Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(6)
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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Wow! What more needs to be said! It is so refreshing to find an author who can write intrigue with the spirit of God on every page...Katherine Valentine has been given a gift and it's evident in this book.

She was able to put together a powerfully energetic set of characters that lead you through a story you can't put down! I won't include spoilers, but will say...I honestly can't wait to read the next book of this new trilogy.

Awesome!

I adored the Dorsetville series and kept waiting for funny happenings in this new book. It was pretty grim and spooky, and I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the other books by Valentine. (It looks like it could be a series.) Exorcisms don't make light summer reading. I guess some could look at it as an adult Harry Potter-like book. The characters piqued some interest, but there was more time devoted to demons than to the characters' stories, I thought.

This is such a departure from the author's Dorsetville series, that at first it was a 'horrid' shock! However, I kept reading and really began to enjoy the very different characters and storyline - sometimes it was devilishly funny! I must admit, though, that the women are not yet, shall we say, a cohesive group. They don't seem as bonded as I had expected them to be, but that it how women's groups begin, and I expect any more books about these women will show them growing together in love and closeness. A very different, but good, (and scary!!) story.

This work may not be for everyone, but for those who like Christian fiction and spooky subject matter, there is a lot to like. Valentine is one of the best Christian writers out there and I really enjoyed the characters and the good-versus-evil theme. I hope there will be a sequel someday.

I'll start by saying that I don't recommend this book. This book is an easy read and keeps you guessing from chapter to chapter but, what I was not expecting, was the very creepy description of Satan's evil and the depth of his hideous, gruesome, deadly power. Although the book does refer to God as being the Ultimate Good and points out that Jesus' power is greater than anything Satan's got...the priest and the women involved in the excorcism enjoy their booze and show no evidence of having a deeply committed relationship to God. In fact, they are not portrayed as praying at all, even in the midst of known evil. The book also deals with a woman that has psychic powers to see into the underworld.

I found the book rather scary to read, especially since Satan is real and his powers are deadly. I found myself feeling fearful of him and thinking about him. The good in that is that it sent me running to God, asking Him to have mercy on me and to protect me. I also started praying the St. Michael prayer throughout the day, which I'm still doing.

For someone interested in true life visits of Satan, I recommend The Cure D'Ars Today: St. Jeanne Baptiste Vianney. Scary, but with a foolproof antidote!