Back at the Monestary, Sister Eve Finds Murder

Sister Evangeline Divine, better known as Sister Eve, is back at the Pecos monastery for a conference on Sister Maria de Jesus de Agreda, the Blue Nun who bilocated from Spain to visit the Jumano Indians converting them to Christianity. The conference promises to be particularly important when Dr. Kelly Middlesworth, the opening speaker, tells Sister Eve that she has new information that may help in getting sainthood for Sister Maria.

Kelly's brother, Anthony, is a monk in the Pecos monastery. He found Sister Maria's writings at the pueblo church and took them to show Kelly on the understanding that she wouldn't tell anyone else. Kelly didn't keep her word, and Anthony was furious.

The night before the conference Sister Eve is praying when Anthony stumbles into the chapel. He found Kelly dead, and he's distraught thinking he caused the murder. Sister Eve knows he isn't guilty, but now she has to prove it before the police arrest Anthony.

The plot is fairly complex. While we don't know who killed Kelly, a number of people, including her brother had the chance. Although the author tries to hide the identity of the murderer, it's fairly easy to figure out early in the novel, so unless you like reading about Sister Eve's adventures, this removes some of the fun of trying to solve the mystery yourself.

I found the early part of the book with everyone stumbling over each other in the middle of the night and making a hash of the murder scene unrealistic. The action picked up when Sister Eve left the monastery to try to solve the mystery on her own.

I can't recommend this book. The author throws in too much backstory bogging down the action and the characters are rather thinly drawn. The subplots, particularly that involving Sister Eve and a handsome detective, are well done, but they can't carry the novel.

I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for this review.