Murders in the Monasteries

 

A recent visit to the Tamworth Bookshop, a used book treasure trove, introduced me to the DS George Cross murder mysteries by Tim Sullivan. I hadn't heard of the maddening but methodically brilliant neuro-divergent detective but I'm now hooked. 

The library has now provided me with a second from the series, The Monk. This is from the publisher's blurb: 

THE QUESTION

The body of a monk is found savagely beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol. Nothing is known about Brother Dominic’s past, which makes investigating difficult. How can Cross unpick a crime when they don’t know anything about the victim? And why would someone want to harm a monk?

This story is also cleverly developed and the setting is perfect. I realized as I read that religious communities are excellent settings for murder mysteries. They are essentially ecclesiastical versions of the game Clue -- the abbot in the sacristy with a chalice. When someone dies in or around the claustrophobic confines of a holy house, look out. 

This brought to mind Death in Holy Orders, an excellent novel by the late, great PD James which spawned two good television series. The setting isn't a monastery but it is an isolated religious community on the edge of the sea and cassocks are worn. 

Then there is one of Louise Penny's best Inspector Gamache novels, The Beautiful Mystery. The monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les Loups is in the wilds of Quebec where the two dozen monks have become famous for their recordings of ancient chants. Their cloistered lives are rocked by the murder of the choir director. 

The fun aspect of Penny's novel is that the monastery is modelled on the Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, on Lake Memphremagog, a community of about 50 Benedictine brothers in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. It is a fascinating place to visit with an excellent and very busy gift shop. We've been there a couple of times, including last summer while on a cycling vacation with friends. 

I love the peace and tranquility of monasteries and convents and have spent retreat time in a number of them in different provinces and states and even Britain. Come to think of it, it wouldn't have been all that difficult to murder me in my sleep at several of them. 

                                                        Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, Quebec