A Shameful Murder (#624) by Cora Harrison is an excellent way to end this year of reading. It's a promising beginning to a new mystery series set in warr-torn Cork, Ireland in 1923, featuring as its main sleuth Reverend Mother Aquinas.
When the body of a young girl washes up at the convent's garden gate, Police Sergeant Patrick Cashman is assigned to the case. He was not so long ago one of Reverend Mother's more promising students. Since the city is embroiled in the Civil War, there's always a chance that the death could be political, or an informer executed as an example. But this young girl is dressed in expensive evening clothes, and students at the convent are from the poorest slums. When Dr. Scher is called in to exam the body, Reverend Mother feels a responsibility to follow the case, and as a frequent visitor to the convent, she knows that Dr. Scher will be a good source of information. Although the girl is identified as the daughter of one of the richest men in Cork, something about the family's reaction sets off warning bells. Angelina Fitzsimon is buried in the family tomb, but Reverend Mother can't help but feel that the matter itself is not yet dead and buried. There are too many discrepancies and questions unanswered.
How Reverend Mother, Patrick and Dr. Scher arrive at the truth and uncover a murder in their midst will keep you up at night following a trail that leads back to Reverend Mother's own past. Although the youngsters involved in the case think she's older than dirt, Reverend Mother is glad for the opportunity to use her brains to gently guide the investigation. St. Thomas Aquinas, her patron, would be proud!
Intricately plotted, and utterly satisfying. Highly recommended!
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