The Haunted Rectory: The Saint Francis Xavier Church Hookers (The St. Francis Xavier Church Hookers) [Paperback]

Katherine Valentine (Author)

Book Description

Series: The St. Francis Xavier Church Hookers | Publication Date: June 6, 2006

The author of the popular Dorsetville series takes us to the small town of Bend Oaks to meet a group of hookers—rug hookers, that is. When rumors of a haunted rectory shake up the small town, a new priest comes to pastor, and what he discovers will change all of their lives forever.

Bend Oaks is a small town with a big problem—every new priest who comes to town flees the rectory in the night, and no one will say why. Strange disappearances, unexplained sounds and smells, and mysterious deaths all haunt this hallowed building. But this doesn’t stop the St. Francis Xavier Church Hookers from continuing their decades-old tradition of meeting in the rectory to hook their colorful rugs to auction off at the Strawberry Festival in order to raise money for the parish.

This tight-knit band of faithful women is startled by the arrival of Father Rich Melo, sent by the archdiocese to live in St. Francis Xavier’s “haunted” rectory. Father Rich brings skepticism to his mission in Bend Oaks, but he also carries with him the terrible memory of an earlier encounter with demonic forces.

From the unearthing of an ancient biblical curse to an exorcism in Rome to the bowels of a decaying insane asylum, Valentine brings readers on a wild ride set against the familiar backdrop of small-town New England. This heartfelt tale is both an exciting suspense story and a deeply moving story of the power of faith.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jan Karon's Mitford series meets The Exorcist? No, it doesn't fly, and that's why Valentine, known for her gentle Karon–look-alike Dorsetville series (On a Wing and a Prayer), comes up short in mixing a woman's church group with a supernatural horror theme. When a local rectory is haunted, it's up to Father Rich Melos and the closet town psychic, Jane Edwell—plus a band of rug hookers (think Charlene Baumbich's "Happy Hookers" from the Dearest Dorothy series)—to keep the powers of darkness at bay. Evil manifests as a black mist with red eyes, making knocking sounds, levitating furniture, etc. The plot elements feel shopworn: there's the obligatory smalltown cafe, ancient manuscripts that resurface and the handsome priest who is a member of a secret order. Valentine succumbs to weak mechanics, telling instead of showing, offering redundant information and employing clichéd phrases ("The midafternoon sky was gunmetal gray, which matched Father Rich Melos's mood"). Characters pull convenient vials of holy water out of their purses whenever evil looms. Perhaps the most problematic scenes have Valentine trying to mix humor and horror: "Now Vera, don't tease the demon...." (June 6)
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From Booklist

Valentine deploys a Mitford-like tone for this tale of a haunted Catholic church in an idyllic New England town. A priest who has had experience with exorcism, the good-looking Father Rich Melos, is brought in to deal not only with Satan's monster but also with the St. Francis Hookers, a female rug-hooking group similar to myriad other such groups in gentle reads, except that one among them is a psychic and becomes Rich's helpmate. The serious matter of demons grates with Valentine's breezy delivery, though no doubt her readers (from her Dorsetville series) will stay with her. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 277 pages
• Publisher: Image (June 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385512023
• ISBN-13: 978-0385512022
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,045,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Katherine Valentine's Best Work Yet, June 9, 2006

By 

Lisa M. Hendey "Mom, Blogger, Podcaster, Author" (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Haunted Rectory: The Saint Francis Xavier Church Hookers (The St. Francis Xavier Church Hookers) (Paperback)

I'll admit up front that I'm a major fan of the work of Katherine Valentine, having read each of the installments of her Dorsetville series. In fact, I was even initially disappointed that this book took us beyond the realm of Dorsetville and into a new place, home to a new cast of characters.

That being said, I found myself so wrapped up in The Haunted Rectory and the ladies of Bend Oaks that I quickly overcame my hesitations. This book is a wonderful combination of characters that are real, down-to-earth and full of life and a story line that will keep you turning the pages right to the end.

Bend Oaks is the small town home to the St. Francis Xavier "hookers" - a group of rug hooking aficionados who gather weekly in the parish rectory to lovingly craft a new rug each year for the parish raffle. The members of the group are eclectic and fun - hardworking coffee shop owner Jane has a secret gift; jet-setting Kay seems out of place at first but becomes indispensable; flirtatious Rose knows how to use her assets to get a job done; Vera is on a break from roaming the world and finds real adventure at home; and Myla, the group's Grande Dame, keeps them all in line.

Add into the mix Father Richard Melo, a worldly priest who is called away from his research of ancient manuscripts for the Vatican to solve a mystery that is plaguing St. Francis' Xavier's rectory. The mystery has already killed one pastor and scared off other priests, but Fr. Melo possesses a special gift he has not yet completely accepted: will he risk his career and perhaps even his life to combat an evil force so strong that it leaves death and destruction in its path?

Katherine Valentine has created a wonderful tale that is full of both heart and intrigue. Her characters are the types you fall in love with and want to meet for a cup of coffee and a chat. It is a joy to watch Fr. Melo's transition from disconnected academic to shepherd of his own flock, meeting and dealing with his own personal demons along the way.

The good news, once you reach the conclusion of The Haunted Rectory, is that is appears Valentine may have left a small window open for a sequel to this tale, which is great for fans of her writing. If you haven't read one of her previous books, this is a great place to jump in and learn to love her work.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down, June 7, 2006

By 

Jan Setters (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Haunted Rectory: The Saint Francis Xavier Church Hookers (The St. Francis Xavier Church Hookers) (Paperback)

This book's a keeper! Valentine has come up with a can't put down til the end suspense story about a group of small town New England rug hookers who become involved with the strange happenings inside a rectory, and a new priest sent from Rome who comes to investigate. With characters that you really learn to care about and a wild ride that keeps you guessing to the end, this is a book that I'm recommending to all my friends.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Could NOT Put This Down, July 25, 2006

By 

Granny (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Haunted Rectory: The Saint Francis Xavier Church Hookers (The St. Francis Xavier Church Hookers) (Paperback)

I don't usually write a review of a books I've read because so many others have already but since there are only a couple, I just wanted to say that Katherine Valentine has been a favorite of mine since I first discovered her and her series. Now this new direction is equally good. It's very different but equally good - very good in my opinion. Katherine, looking forward to the next one.