Death by Prophecy: A Connor Hawthorne Mystery (Paperback)

~ (Author) "This place is starting to give me the creeps,"" said Laura..." (more)
Key Phrases: divine hammer, nuclear generating station, coolant system, Father Rosario, Malleus Caelistis, Ricky Bell (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In her third outing (after Deceptions and Witchfire), Lambda Literary Award finalist Maddison once again serves up entrancing prose, intricate plotting, and masterly characterizations. Connor and girlfriend Laura, both of whom inherited spiritual gifts, meet a California priest and his sister just before the priest's gruesome murder. The priest's archaeologically based articles hinting at heresy have already attracted Vatican attention, and a secretly recovered artifact, handed down for years and as yet unseen, could indeed rewrite religious history. Do clues that Connor and Laura uncover also connect with threats received in Washington against nuclear power plants? Although the plot's combination of the supernatural with nuclear terrorism is a bit far-fetched, overall this is a powerful and unsettling story. For most collections, particularly those specializing in lesbian mysteries.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Maddison creates edgy, moody settings very well, and she is in top form in this century-spanning transatlantic mystery starring second-sighted lesbian writer and former prosecuting attorney Connor Hawthorne. The Vatican will do anything, it seems, to conceal the truth, and even the existence, of two secret societies--the first an ancient, magically endowed cult of mystics bent on elevating the worship of the Virgin and preserving a sacred relic to that end; the other a ruthless subculture sworn to eliminate heresies and their believers. Connor, the granddaughter of a Celtic witch who occasionally advises from beyond the grave and whose paranormal gift she has inherited, and her Navajo partner, Laura Nez, get hip-deep in Roman Catholic esoterica when a many-leveled sacrilege crops up in the form of a California priest found with a wooden stake pounded through his heart in the confessional of his church. Is this the work of the extremist group Malleus Caelistis, which is bent on destroying a covert belief that threatens the bedrock of the church? Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books; 1st edition (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555837646
• ISBN-13: 978-1555837648
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,094,935 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful reading - until the end, March 5, 2003

By A Customer

I would love to give this book 5 stars. It was very well written and made me think. No doubt, this is her best book so far. However, this book has the same problem her last two - she builds up the plot, and then wraps everything up too neat and pat. There is no real climax; Maddison just waves her arms and the book stops. (The scientist in me also wonders how anyone could prove what they say is in the box is really what is in the box, but that is a side issue.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another OUTSTANDING mystery in the series. Love it!, December 22, 2002

By A Customer

I keep thinking they can't get better. But the author has taken the magic and the mystery to the next level. I've gotten extremely attached to these characters, but even more to the literate writing, the realistic dialogue, the vivid settings, and most of all, that sort of spooky, spine-tingling, "woo-woo" stuff that Maddison seems to know an awful lot about. Who would have believed a mystery author could make readers want to know even more about angels and reincarnation and yes, even about God? Wow! So when's the next one?

5.0 out of 5 stars thank heavens for a good myster!, December 25, 2002

By A Customer

Want to read a literate, fun adventure? This is it! I've already read the first two books in this series and I'm almost impatient for the next one. Guess I'll have to wait another year. This book was very well written and the characters I got to know in earlier books, are getting better and better. It also makes me think about life and love and magic and spiritual stuff while I'm trying to figure out the mystery. What a ride! Thank you, thank you. Keep writing!