In St. Patrick's Custody (Patrick & Grace Mystery #1) [Paperback]

Janet Elaine Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2002

Grace Johnson, elderly New Yourk City widow, "ran away from home and at my age!" she says. Patrick O'Mailly, retired New York cop, comes to her rescue by taking her to the homeless shelter where he volunteers. Grace quickly becomes their most valuable employee.

The fun begins when a priest from St. Patrick's Cathedral recruits them to help solve a mystery: the statue of St. Patrick has disappeared! They are led on a merry chase by a young girl, and along the way they just happen to solve the one murder case that has bugged Patrick for years, as well as get caught in the middle of an attempted poisoning.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Janet Elaine Smith lives in Grand Forks, ND, with her husband, Ivan. They have three adult children, They were missionaries in Venezuela, SA for several years before establishing a HELPs mission in Grand Forks. Janet is a widely known writer whose magazine articles have appeared internationally in such magazines as Heritage Quest, Red River Valley Memories and MinnDakota Mysteries, where she is a contributing associate editor. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: Pagefree Pub Inc (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930252579
• ISBN-13: 978-1930252578
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,421,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Janet Elaine Smith has been a successful, well-known magazine writer for over 30 years. She now has 21 successful books published, in 6 genres, which all reveal her delightful sense of humor. She also has e non-fiction books available: Promo Paks (marketing tips for authors), Rebel With a Cause her memoirs), and The Flood of the Millennium (her role in the devastating flood in Grand Forks ND in 1997).
After losing her husband, Ivan, of 42 years, she moved to Northeast Wisconsin, where she is pursuing not only her writing, but has become a popular inspirational speaker throughout the area.
On of the most fun things she has discovered is that John Grisham seems to be writing her life in his books, as she details on her website.
She travels the world in her novels, and you can find almost anything in them--romance, intrigue, mystery, adventure, humor--but you will never find one that doesn't have a happily-ever-after ending.
Janet admits that her favorite book is A Christmas Dream, which she says "Makes you feel warm and fuzzy--from the inside out." Her favorite characters are Patrick and Grace, from their own mystery series.
She loves hearing from her readers, but they keep asking for her minor characters to have a book of their own. There are only so many hours in a day! But hey, a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do, so she's working on them! If you have a favorite minor character of your own from one of her books, please let her know who it is.
She has at least another 100 books in her head, so don't worry--there's more to come!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A touching, different, fun mystery, December 1, 2004

By 

Jimmy Fox "Author of genealogical mysteries" (Louisiana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In St. Patrick's Custody (Paperback)

In St. Patrick's Custody, by born storyteller Janet Elaine Smith, introduces us to Grace Johnson, a diminutive and quirky senior sleuth with a down-to-earth attitude and considerable spunk. Grace calls on her life experience and innate keenness to delightful advantage as she confronts potentially deadly mysteries, all the while fighting a personal battle of high stakes. Not a moment too soon, Grace finds a perfect sleuthing partner in redoubtable "retired" New York City detective Patrick O'Mally, with whom she forms a vibrant relationship. Readers in search of a mystery that delivers a lump in the throat along with a pleasurable zing of suspense and discovery should consider picking up this heartwarming novel.

(Review by Jimmy Fox, author of Deadly Pedigree, Lineages and Lies, and Jackpot Blood)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.", April 14, 2003

By 

Nina M. Osier (Randolph, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In St. Patrick's Custody (Patrick & Grace Mystery #1) (Paperback)

Grace Johnson, recently widowed New York City housewife, sits on a bench in Central Park each day and feeds the birds. Retired cop Patrick O'Mally comes to the park daily, too. Is it coincidence that just before Grace's children decide to put "mother" into a rest home, these two finally introduce themselves - and it's an instantaneous CLICK? Or is it just everything going according to plan?

I'm not a mystery reader, and that's probably because I'm not fond of formula books. But I have read and enjoyed two of Janet Elaine Smith's historicals, so I ordered IN ST. PATRICK'S CUSTODY fully expecting a good read.

I was not a bit disappointed. This "mystery without the cliches" is gently told, and filled with characters whose human foibles make them real. It's also (dare I say this, or will I scare someone away?) a curiously inspirational tale. While the author never preaches, and never allows her characters to do so, either, their faith in the Higher Power watching over their lives comes through loud and clear.

Threaded through the book, also, is another theme dear to my heart: that life for the aging Grace Johnsons and Patrick O'Mally's of this world is far from over. Their love story, and (running parallel to it) Grace's discovery that she can make a satisfying life of her own after years of being simply "wife and mother," are the tale's most memorable elements.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, March 6, 2002

By 

Kristie Leigh Maguire "Indie Author" (Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In St. Patrick's Custody (Paperback)

Grace Johnson was an unlikely candidate to be involved in solving a mystery. Grace was an elderly woman whose children wanted to put her away in a nursing home after the death of her husband, James. Grace decided that there was still some life in the old girl yet and that she wasn't quite ready to be sent to an old folk's home. She ran away from her children and her empty life. Grace ended up in a New York City homeless shelter where she found happiness in being needed.

Patrick O'Mally was an ex New York City policeman with a grudge, a grudge against the Vince Bellazoni who had killed in his son. He was also a very lonely man since his wife, Margaret, died. Meeting Grace Johnson was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time.

Someone tried to poison Father O'Brien. Who would try to kill such a beloved old priest? Someone stole the statue of St. Patrick from St. Patrick's Cathedral. Who would stoop so low as to do such a thing? Was that really a leprechaun that Grace kept seeing every time she saw that poor dirty little homeless girl? Did Vince Bellazoni really kill Patrick's son?

In Saint Patrick's Custody by Janet Elaine Smith is a lighthearted mystery chock full of surprises, twists and turns. Read along and be delighted by the story of Patrick and Grace as they try to solve the mysteries - and end up falling in love along the way.

***

Reviewed by Kristie Leigh Maguire, author of Emails from the Edge, Desert Triangle, co-author of No Lady and Her Tramp and contributor to Calliope's Mousepad...