Not of This Fold

Starred review from October 15, 2018
The plight of immigrants comes home to the Mormon community of Draper, Utah, in Harrison’s exceptional fourth Linda Wallheim mystery (after 2017’s For Time and All Eternities). Gwen Ferris, who has been active in the church’s Spanish ward, has befriended Gabriela Suarez, a young mother of three, whose husband has been deported to Mexico. One day, Gabriela leaves a phone message for Gwen that suggests she’s in some sort of trouble, and that night, her strangled body turns up at a gas station. Gwen prevails on her good friend Linda to help bring Gabriela’s killer to justice. Tension rises between Linda and her Mormon bishop husband, Kurt, who worries about her interfering in police matters. Meanwhile, Linda fears that their youngest son, Samuel, who’s on a mission in Boston, may be encountering prejudice from fellow Mormons because he’s openly gay. The culprit will surprise few, but Harrison maintains the suspense as the action builds to an altogether fitting resolution, in which an unexpected character plays a major role. Readers of all faiths will relate to kindhearted, thoughtful Linda, a devout Mormon who isn’t afraid to question the policies and leadership of the LDS church. Agent: Jennifer Udden, Barry Goldblatt Literary.

Narrator Kirsten Potter shines in this cozy mystery set against the backdrop of the Mormon Church in Utah. Linda Wallheim is a bishop's wife who wrestles with her roles as a woman, wife, and mother. Gwen Ferris so embodies Linda's ongoing struggles with faith, doctrine, and justice that Linda sees her as the daughter she never had. Together, they become enmeshed in the suspicious death of a Mexican immigrant tied to the church. The story is heavier on character and setting than it is on plot, allowing Potter to shape the mood through careful modulation of Linda's internal observations. Furthermore, Potter excels at the pacing and delivery of dialogue, skills that lift an otherwise ho-hum mystery into an engaging exploration of both Mormon and individual identity. A.S. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine