Customer Reviews

The Mother's Day Murder (Christine Bennett Mysteries)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being a "real" sister for over 40 years myself, I have followed this series with great interest and enjoyment....Lee treats sisters with respect and insights into our foibles....As usual, Lee keeps us guessing as to the twists and turns that her stories never fail to bring to the reader.....

This one is especially good in keeping the identity of the murderer until the end...I must admit.. for those last few pages I couldn't wait and took the book to prayers with me...

Thanks, Lee for a fun read...If you ever need a consultant on "nuns" just call me....

I just spent this whole evening reading The Mother's Day Murder. This book is the 12th in a series of books by Lee Harris. The main character, Christine Bennett, is a former nun, who has a knack for solving murders.

This one was a book I could not put down. I had to see how it ended. One day a young woman appears on Christine Bennett's doorstep seeking her help. The young girl introduces herself as Tina and announces that she is the daughter that Chris's good friend and mentor, the Mother Superior, Sister Joseph, gave up twenty years ago.

Christine cannot believe this of her good friend and is anxious to get to the bottom of the mystery.

I have enjoyed each of the books in this series, and this one is no exception. I enjoy the way that Christine looks at life, is very loyal to her friends, is a calm loving mother and wife and maintains contact with her friends at the Convent where she spent so many years of her life.

Lee Harris weaves a compelling story where people's reputations are at stake. In each book of this series, Chris grows and matures and the people in the book are familiar friends to the reader.

This book is appealing for its lack of gory violence, bad language and "gratuitous" sex. I goofed, though. By reading this book as soon as it hit the shelf, I now have to wait for the next!

I've enjoyed all the books in this series, and this latest is another winner. It was all the more interesting because the crime involves Sister Joseph who is Chris's mentor and close friend. As with so many of Harris's books, the story involves secrets from the past and their repercussions in the present, something I enjoy very much. I raced through to the end.

In Oakwood, Chris Bennett enjoys life thanks to her devoted husband and their infant son. No one meeting Chris would ever believe she was once a Franciscan nun, but that was her vocation for many years. Chris keeps in touch with the nuns at St. Stephen's, especially the Mother Superior Sister Joseph.

A novice comes to see Chris. The young woman says that she is Sister Joseph's child given up for adoption over two decades ago. Chris does not believe Tina. However, before Chris can persuade Tina she is wrong, the novice is killed. It turns out that the deceased is really Randy Collins, a college student on a quest to discover the identities of her birth parents. Sister Joseph becomes the most viable suspect in the eyes of the authorities, a situation that Chris intends to prove otherwise by discovering who the real killer is.

After twelve novels, most series would feel worn out, but in the capable hands of Lee Harris each book seem fresher and better than the proceeding one. THE MOTHER'S DAY MURDER is a vibrant tale about an ordinary person who willingly goes to extraordinary lengths to help out a friend. Chris thinks of herself as a simple woman but her actions make her a heroine to be admired. This sleuth novel is one of the best works in this amateur sleuth series.

Harriet Klausner

I have to agree with all of the positive reviews here. I love the Christine Bennett series, and I think this one may be the best yet. The mystery was believable and interesting. More than that, Christine is a warm, likable character. I even like reading about the "mundane" tasks she completes, like making dinner or driving her young son around. I look forward to "visiting" with her every time Lee Harris writes a new book!

Nuns and neighbors mix to form a wonderful puzzle.Chris is always good at digging up the past. In this case she is faced with uncovering facts she doesn't want to know. This helps to build the suspense and keep the reader on the edge of their seat. This is one of the best in the series.My only fear is that Lee Harris is running out of holidays. I hope she considers St David's day, St Erhos day, the Ides of March anything to keep new stories coming.

Lee Harris and Christine Bennett get better and better with each book. I just hope that Harris never runs out of holidays!

We've had reasonably high praise for all the previous entries in the ex-nun Christine Bennett series, using such words as pleasant and relaxing to describe these consistently nice clean murder puzzlers, many of which hark up events long since past. In this one, the 12th (of 14 so far), the people and tone we consistently like are back, with husband Jack now finished with law school and holding a new administrative position with the police department; and son Eddie now a toddling two-and-a-half years old. We continue to enjoy watching the family grow and mature.

This story features a particularly compelling plot - a little higher level of intrigue than usual increases the suspense and tension right along with the speed at which the pages turn! Early on, a young woman lands at Chris' doorstep professing to be a nun from the old convent with a troubling secret - she is in fact the Mother Superior's actual birth daughter. Chris can hardly believe something this shocking about her mentor and dear friend, Sister Joseph, whom we readers also know quite well from appearances in virtually every tale. After just a couple of days with Chris, the young woman is suddenly murdered at a nearby neighborhood property, and the initial investigation reveals her to be an imposter. To make matters more compelling, the early clues point to Sister Joseph as a potential suspect, even with the police unaware of the secret (that would provide powerful motive) agonizing Chris to explore and unravel. The rest of the story obviously deals with discovering the murderer, not easy, and unearthing the truth about the "daughter" claim, which looks more likely with every passing page. Chris even travels to Ohio (making it sound like Thailand or something!) to look into matters near the time of the victim's birth and supposed adoption, flying and renting cars and such - all pretty foreign to our sheltered leading lady. A great twist at the end only puts more icing on a sweet cake.

So - all the good stuff is back, and to us, a particularly gripping story line makes this perhaps the best Lee Harris to date. Bring on #13!

Lee Harris has turned out another well-crafted mystery with The Mother's Day Murder. These books are impossible to put down! Christine Bennett is a realistic sleuth who delves into people's hearts and secrets in this very intelligent series. Harris brings Christine's beloved friend Sister Joseph into the foreground in this one, and tries to piece together her mysterious past to clear her name from some dreadful accusations. No mystery lover should miss this series!

Christine Bennett, a former nun, is shocked when a young woman shows up on her doorstep claiming to be Sister Joseph's biological daughter. Sister Joseph is not only Christine's closest friend but is also the revered and loved Superior at St. Stephen's convent. When the young woman is found murdered, the evidence seems to be leading the police in only one direction....Sister Joseph.

Once again Lee Harris has written a mystery leading Christine into discovering buried secrets from the past. Lee Harris once again keeps the reader guessing to the very end!