Customer Reviews

True Believers: A Gregor Demarkian Novel (Gregor Demarkian Mysteries)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been reading Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian series as they came out from the beginning. They've all been good books, and with each one I know that I can expect a fine mystery, complex and realistic characters (who change and grow as the series progresses) and good writing.

True Believers has all three.

The writing is wonderful, the mystery kept me wondering, and the characters are all fully fleshed and realistic. This is true of both the regulars and those who appear just in this book. While I enjoy the character development of Gregor and Bennis and the other inhabitants of Cavanaugh St., I also appreciate the fact that the mystery and the plot are never sacrificed. Rather, the book is made up of interlocking strands, which tie together to make up the story as a whole, but which don't always intermingle.

While the strands may not get mixed together, they progress together, affect each other, and in the end, the whole is cohesive and there are no loose ends.

The story involves deaths at a Philadelphia church, and eventually encompasses the Catholic church where the deaths take place, the Episcopalian one across the street, and the fundamentalists down the road. It's a complicated story, involving child abuse, embezzlement, fundamentalism, the death penalty debate, and gay rights groups, and yet at the end the solution is straightforward and logical.

While the mystery gets solved and all the storylines come together at the end, the characters don't just weather the storm and come out unscathed at the end of the story. Bennis has to deal with the impending execution of her sister (who had committed murder in an earlier book). People in Jane Haddam's books deal with the consequences of their own, and of others', actions, and it's part of what makes this book, and this series, as vital and interesting as it is. The books are always complex and the treatment of the issues involved, whether it's child abuse or anti-abortion activism, or the death penalty, is never superficial. These are realistic characters, dealing with real-life difficulties and their lives change as a result.

True Believers is one of the stronger entries in the Gregor Demarkian series, and that is, in my opinion, saying quite a lot.

The subject is murder. It's happening in a fading Catholic church in the heart of Gregor Demarkian's Philadelphia; it's happening across the street in the counterpart Episcopalian church that befriends a community of gay men; and Bennis's older sister, who's about to be executed by the state for killing her father and two other sisters, is finally going to reap the rewards of murder. The impending execution forms an intriguing backdrop to the murders that make up the fabric of Gregor's 16th (or 17th, who's counting) encounter with the most base human crime. What I've always loved most about Jane Haddam's novels is the array of unusual, intense, and fully-developed characters. She did not disappoint me with TRUE BELIEVERS. Each one was crisp and clear within the pages of the story as he/she drove the action forward to its amazing conclusion. Add to that the wonderfully imaginative plot that twists and turns itself from confusion to clarity, and you'd have a well-constructed, enjoyable mystery novel with apologies to none, thank you. But Jane Haddam has taken TRUE BELIEVERS a step higher by placing before the reader a plethora of contrasting philosophies as traditional and diverse Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, fundamentalist Baptist, athiest, and agnostic characters find they must share the same space and either learn to fight or to coexist there. She gives her readers much more than simple plot to digest as they seek to understand the viewpoints of others around them. Perhaps that's why Jane Haddam's book can be read and reread many times without ever losing their freshness. And for her fans (like I am), that's a blessing.

First, right off, I have to admit that I love and adore Jane Haddam. Her dry wit and her ability to cut to the heart of an issue are like a spring breeze through my soul. We don't agree on many issues, but I would not change a single thing about her . . . or about the way she writes. I have loved her books from the first one I read, and for me, each new book is another layer of delight for my reading pleasure.

True Believers is no less. It is more. Not only does she understand the Catholic Church like few other writers, she understands my beloved Episcopal Church, too. And once again, she kept me guessing right up to the last. All of the clues were there, right in front of me, but I managed to miss the right combination of pieces to the puzzle.

No other writer, for me, has quite the turn of phrase, adjectives, and thoughts of Jane Haddam. I laughed out loud and groaned in sympathy with Gregor and Bennis once more, and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of "True Believers". Where else would I find phrases like "she had all the fashion sense of a psychotic duck", or read about a digital machine for making sock balls? Where else could I be "in the minds" of characters I have come to so enjoy? Where else could I find such delight in Gregor's confusion over Bennis, and Bennis' confusion with Gregor? Where else could I read about an Armenian priest hooked on the Internet and on the love of learning? Where else could I glimpse another culture so like and yet unlike my own? Only in Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian series. There is no other like it, and every book is a delight of its own. True Believer's is the latest gem on the necklace. Don't miss it! If you see what I mean . . .

The Philadelphia Inquirer calls former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian the "Armenian-American Hercule Poirot," but the ex FBI chief of the Behavioral Science Unit prefers less of a public role. In spite of his good intentions, Gregor seems to always become involved in a high profile homicide investigation that turns him into a media pizza. Gregor's lover Bennis Hannaford suffers from a rough period as the state readies to execute her sister with no appeals or stay in sight.

Gregor tries to help Bennie obtain closure, but is yanked into the murders inside churches in their neighborhood. For instance, a churchgoer dies from arsenic poisoning and her husband brings her to their place of worship where he commits suicide. A nun and a pastor also die from arsenic poisoning. Gregor begins to seek the common theme besides the weapon that binds these deaths.

One of the great qualities of the excellent long-running Demarkian novels is that the reader does not need to follow some pre-designed sequence as each book can stand-alone. Still, fans will tell newcomers that watching Gregor grow and change is fun. TRUE BELIEVERS is rich in detail and strong on plotting. The complex characters make the story line believable and keep the pace of the novel steady but always going forward. Jane Haddam will make TRUE BELIEVERS out of anyone who reads any of her books.

