The Good Friday Murder [Audio Cassette]

Lee Harris (Author), Judith Roberts Seto (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997

The mother of "idiot savant" twins was brutally murdered with her own kitchen knife on Good Friday, 1950. Alone with the body until its discovery on Easter Sunday, the retarded but gifted twins left their bloody fingerprints all over the Brooklyn apartment. If they didn't kill their mother forty years ago, who did? Just out of the convent, new suburban homeowner Christine Bennett finds out "Who".

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... Forty years ago, idiot savant twins were charged with the fatal stabbing of their mother on Good Friday, 1950 ... Through clever and painstaking research ... former nun [Christine Bennett] is able to clear the twins but exposes herself to serious danger as a result. She also experiences her first romantic encounter and begins to settle into a very different life than that of the cloister.

"Roberts Seto presents a brisk and pleasing semi-voiced narration of a mystery story with an unusual twist. She is especially adept at handling the accents and age differences of various female characters. -- Pat Dole, KLIATT AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS, 7/99

"... It's a terrific mystery, with strong characters and an original plot ... performed beautifully by the vocally talented Judith Seto. She moves easily from quiet and competent ex-nun Chris Bennett to the gruff but charming Jack, from a Polish baby-sitter to the coarse Irish cop who covered the murder (and covered up vital evidence) and a sweet little old Jewish lady ... They're all richly brought to life by Judith Seto. I can't wait for the next one!" -- Dave Kirby, "Book Bit," WTBF-AM/FM.

"... Lee Harris's The Good Friday Murder is a superb and engaging detective story that will be greatly appreciated by fans of the genre. Ably narrated by Judith Roberts Seto." -- James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review, 5/99

"A Character Whodunit that Keeps You Guessing to the End. ... Former nun/college English teacher Christine Bennett discovers that she has a penchant for creative snooping into a decades old murder when the story of idiot savant twins who were convicted of murdering their mother is called into question.... Actor Judith Roberts Seto narrates the story, adding dramatic flare ... and fresh, convincing characterization to an assortment of diverse personalities from urban Brooklyn and suburban Westchester, NY." -- Gil Hershey, Word Trade, 9/99

"A lot of people ask me when I hear new projects, why don't I make a big deal about it ... I am about this one! I listened to an abridgement of Lee Harris's THE GOOD FRIDAY MURDER (Scheherazade AudioVisions). If you are wondering why they don't release good mysteries on audio, listen to Judith Roberts Seto's vocal shading of this project. Ms. Seto moves between characters with ease, making this sound almost like a motion picture in your mind. The amazing thing about this audio abridgement is it holds up against the novel itself. Pat Ms. Seto on the back and hope she records the rest of the series-this one is worth remembering when you go to the book stores." -- Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD, 7/99

"Long on common sense, humor and humanity" -- The Criminal Record, "Out of the Habit"

"This is the first of a new series of Christine Bennett mysteries, and Ms. Harris has created a likable and interesting character who undergoes a gentle metamorphosis during the course of the book. Her religious background is evidenced in her orderly and Spartan lifestyle, her innate kindness, and the perseverance she displays in tracking down clues and witnesses.

"However, a new secular Christine is emerging who overcomes her shyness in order to interview witnesses and socialize with neighbors. And an incipient romance with Jack Brooks, the police sergeant helping her investigation, helps complete her transformation into a modern, independent woman." -- Mostly Murder, "The Spying Nun"

From the Publisher

I always look forward to a new mystery by Lee Harris. Her novels about ex-nun Christine Bennett are in that central range between cozy and hardboiled -- the perfect balance. Ever since I encountered Christine Bennett in THE GOOD FRIDAY MURDER, which was nominated for an Edgar Award as best first novel, I've been fascinated by the author's depiction and development of her heroine -- Christine matures in surprising (but always believeable ways) as the series continues. It would be hard to pick my favorite Lee Harris mystery, but certainly among my favorites is THE CHRISTENING DAY MURDER, in which a thirty-year-old unsolved murder has impact on present-day menace.

--Joe Blades, Associate Publisher --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Scheherazade Audio Visions; abridged edition edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965814807
• ISBN-13: 978-0965814805
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,469,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a WONDERFUL Book, April 8, 2002

By 

Thomas H. Griffith (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Friday Murder (Christine Bennett Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you can read (or listen to the audiobook version) this story and not be in tears by the end, you are a stronger reader than I am. This was one of the most moving stories I've ever read. Ms. Harris is able, in the guise of telling the simple tale of a nun who left the convent and gets involved in a mystery simply through the process of living her everyday life, to create characters who are so sympathy-engendering as to make them part of your life. They become like family--and their deaths had me sobbing.
Add that to a well-crafted mystery story, and you have the beginning of a mystery series of books which one will want to read, and re-read in later years.
May Ms. Harris be able to keep on writing Christine Bennett
mystery stories!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT A RUN-OF-THE-MILL MYSTERY!!, August 13, 2000

By 

Karen Boml "Kiki" (Hudson, NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Friday Murder (Christine Bennett Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first Christine Bennett mystery I read....as soon as I closed the last page, I went to my local bookstore and bought the complete series!! Christine spent half her life in a convent, and upon deciding that she was not cut out to be a nun, moved to her recently deceased Aunt's home in New York state.... While at a local town meeting in her town of Oakwood, she volunteered to investigate a murder by mentally challenged savard twins who were convicted of murdering their mother 50 years ago on Good Friday....the town members were afraid to allow Greenwillow Institution permission to relocate in Oakwood. Christine visited her own mentally challenged cousin, Gene, many times and got to know the savard twins. With the help of Jack Brooks, a local policeman, Christine solves this first of many mysteries.....at the same time they are realizing they each have feelings for the other....(this is only the beginning of a great relationship.......) This mystery, as well as those that follow, is a great read with original plot and superb character development....so many series seem to fizzle out after a few reads, but this one only gets better and better!! Any mystery that keeps me guessing right up to the end is a "5" in my book!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smart and believable, July 22, 2002

By 

Alicia K. Ahlvers "alibrarian" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Friday Murder (Christine Bennett Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Christine Bennett is in the process of readjusting to "normal life" after spending 15 years as a cloistered nun. At a town meeting, she speaks in defense of disabled twin brothers accused of killing their mother 40 years before and to her surprise is put in charge of researching the case. As she starts to dig into the past, she meets a helpful (and smitten) police officer who helps in her search for the truth.

Christina does not run around accusing people of the murder without evidence, judge suspects harshly for their past actions or deliberately place herself in danger which is a refreshing change. This is a refreshing cozy mystery with likeable characters and an engrossing mystery.