Paul Devlin is a New York police inspector, a rank recently reinstated by the mayor for Paul who answers only to Hizzoner and who is assigned the most politically sensitive investigations. He has a small unit, including Sergeant Sharon Levy, a drop-dead gorgeous lesbian (stop snickering, at least we don't have to worry about a relationship between the two.) A nun has been found in the long-term parking lot of JFK with her belly slit open to retrieve several condoms filled with heroin she had swallowed, her throat cut. A gay priest with AIDS with his throat cut is soon also discovered and now Devlin has a PR nightmare on his hands. (The scene where Devlin and Levy face off with Matthew (his colleague is John.......wait, here come the inevitable...) is a priceless display of power.

I downgraded the book a little because it occasionally splits into two different books: one, a good police procedural and the other, ruminations on ill-considered Catholic policies toward gay priests, celibacy, etc. I think the Catholic Church is just a beached whale that doesn't realize it's out of the water, so I have no problem with the little asides, but they didn't integrate well with the rest of the story. They weren't necessary. Another example: Opus Christi in the book which is clearly intended to be Opus Dei. Again, I rather enjoy exposing both Opi for their silliness and corruption, but the characterization is a bit extreme.

Nevertheless, it was a fun story with some skimmable parts. ( )