Harriet Klausner

"True Believers" is a fine mystery, complete with clues, red herrings, a baffled but determined hero and sufficient plot twists to confound the most able armchair-detective's reasoning. Better yet, it's a brilliant novel about religion as a complex force in American life and politics today. With characters ranging in devotion from athiest to born-again fundamentalist and all shades between, Jane Haddam takes her characters'passionate convictions seriously. How murder challenges all belief systems is the core of this satisfying story.
As always, the wit and clarity of Jane Haddam's prose shines in _True Believers_.

Anyone who has followed Jane Haddam's series about Gregor Demarkian and his Armenian American community in Philadelphia, his burgeoning relationship with Bennis Hannaford and the good and bad of the religious community will be enchanted with this newest contribution. The subject matter is thought provoking and witty. The characters are very true to my experiences.

The best thing about the book is the elegant handling of very sensitive and controvsial subjects: the quasi-religious anti gay movement, the ever-convoluted Catholic Church in the United States, the position of all Christian churches toward their members who are gay, and last but not least, capital punishment. The reader is given the situation without judgement and with humor. What could be better.

And it's amazing how similar the fringes of the "movements" all are. Even if they are polar opposites.

This is a notable addition to this series. I recommend it highly.

True Believers is a very characteristic Jane Haddam mystery. Although I did puzzle out the right suspect, I got only part of the motive. On purely technical grounds, this story falls short of Haddam's best, which remain Precious Blood and A Stillness in Bethlehem.

The physical setting is a street in central Philadelphia. The moral setting is the differing understanding of what it means to be a Christian. Catholic, Liberal Episcopalian, and Fundamentalist confront each other across that street. Tensions erupt over doctrinal conflicts while unlikely friendships weave between the pastoral staffs. Respect and good-faith action are contrasted with suspicion and resentment. And, as in Haddam's other stories set in religious milieux, the criminals act not out of adherence to their beliefs but out of personal betrayal of them.

There is a partial resolution of an old issue in the relationship between Gregor and Bennis. This is important to the long-term development of that relationship. Related to the issue of adhering to and betraying one's own beliefs, I find that at some point the reaction of Father Tibor to the relationship of Gregor and Bennis doesn't ring true. That's been true through a number of books, but the events of this story throw light in that direction, and make it harder to accept.

I rank this story in the upper half of Haddam's work, somewhere below Act of Darkness, but well above Feast of Murder.

I discovered Ms. Haddam's books by chance, and I'm glad I did. Each book is as compelling and well-written as the first. This latest book is no exception. Her insightful character descriptions are the key to keeping her readers interested and involved in the mystery. I believe that readers who understand the characters get the most enjoyment from the stories. This mystery is one of the more complex ones, and kept me guessing until the end. I always enjoy the "goings on" of the neighborhood characters;all realistic people I can relate to.I look forward to reading the next one.

People are being poisoned in neighboring Philadelphia Churches. First the Cardinal Archbishop, then the police call in retired FBI agent Gregor Demarkian. Gregor's lover Bennis Hannaford restlessly anticipates the execution of her sister amid the swirl of life on Cavanaugh Street. Jane Haddam provides a world of crime and religious passions that contains a first rate puzzle of murder. Is the motivation love, money or both?

Unlike some of the other reviewers I did not discover Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian mysteries until she had been writing for years. I discovered them browsing the mystery section of my public library branch and then using interlibrary loan.





This was probably the first Gregor mystery I read followed by Skeleton Key from the public library. I have since been buying her novels rather than borrowing them, because except for one novel, an early one (One to Die On), they are keepers. Jane Haddam just gets stronger with each succeeding novel. Her novels, especially this one, are hard to put down once you start reading them.





True Believers is an excellent mystery -- I really never guessed who the killer was. In this novel Jane gives us a treatise on religion in various forms and as well as an engrossing mystery. The religions that are featured in this mystery are: the Roman Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church, a cult like fundamentalist Christian sect, and atheists as well as detailed discussions about various religions between Father Krekor Tibor (an Armenian priest who is a renaissance man) and Gregor.





The non-repeating-series characters (potential victims, potential killers) are extremely well drawn, not at all shallow. They leap from the pages as real people. The lives of repeating characters on Cavanaugh Street change and expand with each novel. I like mystery novel series which have excellent characterizations of victims and killers, a large cast, well developed repeating characters besides the main sleuth, and a complex mystery. I like the glimpses that Jane gives us in her novels into Armenia, via Cavanaugh Street; I knew nothing about Armenia prior to reading her novels.





This is one of Gregor's Philadelphia mysterys. This novel starts with two murders (by rat poison) associated with a Roman Catholic Church across the street from a well endowed Episcopal Church (whose members are mostly gay). More murders occur and there are plenty of red herrings, both among characters and the regilious source of the killings. One of the mystery's issues is how the rat poison is administered to the victims.





This is an extremely erudite mystery, not for intellectual light weights. I enjoyed it so much, I did not want it to end.





Lately, I have been trying to add "who might not like this item" to some of my reviews.





This novel will NOT appeal to readers who are extremely/devoutly religious (and therefore offended by a blot on the portrayal of their religion) and homophobics. If you meet either of these classifications, give this novel a pass.