A Very Private Grave

Crow (Glastonbury: The Novel of Christian England) kicks off a series of ecclesiastical thrillers with this story of a young American woman studying for the Anglican priesthood in Yorkshire, England. Felicity Howard finds her mentor, Father Dominic, bludgeoned to death and soon after flees with Father Antony, her church history lecturer, who is wanted for questioning in connection with the murder. Felicity and Antony pursue clues left them by Dominic that are related to seventh-century Saint Cuthbert, hoping that Dominic's quest will lead them to solve his murder. This plot promises, but fails to deliver. The narrative plods, the characterization is thin, the heavy-handed prose tells more than it shows ("A wave of desolation and despair washed over her"). A few features redeem: Anglophiles will appreciate Felicity's and Antony's travels and historical backdrop, and the puzzle related to Cuthbert is clever. But cozyphiles will be disappointed. (Sept.)