cover image THE BOOK OF LIGHT

THE BOOK OF LIGHT

Michelle Blake, . . Putnam, $24.95 (224pp) ISBN 978-0-399-15046-3

In Blake's third outstanding Lily Connor mystery (after 2001's Earth Has No Sorrow), the slightly unorthodox Episcopalian priest, now a temporary chaplain at Tate University near Boston, helps an old friend from divinity school on the Tate faculty, Samantha Henderson, with a big problem. The author of several bestselling Biblical studies, Samantha reveals to Lily that her assistant has been receiving photographs of what seems to be an ancient scroll, The Book of Light, which predates the New Testament gospels and includes the words of Jesus himself. As Samantha and Lily become engrossed in discovering the source of the photos and trying to ascertain the scroll's authenticity, it soon becomes evident that others on the same quest will stop at nothing to get what they want. In spite of the personal dangers the priest and her friends face, the document provides a stepping stone for Lily to clarify her own personal doubts and solidify her spiritual beliefs. Eloquent prose, astute scholarship, convincing characters and vivid settings, from the streets of Harvard Square to a monastic community on the Greek island of Athos, make this a remarkable work, raising the genre of the parish mystery to new heights. (May 12)

Forecast:Strong word of mouth among the Protestant Episcopal community should make this a lead fiction title at theological seminary bookstores.