True Believers

Starred review from April 2, 2001
A small Philadelphia neighborhood, a melting pot of fervent religious beliefs, erupts in violence that calls for all the skills of Gregor Demarkian, the formidable retired head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, as he tackles his 16th case following last year's Skeleton Key. A Roman Catholic parish still suffering from the aftereffects of a pedophilia scandal that rocked the archdiocese; an Episcopalian church with a mostly gay male congregation; an independent, fundamentalist Baptist church; and atheist Edith Lawton all occupy the same block. Only Haddam's superb plotting and characterizations allow this microcosmic creation to achieve credibility. The new Cardinal Archbishop of Philadelphia first consults Demarkian when a suicide inside St. Anselm's proves more complicated than first believed and threatens to become a new scandal for the beleaguered Catholic church. Then Demarkian is coopted by the police when another death, thought to have been natural, proves to have been murder. As tensions escalate, Demarkian must unravel the motives behind killings that threaten to tear apart the delicate balance. To make things even more difficult, Demarkian's lover, Bennis Hannaford, is facing a personal crisis. Her sister's execution date is approaching and this time there appears no hope of stopping it. Haddam's large cast pulses with petty jealousies, vanities and fears as they confront the mysteries of life and religion. This is an engrossingly complex mystery that should win further acclaim for its prolific and talented author. (May 14)Forecast:An Edgar and Anthony awards finalist, Haddam could finally cop a major prize with this one.

April 1, 2001
Retired FBI agent Gregor Demarkian (Skeleton Key) investigates an unusual apparent murder/suicide in a Philadelphia church, for which police blame the husband. A nun believes otherwise, however, and so the plot thickens. From a dependable hand.

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2001
It's a little hard to believe, but the seventeenth Gregor Demarkian mystery is just as fresh as the first (" Not a Creature Was Stirring," 1990). That's a big achievement in itself (most series start to get stale well before this point), but Haddam does more here than simply avoid repetition. Her story of a Catholic priest suspected of a double homicide in which one of the victims was a member of a parish that ministers to homosexuals tackles the topic of organized religion and manages to treat it perceptively without resorting to ridicule or stereotypes. Haddam is a fine and compassionate writer, and Demarkian, the retired chief of the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Unit who now solves crimes in his spare time, is one of the more interesting series leads in the mystery marketplace. It's a pleasure to find a solid mystery combined with engaging discussions of issues outside the genre. A guaranteed winner for those who prefer intellectually stimulating mysteries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)