Muddled plot & muddled writing. ( )

Best known for writing British histories, this book, written in 1977, is the first in the Jemima Shore series of mysteries.

This one has a strong grounding in Roman Catholicism, and is set in a convent. It is written in a "high British" style, slightly formal: "As I made the preparations for my nocturnal adventure,..." reminiscent of Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey series. Once you get into the rhythm of the words, it reads very cleanly. It is well written, the main characters are well drawn, though the secondary characters less so.

The mystery is not the main point of the book, though it does build suspense well. The satisfactory nature of the resolution will, in part, depend on your sympathy with the spiritual views presented.

Based on the synopses of the next few books in the series, it looks like Fraser relies heavily on her strengths writing about history, at the expense of the mystery side. As a mystery fan, I will not be seeking out the rest of this series.


( )

Son muy pocas las noticias policiales que tienen por escenario un convento de monjas. Por eso resulta insólita y original una novela ambientada en una comunidad entregada por entero a la oración y a la enseñanza, en cuyo seno acontece la muerte de una monja, seguida de varios episodios tan mundanos como misteriosos.

The main character, Jemima, is more an investigative reporter than detective. She solves the problem but not through any great detective work. Best part was her comments about going to a convent school and about nuns and their way of life. ( )

Jemima Shore, popular television news announcer, is drawn to Blessed Eleanor's Convent in Sussex when Reverend Mother Ancilla asks her to visit. A former classmate of Jemima's, now known as Sister Miriam, has died in the tower at the convent. Mother Ancilla believes Jemima can help make sense of the death as well as of other recent happenings.

The story is not straightforward. Although given permission to ask questions of any residents, Jemima uses the cover of an upcoming television program to hide her real purpose. Further, Reverent Mother herself is not altogether straight with her.

Sister Mirium died of starvation. She had taken to the tower in a bid for greater understanding. She told only one other nun where she was, hiding out to find answers to a quandary facing her. When she entered the convent she gave all of her worldly goods to the convent, as is required, and those goods included the convent itself. However, she was unable to offer the land beneath the buildings because it was legally entailed.

There were rumors among the sisters that Miriam had made a new will, clarifying the disposition of the land. There were worldly interests in the land, a developer at her heels, promising homes for the less fortunate. What served the Lord best?

Through off-and-on conversations, Jemima finally puts together the story and, in so doing, puts herself in danger.

I found it a decent story with enough movement to keep me going. I found the writer's use of "ess" on the end of nouns like "foundress" offputting. It harks back to the 1950s. I wasn't in love with Jemima. I had hoped for more. ( )