Grave Misgivings (Mother Lavinia Grey Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Kate Gallison (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mother Lavinia Grey Mysteries | Publication Date: September 8, 1998

Kate Gallison is back with a new mystery featuring cello-playing, crime-solving Episcopal priest Lavinia Grey. When a man finds his father's remains inexplicably missing from the local cemetery, he enlists Mother Vinnie's help.

Kate Gallison's faithful fans and critics everywhere have long been singing her praises, calling her "inventive and funny" (Kirkus Reviews), "an original talent" (Publishers Weekly), and "a good choice for those who enjoy the...mysteries of Donald Westlake" (Chicago Sun-Times).

In her latest mystery, Gallison delves into the afterlife. Mark Smith, with his grown daughter, Shannon, in tow, has returned to Fishersville, New Jersey, all the way from Phoenix, Arizona. He's brought his mother's ashes with him hoping to place them next to his father's remains, but his father's headstone is not to be found anywhere. Confused, he turns to Mother Vinnie, the town's logical source for help.

Armed with her usual equanimity, Mother Vinnie takes on the case, but a host of complications ensues. Who's been stealing statuary from area cemeteries? What's the story behind the bones buried under the Acme Supermarket? Will Vinnie's on-again-off-again relationship with Fishersville police officer Dave Dogg ever succeed? With smart dialogue, keen plotting, and unmistakable wit, Kate Gallison provides all the answers her loyal readership seeks.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mother Lavinia Grey, Gallison's Episcopal priest sleuth, makes her fifth appearance (after Hasty Retreat, 1997) in this quirky, entertaining story. Mark Smith, with his grown daughter Shannon, has returned to Fishersville, N.J., to place his mother's ashes with his father's remains. There's a problem: no one knows where his father, James Smith, is buried. Turning to Mother Vinnie for help, the Smiths discover that there is a mystery about the elder Smith's death, one that coincides with a devastating flood that hit Fishersville in 1955. While trying to help out Mark and Shannon, Mother Vinnie witnesses the vandalization of a local cemetery and is led to wonder if there's a connection between a local gang's stealing of statuary and monuments from cemeteries and the puzzling whereabouts of James Smith. When an elderly town resident is murdered and suspicion points at Mark, Mother Vinnie and Shannon must redouble their efforts to solve the mystery of Mark's missing father. The over-the-top ending, in which Mother Vinnie stupidly lets herself be put in mortal danger, weakens an otherwise amusing story that features a distinctive and usually appealing heroine.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A quirky, entertaining story."
--Publisher's Weekly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press; First Edition edition (September 8, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385319290
• ISBN-13: 978-0385319294
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,349,825 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Winner of the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance fiction prize for The Edge of Ruin, Kate Gallison writes the Emily Daggett Weiss silent movie mysteries under the name of Irene Fleming.

As Kate Gallison she wrote the acclaimed Mother Lavinia Grey murder mystery series about the struggles of a woman priest in the Episcopal church in a small New Jersey town, and another series about Nick Magaracz, a Trenton private detective.

She lives in Lambertville, New Jersey, with her husband and their cat. She is descended from a convicted Salem witch.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kept me up until 3:00am., September 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Grave Misgivings (Mother Lavinia Grey Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I can't believe LGandle read the same warm and witty book I did. Of course I am a fan of Mother Lavinia Grey and have read all Kate Gallison's books. Mother Grey and her wacky assortment of parishoners are always a hoot. The uproariously odd coincidences and dizzying plot twists of Grave Misgivings kept me up until 3:00am.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Miss Mother Lavinia!, May 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Grave Misgivings (Mother Lavinia Grey Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I wish Kate Gallison would hurry up and write another Mother Lavinia Grey mystery. The premise for her novels is so different...and wonderfully done.!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A former resident returns to Fisherville, July 11, 2002

By 

Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grave Misgivings (Mother Lavinia Grey Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Mother Lavinia meets a man and his teenage daughter in the rain in a cemetery. She kindheartedly asks them home with her and they tell her they are looking for the grave of the man's father. He died in the great flood of 1955, or did he? Someone is also stealing the ornaments from the graveyard. Mother Lavinia takes both mysteries in hand.

While this isn't my favorite of the Mother Vinnie mysteries, it is still very entertaining. The mysteries of the past and present blend very well together, and the ending is somewhat surprising.