The nuns at Gwenafwy Abbey, located
in Pryderi, a small village in North Wales, lead lives of devotion
and prayer. They also have their own library, their own vegetable
gardens and they make award-winning organic cheese called Heavenly
Gouda. Each of the sisters is encouraged to follow her own dream
once she turns 60 years of age. Sister Agatha's dream is to
write a mystery novel, and she puts her sleuthing skills to
the test when the Abbey's sexton dies under mysterious circumstances.
Was it an accident or murder?
Chock full of interesting characters and a slew of twists
and turns, I found this mystery to be highly entertaining.
The mystery itself unfolds bit by bit, leading the reader
to put the pieces of the puzzle together, only to mix things
up and have to start over in a different direction.
I really like Sister Agatha and the other nuns, and found
even Father Selwyn to be all too human. The only thing I didn't
like, and I suppose it is a small thing, but it bothered me,
is that there was an awful lot of eye-rolling going on, especially
in the first part of the book.
This is, indeed, a charming debut, and the North Wales setting
delivered me to the idea of a different pace of life. I read
the book in three sittings, although I could easily have stretched
it out further, or conversely, read it in one or two. It will
appeal to traditional cozy lovers and is appropriate for all
ages, teens and up. I'm delighted to have been given the chance
to read this first in a new series and look forward to more
of Sister Agatha's mysteries over the coming years.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Shadow
of Death #1
Hour
of Death #2
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