Reverend Faith Morgan is visiting a rural church when the soon-to-retire vicar meets his untimely end; Faith, a former police officer, can't help but attempt to find out what happened, to the dismay with the chief officer on the case - who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend.This is a well-written, cozy little mystery. I was nervous about this one, as it came with the cringe-worthy "Christian fiction" label attached, but thankfully it is much more Father Brown than the Shack. There is some soul-searching, but "and then a miracle happens" doesn't make an appearance as a plot device.Some of the characters are a little stilted (like Faith's older sister Ruth), but for the most part they're well-developed, or on their way to being so in the next books in the series. I always like a good crime novel so I was please when I found out that Martha Ockley was starting a new series featuring Faith Morgan, a former policewoman who decided on a change career and is now a newly ordained Church of England Minister.Faith is offered the opportunity to take over the parish of Little Worth as the current incumbent is retiring. She arrives one Sunday morning to quietly investigate what could become her new parish. However, within in an hour of her arriving a fellow Minister is dead. With her instinct for solving crime, Faith sets about helping the police find out what happened that morning. The only hitch comes when the Detective in charge of the investigation, Ben Shorter, is the ex-boyfriend. Will Faith be able to work with Ben to solve this most terrible of crimes or will their previous history become a problem?I really enjoyed the book and it was a good story and the plot was complex enough to keep you guessing and interested but not too complex that it was a slow read. A must read book for all fans of M C Beaton, Carol Dunn and Simon Brett. The characters were likeable and believable and well introduced seeing that this is the first book in the series. I will certainly be reading the next 2 books and hopefully more after these will follow.
What do You think about The Reluctant Detective (2014)?
I love a good mystery, this one is no exception. Neat sping on the spiritual aspect as well.
—bibs182
