Bad Samaritan

May 3, 2010
Sister Agatha of Our Lady of Hope monastery in Bernalillo, N.Mex., sets out to clear her old college boyfriend, Sheriff Tom Green, of a murder charge in the Thurlos’ engaging sixth Sister Agatha mystery (after 2008’s The Prodigal Nun). The police suspect that the sheriff, who was running in a nasty re-election campaign against Robert Garcia, the mayor’s wealthy brother, shot Garcia in an isolated park area during a Fourth of July celebration. Green, who passed out shortly before the killing, thinks someone in on a plot to frame him drugged either the hot dog or the lemonade he was consuming. The astute, down-to-earth Sister Agatha, whose choice to become a nun the authors make persuasively real, gets on a trail that uncovers drug and spousal abuse. Hopefully, despite an impending move to Colorado, Sister Agatha will return to solve more crimes with her trusted former police dog, Pax, and the convent’s old station wagon she drives, the Antichrysler.

May 1, 2010
Sister Agatha faces not only the closing of her beloved monastery but also the most important murder case of her life.

The thought of leaving Our Lady of Hope Monastery in Bernalillo, N.M., to move to Colorado taxes Sister Agatha's faith. Just as devastating, however, is the news that Sheriff Tom Green, her old high-school flame, has been arrested for murder. Tom is accused of killing his political rival Robert Garcia at a rally and Fourth of July celebration in a crowded park after Garcia is found shot dead, a blood-smeared club in his hand and Tom unconscious at his side. Although both had apparently been drugged with a date-rape drug placed in their hot-dog relish, Garcia's powerful family, including the mayor, still insist Tom is guilty. With her faithful retired police dog Pax at her side, Agatha tracks down clues while facing threats from Garcia's backers. She learns that Tom's wife was planning to leave him, while Garcia's wife is hiding the secret that her son was not fathered by her husband, a controlling wife-beater. Agatha is a formidable sleuth with a long string of successful cases to her credit (The Prodigal Nun, 2008, etc.). But proving Tom innocent while facing her own problems will be no easy task.

A case designed to appeal to Agatha's fans while keeping them waiting to learn the fate of Our Lady of Hope.

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June 1, 2010
Sister Agatha, the crime-solving nun from the Our Lady of Hope monastery in Bernalillo, New Mexico, faces her toughest case in the Thurlos fifth novel in the series. With the monastery set to close and the sisters soon to relocate to Denver, Sister Agatha is ready for a diversion. It comes in the form of a phone call from her old friend, Sheriff Tom Green, who is up for reelection. Greenes opponent is Robert Garcia, a former deputy and rival of Toms who belongs to the towns most powerful family. But Garcia has been murdered, and Tom is accused of the crime. He needs Sister Agathas help if he is to figure out who is behind the frame. With her faithful dog, Pax, riding in the sidecar, Sister Agatha revs up her motorcycle and gets to work, encountering a great deal of resistance and uncovering some ugly family secrets in the process. This is a charming cozy with a Wild West setting. It will appeal to readers who prefer a gentle approach to investigation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)