THE DEATH OF AN IRISH SINNER: A Peter McGarr Mystery

Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr of the Dublin Police has faced great dangers in 14 previous novels in this fine procedural series (The Death of an Irish Lover, etc.), but never has the danger come from so many directions and embraced so many of those closest to him. The murder of author Mary-Jo Stanton, one of Catholic organization Opus Dei's most important supporters and at the same time a great threat to its secrets, drops McGarr and associates into a nest of vipers. As depicted here, Opus Dei is powerful, secretive and ruthlessly determined to protect its interests. Among its members are highly placed clergy, wealthy and powerful politicians, and trained killers. Its enemies, which include crusading journalist Dery Parmalee, are equally determined to expose its secrets. A phone call from Father Fred Duggan rousts McGarr from his in-laws' home and brings him to Barbastro, the mansion/fortress home of Mary-Jo, where she was killed. Attempts are made to co-opt McGarr and failing that to misdirect him, even by threatening the lives and livelihoods of his family and colleagues. As the doughty Irish policeman explores the tangled lives of the inhabitants of Barbastro, the action turns deadly, driving McGarr to the point where revenge may overrule professionalism. Written with the depth of characterization and subtlety of plot that readers have come to expect from Gill, this is a not-to-be-missed addition to a not-to-be-missed series. (June 1)

Forecast:Portraying the real Catholic organization Opus Dei in a sinister light is a bold and controversial move on Gill's part, but one that could result in higher than usual sales.