Miss Jane Marple suddenly takes an interest in the film star Marian Gregg - when someone is poisoned at Gregg's housewarming party. If anyone can solve the mystery behind this unwarranted murder, it's the grandmotherly detective, Miss Marple... (Large Print)
