The Bishop's Wife

Starred review from October 6, 2014
YA author Harrison (The Princess and the Hound) makes her adult debut with a stunning contemporary mystery set in Mormon country. Linda Wallheim, the independent-minded wife of an LDS bishop, is the unofficial problem-solver and general soothsayer for the Mormon community of Draper, Utah. When distraught Jared Helm shows up at the Wallheims’ door with his five-year-old daughter, Kelly, Linda is immediately suspicious, growing more so after Jared claims that his wife, Carrie, simply up and left her family. There’s talk in the ward about the Helms’ tumultuous marriage, but Linda finds it hard to believe that Carrie would abandon Kelly with her husband, who’s known for his extremist views. Linda does all she can to assist in the search for Carrie. An intriguing subplot involves dark secrets that one ward member sought to hide for years. Harrison, a Mormon herself, easily transports readers into a world most will find as unfamiliar as a foreign country. 15-city author tour. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary.

November 1, 2014
A questioning Mormon woman becomes involved in two mysteries. A Mormon bishop is called to serve part-time, not lifetime, and his wife has no official standing. But Linda Wallheim strives to help her husband, Kurt, cope with the many calls on his time. When they're awakened early one morning by Jared Helm and his 5-year-old daughter, Kelly, Linda has no inkling how profoundly their lives will be changed by Jared's claim that his wife, Carrie, has left him. Linda has 5 grown sons, but she can't forget the loss of her stillborn daughter, and little Kelly captures her heart. When the girl tells Linda that her father dropped her mother off somewhere during the night, Linda wonders whether Carrie really ran away. Carrie's wealthy, angry parents are equally skeptical. As the police begin an investigation, Linda, who'd like to do more with her life, strikes up a friendship with Anna Torstensen, whose husband, Tobias, is gravely ill. Anna, who has a graduate degree and worked in banking before marrying Tobias, is just the sort of independent woman Linda would like to be. Although she has no children, Anna has raised the two boys from Tobias' first marriage as her own. Now that Tobias is dying, he rambles on about visiting his first wife's grave even though nobody knows where it is. Despite Kurt's entreaties to leave these problems alone, Linda is driven to investigate out of concern for Kelly. The discovery of two bodies produces devastating revelations for Linda and the close-knit community, but she never thinks of giving up her search for the painful truth. Harrison, herself a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is known for her children's fantasy books (The Rose Throne, 2013, etc.). This decidedly adult tale adds twists aplenty to an insider's look at a religion replete with its own mysteries.

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September 1, 2014

Linda Wallheim, a Mormon homemaker and bishop's wife, is drawn into the dark underside of her ward in her unofficial role as confidant to the ward's members. The suspicious disappearance of a neighbor (leaving behind a husband and five-year-old daughter) and a long ago mysterious death plague Linda as she struggles to come to terms with her own loss from the past and to find an identity separate from the lives of her children. Secrets, abuse, and misogyny ultimately form the backbone of many relationships in the novel, but Linda's faith and family relationships remain strong even as she questions her place as a woman in a religion dominated by men in positions of power. YA author Harrison's debut novel is a measured exploration of a small religious community filled with dark secrets. Readers interested solely in the mystery aspect may be underwhelmed, as the inclusion of multiple crimes feels muddled and Linda's investigations are subdued and clumsy. Still, the details about the inner workings of the Mormon church are intriguing; and while Linda can come across as meddlesome, her heart is in the right place. VERDICT For fans of unembellished, character-centered novels and readers with an interest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [15-city tour; $100,000 marketing.]--Emily Byers, Tillamook Cty. Lib., OR

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2014
As the wife of a Mormon bishop, Linda Wallheim should be the truest of the true believers, but goings-on in her small Utah community are feeding her doubts. Carrie Helm, a young mother, is missing, and it seems that she has fled an abusive relationship, leaving her five-year-old daughter behind. Carrie's husband, Jared, has views that Linda finds extreme, and she suspects that he was involved in Carrie's disappearance. The more Linda learns about the curious circumstances at the Helms' residence, the more she finds herself in a crisis of faith. How did her husband, who should be aware of the goings-on within the families of the ward, have missed the signs of abuse? And what will become of Carrie's daughter? Linda is a fascinating charactera woman who craves connection, but whose role within the church seems to foster a polite distance from potential friends. Her ties to both her family and her church are strong, but she is not beyond questioning her deeply held beliefs when necessary. The mystery surrounding Carrie drives the plot, but Linda herself is the most compelling thing about young adult author Harrison's debut adult mystery about a world she knows well.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)