Kate CharlesCritiques

Felicity Chapman is found dead in a very downmarket hotel, which is a bit of surprise for a well-off solicitor's wife. Neville Stewart and his colleagues investigate.

In this last of the series, the various story arcs are wound up satisfactorily. But Sid Cowley's Mockney accent has been coming through more strongly as the series progresses to the point where it now gets a bit tiresome.½

In Neville Stewart's latest case, a young teenager is found dead in a churchyard, stabbed through the neck. In the meantime, Callie is attending a course in Cambridge, where gossip about a lecturer's relationship with a student is swirling about.

Sometimes thematically similar incidents where you think "This isn't going to end well" fizzle out and sometimes the foreseeable results do actually ensue. It's an interesting way of keeping the uncertainty and suspense going.

Muffin, baby of celebrity couple Jodee and Chazz, died from appeared to be cot death but the autopsy shows she had been severely shaken before her death. But by whom?

Enjoyable main story but the sub-plots involved what seemed to me unlikely behaviour. I'm looking at you, Neville Stewart.½

A jogger doesn't come home and his body is found drowned in the canal. A little girl runs away after being bullied by her step-cousins.

Although this is billed as the [[[Callie Anson]]] series, the books are more ensemble pieces, with Callie's colleagues, her police detective love interest, and his colleagues all taking their turns in the spotlight. Although it was only written 15 years ago, its exploration of contemporary issues makes it feel a bit dated but I still enjoyed it.

After a public row with Jonah Adimola, Frances Cherry throws a glass of wine in his face. The next morning Jonah is found dead, strangled with Frances's stole.

The political posturing by various church factions seems rather dated now, getting on for 20 years later, or perhaps I've just lost interest in arguments which are still ongoing. Be that as it may, Kate Charles creates characters the reader can take an interest in to the point of wondering what happened to them next without artificial cliffhangers. I will be reading the next book in the series in the hope of finding out.

11 years ago the unidentified body of a young woman was found in Westmead. Now Jackie Darke comes to Westmead from the Cambridgeshire fens looking for her estranged sister after the death of their father.

Quiet but compelling mystery exploring issues of family relationships and infertility.

Tessa Nicholls is going to meet her mother-in-law for the first time, but when she and her husband arrive at Linda's house, they find her body, battered to death with a poker. The police seem to be determined to blame her husband so Tessa decides to investigate for herself.

Nice and twisty. I'm glad to say the murderer was one of the two people I decided quite early on were the most likely suspects.

2.5 stars. I was looking for a new mystery series to get into, but this book was underwhelming. Prose was much too flowery, dialogue was weak, and the mystery didn't hold up. It held my interest enough to finish it, so it wasn't terrible, but I was distracted by the thousands of adjectives and adverbs substituting for good storytelling.

The snares of death is the second "Book of Psalms mystery" by Kate Charles. Anglo-Catholic St. Mary the Virgin in England has a new vicar but, strangely he is an evangelical pastor of the worst kind, bigoted and intolerant. (How in the world he got the position is a mystery in itself - in the United States, each parish decides who they will call to be rector.) The minister starts dismantling the beloved items in the church, selling the items or destroying them and putting up tacky posters in their place. Then we have Wymondham Abbey, an animal rights organization, and an art gallery along with an array of interesting characters including solicitor David Middleton-Brown. Of course the minister is dead and there are so many suspects.

I found the novel slow going and the murder didn't happen until 2/3 through the book. It was never explained why the Anglican evangelical movement was so wacky! In the U.S., evangelical pastors are not this extreme except in a few well known cases. There were things about Middleton-Brown that were alluded to but unclear to me and were probably explained in the first book of the series. An average read and one for fans of Episcopal and Anglican priest mysteries½

Two boys find an abandoned car with a body inside -- sex unrevealed. We flashback to find out how the body got there. The cast includes the best-selling novelist, and her lover, who is the publicist for her publisher; the Archdeacon and her handsome husband, who works as a decorator, though rich enough not to need to work at all; and the widowed Vicar and his second wife, and their 7 year-old daughter with Down's syndrome.

The reader learns fairly quickly where our sympathies are meant to lie and so who we hope the victim and murderer are, but the tension till we get there in case the wrong person ends up dead or a murderer is almost unbearable - and even if other characters are not murderer or victim can they possibly come through this unscathed? Excellent work.

When social worker Flora Newell is poisoned, fingers point at the lesbian couple who have just arrived in the village, one of whom is a herbalist. If it wasn't Gill English's herb tea that killed Flora Newell, who did slip her some digitalis? And was the murder connected to the obscene phone calls someone has been making to the Rector's young wife?

This is the last in the series, which means David and Louise's relationship has been left in a rather unsettled state now that his inheritance of a house of his own has come through.½

The Church of England has voted to allow women priests but the parish of St. Margaret's is adamantly opposed. Tempers flare when a woman curate is appointed and there is more than one well concealed sigh of relief when she is knocked off her bicycle and killed. The police write it off as a simple hit-and-run, but David and Louise are not so sure, given the other funny goings on at St. Margarets.

