Sat 2 Jun 2012
A Review by Maryell Cleary: SISTER CAROL ANNE O’MARIE – A Novena for Murder.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[2] Comments
SISTER CAROL ANNE O’MARIE – A Novena for Murder. Charles Scribner’s Sons, hardcover, 1984. Dell, paperback, 1986. St. Martin’s, paperback, 2005.
Sister Mary Helen is a sprightly 75, reluctantly retired from the parochial schools to “do research” at Mount St. Francis College for Women. When the head of the history department, Professor Villanueva, is found with his head bashed in, Sister Mary Helen plunges into detection with all of her enthusiastic nature.
She brings along with her her old friend, Sister Eileen, the college librarian, and a new friend, Sister Anne, the college chaplain. Professor Villanueva was known for his kindly sponsorship of young Portuguese immigrants, several of whom work for the college. However, several others have recently disappeared.
The professional police detectives, Inspectors Kate Murphy, a Mt. St. Francis alumna, and Dennis Callahan, who takes a paternal interest in Kate’s love life, strongly suspect one of the Portuguese men after they learn that the professor’s kindness was more apparent than real.
Though they’re at first annoyed by Mary Helen’s intervention, they wind up liking and respecting her. She is a lively addition to the ever-growing group of clerical detectives. The book is laced with humor, the people are interesting, and the San Francisco locale is well depicted.
Plot is a bit thin on the ground, and the book’s brevity precludes any real depth of character. Maybe Sister O’Marie will go deeper next time. This enjoyable first effort deserves a follow-up.
Fall 1986.
Bio-Bibliographic Notes: There was indeed a follow-up, ten of them, in fact. There might have even been more, but Sister Carol Anne O’Marie died in 2009 at the age of 75. Besides writing mysteries, she also helped run run a shelter for homeless women in Oakland, CA. A tribute to her at the time of her death by Janet Rudolph may be found on the latter’s blog here.
The Sister Mary Helen series —
1. A Novena For Murder (1984)
2. Advent of Dying (1986)
3. The Missing Madona (1989)
4. Murder in Ordinary Time (1991)
5. Murder Makes a Pilgrimage (1993)
6. Death Goes on Retreat (1995)
7. Death of an Angel (1996)
8. Death Takes Up a Collection (1998)
9. Requiem at the Refuge (2000)
10. The Corporal Works of Murder (2002)
11. Murder at the Monk’s Table (2006)
June 3rd, 2012 at 1:23 pm
In the last six weeks I’ve finally read the first two in the series. I agree with the reviewer: those books are too short to have much depth, especially in characterization. But they do have tremendous charm.
Nowadays how often is the brevity of a mystery a complaint? Far too often today’s mysteries are much too long.
June 3rd, 2012 at 3:19 pm
I have most of the series, but neither of the last two titles are familiar to me. They must have come out when I wasn’t looking.
Have I read any of them? The answer is no, not yet.
I’m more likely to now, though. They always have seemed a little too light-weight for me, but after chugging my way through some of the chunksters currently being published, I think something shorter may fit the bill for a while.
And “charm” is definitely not to be looked down upon.