Customer Reviews

Path of the Wicked: A Hope Street Church Mystery (Hope Street Church Mysteries)

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This was a great read with thought provoking inspirations. When Cooper and her bible study group volunteers delivering foods door-2-door, they learned that items were missing from several clients and several have died unexpectedly, the gang set out to find the culprit. With infusions of bible studies, family and friendship, Cooper and her friends gather the clues that will bring this wolf-in-sheep-like clothing to justice.

Cooper Lee originally joined her bible study group while healing after a devastating break-up. As the months have passed she's grown close to the other members and has even begun a tentative relationship with one of them. The group is doing volunteer work for Door-2-Door, a charity that provides food and other necessities to housebound seniors. But stolen valuables and suspicious deaths show that not everyone is interested in helping the seniors...someone is preying on their vulnerable clientele. Cooper and her friends find themselves in an ideal position to not only assist the police in their investigation, but to do a little snooping of their own.

This is the second book in this series and Cooper continues to shine. The author has chosen to portray the character in a very realistic light, facing challenges and making choices that many women in their early thirties can identify with. In this book we also get to see the character of Nathan, Cooper's potential love interest, develop. By far the best part of the story for me was watching the couple take those first few steps (and missteps) towards forming a relationship.

The mystery was nicely done, with plenty of viable suspects and motives.

The author has introduced a lot of characters in this series, so it's understandable (but still a little frustrating) that some of them come across as rather vague or one dimensional. For instance, Cooper's mother seems a little too good to be true, a bit of a stereotype. Ditto Savannah, the leader of the bible study group. We'll have to see if they grow as characters as the series progresses.

I think the author deserves a lot of credit for building a series around a bible study group and yet never coming across as "preachy". I'm not sure how she does it, but she does pull it off. I'll admit that there are times that I struggle with the "sweetness" factor, but if the author chooses to present things in a positive light then...Yeah for her; there's enough negativity out there and this series is a nice respite from all that.

No swearing or sexual content. I'd recommend starting with the first book, "Stirring Up Strife".

The Sunrise Bible Study of Hope Street Church gathers every Sunday to discuss a portion of scriptures. The group's members are not students, but bonded in friendship which has grown stronger recently when they solved a murder case (see Stirring Up Strife). They back up what they say with their latest endeavor as volunteers delivering Door-2-Door Dinners.

Cooper and Valerie work hard with enthusiasm and determination. However, trouble comes for the couple. Three clients had valuable items stolen after the Door-2-Door visits. Worse, three elderly people died sitting in a chair in their homes. The police do not think there is a connection to the church, but Cooper disagrees; she investigates. Her friend helps Cooper in order to keep her safe as her activities can prove dangerous. One of her clients died sitting in a chair; but Cooper thinks back to when she first saw him and thought he was dead at that time as he did not move but was revived from a deep unnatural sleep before the perp really killed him. The cops make an arrest, but Cooper believes they failed to find the culprit.

This inspirational cozy is filled with likable characters who readers would like to meet in real life as they are good caring folks who walk the walk they preach (except of course the perp in sheep's clothing). Although the heroine is too impulsive (the devil did not make her do it), she does what she believes is right even if the means breaking and entering. She, her sidekick and the rest of the posse make for a delightful whodunit.

Harriet Klausner