Although some of the polemicising seems a bit dated now, it doesn't stop this from being a very intriguing mystery.½

The new Dean of Malbury Cathedral makes himself very obnoxious in his attempts to modernise the way the cathedral is run. When the Subdean dies from poisoning at the Deanery everybody is very willing to believe the Dean murdered him but when David is asked to represent the Dean he feels the Dean is innoccent. But in that case who did murder the Subdean and why?

Kate Charles excels herself here with a portrait of a thoroughly nasty but very believable individual.½

Evangelical pastor Bob Dexter takes over the staunchly Anglo-Catholic church of St. Mary the Virgin, South Barsham and proceeds to make a lot of enemies. He is found dead in the church with his head bashed in. The young priest accused of the murder asks for David Middleton-Brown to act as his solicitor. David is convinced he didn't do it. But who did?

A gripping and enjoyable mystery. I did wonder Bob Dexter was too unpleasant to be believable but I suppose he had to be for there to be that many suspects. I'm a little disappointed with the direction the overall story arc featuring the detective David Middleton-Brown and his sidekick Lucy Kingsley is taking.

Gabriel Neville, parish priest at St. Anne's, Kensington Gardens, is hoping to be promoted to Archdeacon, when he receives a letter threatening to expose his involvement in events leading to the suicide of a young man ten years before when he was a curate in Brighton. Gabriel calls on another figure from his Brighton days, David Middleton-Brown, to help him track down the blackmailer before he is exposed.

A great start to a new-to-me series that I just couldn't put down.½

Book Review & Giveaway: We’ve reviewed several clerical mysteries in the past. I knew Kate Charles’ Callie Anson mysteries series was quite popular in the UK and it’s more of a 21st century series than some. When I learned False Tongues, the new novel in that series, was going to be published in the U.S., I jumped on it. The whole novel takes place in one week of Callie’s life. Cyber-bullying, love and loss, peer pressure, and family expectations all play a role in this very personal mystery. It’s not quite like any mystery I’ve ever read so I’m happy to host a pay-it-forward giveaway for the copy I received that someone will win at http://popcornreads.com/?p=8479.½

Callie Anson is the main character of this mystery series, she's barely connected to the mystery in this book. While Callie reluctantly returns to Cambridge for a class reunion, her current boyfriend assists with a murder investigation. While Callie is a likable, well-developed character, she wasn't necessary for this story. The mystery portion of the book is nicely paced but the portrayal of the murder victim's mother and the reason for the murder were uncomfortably close to stereotypes.

Note: this review is based on an ARC received from the publisher½

A person-centered mystery with multiple plots, featuring a young woman priest in the Church of England and a teenager found dead in a London park.

Alternating chapters in False Tongues follow the various subplots of the book. Callie returns to the theological school in Cambridge for a reunion with others of her graduating class from the previous year. Her return reignites her feelings about a man she had loved while a student. Another plot-line involves the murdered body of a teenage boy from a prosperous family. Callie has only indirect involvement with the murder or the secrets surrounding it. The man she now loves is part of the investigation, but he is not the primary detective in charge. Other subplots develop around the boy who was killed and his family and friends, the family of the priest who is Callie’s supervisor, and various individuals she encounters in Cambridge.

Recently it seems that every book I read has the structure of alternating chapters following different narratives. Perhaps authors find this an easy way to introduce varied characters and issues. For mystery writers it may be a way to involve the characters in previous books in a series. Some writers handle this structure better than others. I find this approach tends to make books broad and shallow rather than delving deep in characters or issues. That may be what authors and readers want. I am currently longing for a book with one central, chronological story.

Yet, False Tongues is an engaging book which includes interesting characters and issues. I liked how Charles treated the gay men in the book; with casual acceptance in most cases but with sensitivity to their particular problems in others. The institutional church setting was unusual and women priests like Callie are still a novelty for some. The treatment of religion was not heavy-handed, although the useful guidance from the older priest became a bit preachy.

I recommend this book to people who enjoy mysteries focused on character rather than gore.

Teenage bullying, homophobia, gossip and the Church of England including Rev. Callie who is in love with an Italian police officer whose family is very RC and don't exactly welcome a clergy woman from the C of E. Great as usual. Charles always keep me reading and I am now ready for her next book.½

This was an interesting look into small village church life but the protagonists' innocence and naiveté were a bit unbelievable to the point of almost annoying. I won't go into detail because then this post would be a spoiler :D The who-dunnit part of the book is quite good and I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's latest works.

