Blood on a Saint

Miracle or fraud? St. Bernadette's church in Halifax is thrown into the spotlight when the recently-fired parish secretary claims to have a vision of the Virgin Mary floating above a statue on the parish lawn. Father Brennan Burke is less than thrilled when a ragtag group of soapbox preachers, hustlers, and pious pilgrims descend and turn the church lawn into a circus. CTV even sends Pike Podgis, a controversial talk show host, to stage a faith vs. science debate between Fr. Brennan and an atheist sociology professor. Events take a sinister turn when a young woman is murdered at the scene, and Podgis is arrested for the crime. Fr. Brennan's drinking buddy, Monty Collins, is called upon to act as defense for the accused. Meanwhile, someone is tormenting Fr. Brennan in the confessional, divulging details of this and other past murders. As good friends, Monty and Fr. Brennan have a hard time discussing the case, as Monty is bound by solicitor-client privilege, and Fr. Brennan by the seal of the confessional. In this seventh book in her Collins-Burke series, Halifax lawyer and award-winning author Emery (Children in the Morning) uses strong characters and dialogue to deftly touch upon the paradoxes between superstition and belief, between reason and faith, and between justice and forgiveness. (Nov.)