A Matter of Roses (Faith Abbey Mystery Series, Book 1)

A murder in the quiet Cape Cod town of Eastport stretches the resources of the local police, causing Chief Dan Burke to enlist the help of boyhood friend Andrew Doane--now Brother Bartholomew--to solve the crime

The first fiction title published by Paraclete kicks off the Faith Abbey Mystery series. Set in the sleepy Cape Cod town of Eastport, the book juxtaposes the way two very different men go about the process of discovering the truth. Andrew Doane and Dan Burke were childhood friends. Andrew has joined the ecumenical religious community of Faith Abbey and taken the name of Brother Bartholomew, and Dan has become the police chief. Together, they try to track down a killer. Mac Curtis, the man behind a generally unwelcome upscale development, tries to ingratiate himself and his project by establishing a prize for the best new rose. The finalists gather at a reception hosted by Mac and his wife. Among the chosen are Maurice and Sarah, Bartholomew, his mother, his former fianc?e, a local eccentric environmentalist and others. The next day, Mac is found face down in the water at the edge of his pond. It turns out that many locals had a reason to want him dead. Stretched to the limit, Chief Burke calls upon Brother Bartholomew, who has a personal crisis of his own to overcome. Manuel proceeds in a leisurely fashion to introduce both the religious and lay communities, conveying the atmosphere of a place where life may be slower paced, but no less complex than in the big city. As a result, the mystery unfolds in a languid fashion, but there should be much more to learn about the chief, the brother and their neighbors in future trips to Eastport. (Nov.) FYI: PW contributing editor Phyllis Tickle is the editor of the Faith Abbey Mystery series.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Years and years ago--and newcomer Manuel's leaden exposition doesnt spare a single year--Andrew Doane loved Laurel Winslow, and MacArthur Curtis loved Sarah Hillman. But Mac, stung when Sarah didn't fall into his grasping hand like a piece of ripe fruit, took a lesser wife and made a fortune in real estate, while Andy, who was called to a higher love, lives as Brother Bartholomew in Faith Abbey. Now that Maurice Tomlinson, the rose-growing husband Sarah's been nursing ever since he was injured in Vietnam, has been left near death by bees that shouldn't have been anywhere near his garden, it seems clear that Mac, her #1 suspect, hasn't forgotten or forgiven a thing. But its Mac, not Maurice, whos found dead, laid open with a knife thrust just like the one he'd demonstrated to a gathering of Cape Cod neighbors shortly before. Who you gonna call? Brother Bartholomew, of course, who--not busy enough questioning his vocation in light of his newly rekindled intimacy with Laurel--joins Eastport Police Chief Dan Burke in tracking down Mac's killer. The suspects and motives are as thick as clam chowder, but they have to share space with the impending bankruptcy of Curtis investments; the disappearance of Mac's partner Cal, presumably lost at sea; a competition to grow the Eastport Rose; the spiritual and familial crises of the leading characters; and an extraordinarily unconvincing climactic rivalry between Brother Bartholomew and the killer. An overstuffed debut with something for everyone, and thus guaranteed to please no one. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Mac Curtis, a Vietnam veteran skilled at killing, becomes a ruthless real estate developer on Cape Cod. His latest venture teeters into failure and ruins his partners, but Mac obsesses about a woman who rejected him in Vietnam and later married a rose specialist. Mac gathers at a rose competition with other major players: a beautiful librarian, her ex-lover (now a monk at Faith Abbey), a lunatic "commodore," an environmentalist web-pager, and the chief of police. Attempted murder-by-bees and murder-in-a-storm result in investigation by the police and sleuthing by Brother Bartholomew. Chock-full of action and character subplots, this debut mystery (and series) is totally captivating. [This is Paraclete Press's first fiction title.AEd.]
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.