St. Agatha's Breast (First edition)

A neglected abbey near the Vatican provides the atmospheric setting for a mystery involving the theft of old paintings, a recovered painting that may be a lost Poussin masterpiece, and long-suppressed secret that someone will commit murder to protect.

Gruesome murders, graft and wildly deviant sexual practices among the denizens of a rundown Italian monastery in Rome enliven this fast-moving, if superficial, black comedy debut set in motion by the theft of some old paintings from the abbey of San Redempto. With a little investigation, the abbey's archivist, Reverend Brocard Curtis, learns that the stolen art depicting martyrs may be valuable unrecognized early works by Poussin. As Brocard digs into the mystery of the theft, aided by a Serbo-Croatian transsexual art history professor, Zinka Pavlic, and her girlfriend, his fellow monks keep turning up murdered in progressively more grotesque fashion. Bodies are discovered in the garden, the well and even impaled on the praying hands of a statue of Mary. Soon nature itself rises against the abbey in torrential rain and mud slides that bring down the old buildings, and the Church disbands the brothers' order in response to the scandal. Now the surviving members, such as Father Dionysius, the only heterosexual among them, are spread throughout the world and keep in touch through the wonders of e-mail, while Brocard's pursuit of the theft propels him to the Vatican and then the Louvre. The action takes place in numerous short chapters that often have little sequential connection to one another, making for jarring reading. Throughout, the monks remorselessly commit petty crimes and engage in prohibited sex acts, including sadomasochism, pederasty, whoring and even live video cyber-exhibitionism on the Worldwide Web. Of course, the villains go even further astray. First novelist Van Adler reportedly "works for the Roman Catholic Church." If, as it appears, he or she has an ax to grind with his or her employer, the author manages it with some suspense and an over-the-top, often macabre sense of humor.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A debut thriller set in an Italian monasterymany generations removed from the abbey of The Name of the Rose, but completely faithful to its spirit. Had Martin Luther ever turned his hand to potboilers, he might have bequeathed us with something like this: a decadent abbey, inhabited by perverted maniacs, falls under the rule of a faithless prior whose cynicism is outstripped only by that of his venal underlings who, with Napoleonic zeal, busy themselves (between orgies) with looting and embezzling the abbeys treasury. Long forgotten amid the plundered splendors of the abbey is a magnificent portrait of St. Agatha, signed Nicolas Poussin, 1629. The monks of San Redempto probably know more about Poussin than they do about St. Agatha, but neither name is likely to excite much interest among themuntil the portrait suddenly vanishes. It begins to look as if a crime has disturbed the abbeys peace. Whom shall we look to, for either guidance or arrest? Father Prior, a sadomasochist and fascist, whose subterranean torture chamber becomes the scene of an even worse crime than the portraits theft? The coprophilic Father Otger? Antonio, the porter, or his brother Manolo, the cook (both of whom have turned a tidy profit over the years through their diligent manipulation of the abbeys accounts)? What about the seemingly innocent, apparently simple Father Brocard, assigned to the investigation by the prior as a means of ensuring that case will never be solved? Or the art historian Hoop Rhutten, whose present connections within the art world disguise his former life as a monk of San Redempto? Under Luthers stern gaze, the paintings disappearance would have seemed trivial, compared with the barbarities practiced daily at San Redempto. A caricature of religion and religious life, too heavy-handed to be funny, too obvious to be diverting. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From the depths of a dying religious order comes this delightfully brisk tale of corruption in the modern world. When six of seven centuries-old paintings are stolen from the walls of the San Redempto Monastery in the shadow of the Vatican, the seventh--portraying the virginal St. Agatha with her breasts torn off--attracts attention. The theft sparks a downward spiral: the deception and sadism of some members of the order of Our Lady of Divine Succor are revealed, causing the order to be suppressed, just as the aging monastery crumbles in a downpour and half its residents die by midbook. As the few remaining priests scatter and join the electronic age, the tone lightens; the plot is frequently propelled by e-mail and populated by outrageous characters, among them Amazonian transsexual art professor Zinka Pavlic, whose passion is her lesbian lover, Camille. But fear not: provenance will be established, evil will be punished, right will prevail, and the reader will be skillfully entertained. Michele Leber

Six paintings have been stolen from the declining Roman monastery of San Redempto, and the remaining painting, of the martyr St. Agatha, is revealed to be a possible treasure by a French Master. This revelation spells unwanted attention and change for the 12 members of the dwindling religious community as enemies old and new gather to reap the artistic and financial windfall. For many, the discovery brings violence, as various members of the community try desperately to protect their secrets. For others, it brings freedom, and for the abbey's archivist, Brocard, it brings a mystery to be solved. A fascinating mixture of good, evil, blood, religion, and the Internet, this first novel is a compelling read. An international cast of flamboyant characters, a fantastic brooding atmosphere, and nearly absurd levels of corruption only add to the fun. The sex acts depicted (straight, bisexual, gay, and S&M) may offend sensitive readers, but this is not an erotic book. Highly recommended for most collections.?Devon Thomas, Highland Township Lib., MI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.