Hope, Faith, and a Corpse

October 15, 2020
An Episcopal pastor must solve a murder to gain the approval of her flock. Walker introduces Hope Taylor, a widowed Episcopal pastor who loves the northern California town of Apple Springs. But not all its denizens love her back. Although she can't find Father Christopher, her new boss, when she shows up for her first day of work at Faith Chapel Episcopal Church, she stumbles over a body, picks up the burial urn lying next to the dead man, and is accused of murder by two ladies of the altar guild. Fortunately, the police chief doesn't consider her a serious suspect. Even so, Hope, who's always been a fan of mysteries, thinks a little sleuthing on her part won't go amiss. She's hard-pressed to find anyone who liked the late, wealthy Stanley King, including his two children. Since Stanley was not the only Faith Chapel member who abhorred female priests, Hope gets off to a decidedly rocky start until her plans to throw a Downton Abbey-themed tea party make her a host of new friends. These don't include Marjorie Chamberlain, whose magnificent house Stanley bought. Marjorie was no fan of his, but she dislikes Hope as well, and her nose is way out of joint over some of Hope's ideas. Hope is an Anglophile, a reader, and a fan of classic movies, all of which give her some ideas about motive. And a good thing, too, since so many members of her community are hiding secrets. Even the suspects are likable in this warmhearted, humorous addition to the pantheon of clerical sleuths.

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November 2, 2020
This pleasing series launch from Walker (Murder Most Sweet) introduces Hope Taylor, the new associate pastor and first woman priest of the Faith Chapel Episcopal church in Apple Springs, Calif. The first day on the job, Hope arrives early to find universally despised Stanley King, a wealthy congregant, dead in the columbarium. Someone evidently hit him on the head with a funeral urn. The town gossips are soon implying that Hope is the culprit, based on Stanley’s having ardently opposed the hiring of a woman priest. To clear her name, she summons her “inner Trixie Belden” (the heroine of a Nancy Drew–like detective series) and investigates. Hope’s burgeoning relationships with the church members are just as important as solving Stanley’s murder. Indeed, some readers may care more about who sabotaged the church ladies’ tea than who killed Stanley. Cozy fans won’t mind that witty, clever, and kind Hope does little detecting. With any luck, she’ll be back soon. Agent: Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary.