From Publishers Weekly
St. Valentine's arrows rain over London in the engaging second installment of Charles's ecclesiastical mysteries (after 2005's
Evil Intent) starring newly ordained Anglican cleric Callie Anson, who's mooning over charming cop Mark Lombardi. When not distracted by romance, Callie tends to the needs of parishioner Morag Hamilton, who, in short order, receives bad medical news and learns that her granddaughter has gone missing. The wife of Callie's boss has a bad case of empty-nest syndrome and frets about her son's serious girlfriend. Mark's police buddy Neville Stewart has, after nearly a decade, gotten back together with the love of his life, but she's sending mixed signals. Neville must also solve the murder of a successful young computer whiz, who has left behind a seemingly grief-stricken and very pregnant wife. All the characters are well drawn, and the multiple story lines make for a page-turner.
(Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
From Booklist
Multiple characters and plotlines intertwine in this fast-paced second in a series featuring All Saints' Church curate Callie Anson; her boyfriend, Mark Lombardi; and Detective Inspector Neville Stewart. A man disappears while jogging and is later found murdered, leaving a pregnant wife. A lonely, unhappy 12-year-old girl, Alex Hamilton, the granddaughter of a new parishioner, disappears while going to meet someone she has been corresponding with on the Internet. On the personal side, Mark is unsure how to introduce Callie to his close Italian family because she is not Italian. Callie must also deal with her abrasive mother and her brother, who is temporarily living with her. The professional and personal lives of the many interrelated characters are followed in the compelling story. Numerous full-bodied, well-developed characters--except for Alex's stepmother, who is straight out of
Cinderella--add to the appeal in this blend of police procedural and amateur-detective mystery. Fans of Julia Spencer-Fleming will appreciate the backdrop of a female member of the clergy trying to fit in a male-dominated profession.
Sue O'BrienCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