[b:Deep Waters|186795|Deep Waters|Jayne Ann Krentz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172536509s/186795.jpg|2197935] is the third in [a:Kate Charles|947|William Shakespeare|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1179017891p2/947.jpg]'s Callie Anson series. I call it the Callie Anson series because the publisher does, but the truly wonderful thing about this series is how Ms. Charles uses changing points of view not only to keep the reader turning pages to find out what's happening to each character, but also to involve us in the lives of a whole ensemble of interconnected people who swirl around Callie, a Church of England curate, and her boyfriend Mark, a Family Liaison Officer with the police. Each character is so individual that this never becomes confusing. The only other author who comes to mind who has done this was [a:Ed McBain|21318|Ed McBain|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1237947166p2/21318.jpg] with his 87th Precinct series, different though that is.

In [b:Deep Waters|186795|Deep Waters|Jayne Ann Krentz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172536509s/186795.jpg|2197935], the two criminal cases are related through the main characters who are dealing with them, but also because celebrity -- and specifically the celebrity created by reality-TV shows -- is an important factor in each. I'm sure one could poke holes in the plots, but it didn't matter to me as a reader because the characterization was so good and the social commentary so insightful. Although these books feature a clergy sleuth and an ongoing love story, I wouldn't call them "cozy" -- the keen eye Charles casts on contemporary society takes them out of that category. Highly recommended.

The ins and outs of the personal relationships are more interesting than the mystery and it is that which makes me interested in the last of the series.

This is the third in this Book of Palms series by Kate Charles. The story is about an ancient cathedral that has been appointed a new Dean. This new man is like other deans, a political appointment. The man is has very few good qualities and the worst of these is that he has no people skills and worse he had no Christian charity in his makeup.

Dean Latimer cares for no one except himself although he does follow his wife's instructions to the T. There is certainly no separation of Church and state and this makes for an interesting mystery because while one would have expected the Dean to be killed, what actually happens is that he is charged with murder.

The problem with the story is that 3/4 of the book sets the stage and the murder takes place very late in the plot.A unique feature that is discussed is the fact that men enter the church for political and ambitious advancement rather than because they have a calling.

The Anglican Church is one church that runs the gamut of ways of worship from extreme evangelicalism to happy-clappy services and finally at the opposite pole the Anglo-Catholics. On the one hand a minister refers to himself as simple Bob Dexter, in the middle road there are the Vicars and then at the other end the celebrants are called priests and answer to Father Mark for instance. This mystery revolves around a situation where although east is east and so on the twain is trying to meet and in this instance the results are disastrous.

Beneath all the dog collars are mortal men who join the church for a variety of reasons, not always responding to a call. Some of these holy molys are far from even showing any Christian charity. The result is a fascinating look at how human vices lead to murder. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading another in the series soon.

Callie Anson is a newly ordained Anglican Priest and has just received her first posting as Curate of All Saints’ Church in Paddington, London. Recovering from the breakup of a relationship and coming to terms with her demanding new job (which includes more than its fair share of abuse as some people do not take well to the idea of female priests) are enough to deal with but she is soon embroiled in a murder investigation too. A hardline conservative priest is strangled and one of Callie’s closest friends is the prime, indeed only, suspect.

As my memory resembles a sieve I have no clue what prompted me to mooch this book nearly three years ago but I am immensely pleased that I did. Even without the mystery element (which was perfectly entertaining in its own right) this book has a lot to offer. You might not think you’d be absorbed by a depiction of the modern Anglican church and its internal political issues (including the ordination of women and the acceptance of openly homosexual clergy) but Charles has made them utterly compelling reading. She manages to be respectful of an institution she clearly loves but does not fawn or fail to criticize elements of doctrine or collective behaviour that she finds outdated and/or offensive. Most importantly though she does all this as part of an intriguing story, not as some political diatribe on the various issues raised. I wish that all the authors I read who have something political to say were equally well-versed in the art of showing (not telling).

Another aspect of the novel I found fascinating was its depiction of the media and the relationship between the police and the media. There is a journalist character here who drives much of the plot development and she, or at least her actions, are at times horrific, being entirely devoid of journalistic ethics, fact checking and the like. At one point in particular she shreds someone’s career based solely on one person’s claims without, it appears, any attempt (or even need) to check the claims made or interview the person who was the subject of them. I don’t know enough about either English law or media to know if this is realistic but if it is then it is a very sad indictment on the English fourth estate. I know our media here in Australia isn’t perfect but they wouldn’t quite get away with that.

The mystery plot is almost a minor component then of what made this book interesting for me but that’s not to say it wasn’t interesting too. While police could only see one possible suspect readers were provided motivations for several more potential culprits in what was something of an old-fashioned whodunnit. Even (especially?) among the various clergy and their families there were plenty of secrets which might have warranted killing someone in order to keep. Charles teases these out adroitly and keeps readers guessing until the end.

In some ways this book is quite scathing of the institution that is the Anglican church but it is also reverential at times. Various characters describe what drew them to the church or what aspects keep them coming back, even when they don’t agree with everything going on from a political standpoint, and I liked the balance this provided. It made the book much more compelling than a one-sided polemic would have been. I really had no idea what to expect when I plucked this book from the depths of my TBR pile and was pleasantly surprised to find a thought-provoking and engaging book which I gobbled up in a single, late night sitting.