Customer Reviews

Murder at the Monks' Table: A Sister Mary Helen Mystery (Sister Mary Helen Mysteries)

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

 

 

The relatives of Sister Eileen buy her and her friend Sister Mary Helen tickets to attend the Oyster Festival in Ballyclarin, Ireland. The two nuns appreciate the kind gesture and quickly enjoy all types of activities at the gala. They especially gain pleasure meeting some of the local eccentric residents.

The good time comes to an abrupt halt when Sister Mary Helen discovers the murdered body of detested reporter Willie Ward in the ladies' bathroom at the Monk's Table. Detective Inspectors White and Reedy investigate; they quickly learn the victim made many enemies who would want him dead and from the San Francisco Police department that the two nuns tend to get involved in homicide investigations (see REQUIEM AT THE REFUGE). Though they caution the Sisters to stay out of their investigation and both try to adhere to the official warning, Sister Mary Helen and Sister Eileen keep stumbling into the middle of the case.

The killer is obvious and the clues found by the Sisters are more caused by chance than real investigating, yet readers will love this delightful Irish police procedural-amateur sleuth tale. The story line is amusing as the two detectives begin to wonder if the visiting Sisters have heavenly intervention as they seem to lurch from one clue to another that the cops missed. Fans of the series will enjoy the latest traveling escapades of the Nuns sleuthing on the run.

Harriet Klausner

Sister Mary Helen has gone to Ireland and still manages to get involved with a murder. This clever nun doesn't go seeking dead bodies but does tend to trip over them somehow. Her great humor and quick mind finds answers before the police but then this is the only crime she has to worry about. Sister Mary Helen is always fun to read and the Irish setting gives it a new flavor. There was good characterization here.

Sister Mary Helen is in Ireland visiting her friend Eileen and gets to do her sluething in "the old country." She is trying very hard to stay out of it, but bodies show up practically on her doorstep, so what's she supposed to do?! If you've read others in the Sister Mary Helen mystery series, I think you'll agree Carol Anne O'Marie has written another winner. I enjoyed it and bought one for my 88 year old mother for Christmas, also a fan of this series.

I highly recommend it! It's a good mystery in the tradition of the English "Cozy". Enjoy.
MJ Samer

Sister Mary Helen visits Sister Eileen in Ireland. The picturesque Irish village seethes with anger, envy, greed, and lust and the good sisters are in the midst of it. Sister Mary Helen discovers the body of the local newspaper gossip columnist in the ladies' room and she cannot resist delving into the mystery, even though the police detective warns her off the case. Naturally, the two good sisters begin finding clues and find ways to let the police know.

This is a fun cozy mystery. It is not fast paced (why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5) but it is satfifying. If you have read the other Sister Helen books this one should be at the top of your to read list.

This series gets better and better. Sister Mary Helen and Sister Eileen are in Ireland and, as usual, find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation. The story has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one in the series! Crank up your computer, Sister Carol Anne!

As a cozy mystery lover and a lover of Ireland, the setting for this mystery was definitely enticing. However, it was such a delightful read. Sister's Mary Helen and Eileen are great characters, a couple of "old dears." All the characters are well developed and interesting. It's a well written who-done-it! The descriptions of Ireland and some of the places they went and things they did really made you feel you were there. A good mystery, set in a beautiful country with great characters is always a super way to spend some time curled up in a comfortable chair with a little Celtic music playing in the background. This is one of my favorite books by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This is a short "cozy"-style mystery. Fans of Sister Mary Helen and the series will enjoy the latest visit with her (this time in Ireland), but otherwise do not expect a real mystery. Don't get me wrong -- I am a fan of this series. But the murderer and motive were painfully obvious by page 133 (out of 236), and it was frustrating to read the bumbling idiocies of the alleged detective-inspectors. The solution was not revealed through clever analysis or investigation, but rather through sheer dumb luck. All of the characters were shocked by the result, even though it was excruciatingly obvious. Entertaining as a cozy and the depiction of the festivities, but otherwise pretty shallow.