I
liked this mystery but it was a little different in style from the
usual mystery novel. The most emphasis is placed on the characters
with the mystery taking second place.
Evangeline
Divine (that's Diveen), has been a nun for some twenty years.
Her mother died years ago and her dad is a bit hard to take. Her
father, whom she and her sister call Captain, is a retired police
detective now trying to keep his own detective agency alive. When an
infected wound on his leg will not heal (he's diabetic), the leg is
amputated. Eve takes leave from her religious duties to care for him.
He'd been hired by a movie star to find the screenwriter/director for
whom she worked and with whom she was having an affair. He had
disappeared (but turns up murdered). Without her father's direction, Eve takes up detecting work.
I
like Eve. She wears boots under her habit and rides a Harley to clear
her mind. Her father, the Captain, is a grouchy and hard headed man.
How he and Eve learn to get along is a major part of the novel. We come to understand their history as the plot progresses.
As
a mystery, the novel does not stand out. How the mystery is resolved
and the murderer caught is just not satisfactory. It is the interaction
of Eve with her father, his old partner, the movie star, and other
members of the community that make the novel worth reading. The
character of Eve and the potential of the detective agency are strong
enough that I will be looking for another from this author.
Lynne
Hinton is the author of sixteen books. She has penned a mystery
series under the name Jackie Lynn. She is a regular columnist for The
Charlotte Observer. She is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro and has a
masters in Divinity from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. She
and her husband live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she works as a
hospice chaplain. Find out more at http://www.lynnehinton.com/.
Thomas
Nelson, 328 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for
the purpose of an independent and honest review.
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