Cindy’s church is getting ready to celebrate Easter, and Jeremiah’s Temple is preparing for Passover when Cindy literally stumbles over the body of an unknown man lying dead in the sanctuary. The church was locked, and a bloody cross necklace on the floor seems to be the only clue. The killer is likely a member of the congregation, but there are hints that similar deaths have happened in the past. Are Cindy and Jeremiah dealing with a serial killer? They have to unravel the clues before Easter Sunday arrives and more people die. Cindy and Jeremiah come from two different worlds, even though they work right next door to each other. Cindy is a strong Christian who lives a normal but somewhat dull life, working as a church secretary. Jeremiah is a Reformed rabbi with a mysterious past full of danger and excitement. But one eventful Easter/Passover week, the two find themselves working together to solve a murder and stop a serial killer from striking again. Solving the mystery should put an end to their alliance, but the church secretary and the rabbi quickly find themselves enmeshed in another mystery. Soon the two form a friendly alliance and friendship, exploring personal history and faith and growing closer with each passing adventure. Despite their differences Cindy and Jeremiah find a lot of common ground.
Debbie Viguié is the New York Times Bestselling author of over a dozen novels including the Wicked series and the new Crusade series co-authored with Nancy Holder. Much of Debbie’s writing has a dark edge to it, including her retold fairy tales, her latest beingViolet Eyes, a retelling of The Princess and the Pea. In addition to her epic dark fantasy work Debbie also writes thrillers including The Psalm 23 Mysteries and the upcoming Kiss trilogy. When Debbie isn’t busy writing she enjoys spending time with her husband, Scott, visiting theme parks. They live in Florida with their cat, Schrödinger.
My Impressions:
Debbie Viguie’s The Lord Is My Shepherd is just the kind of mystery I like. The characters are likable with enough quirkiness to make them interesting, but not too much to make them silly. The mystery has great twists and turns and makes you think about what will come next. The setting gives it a bit of a small town feel, but this one definitely has too large a body count to qualify as a strictly cozy mystery.
Cindy, a secretary at First Shepherd Church, arrives at work on the Monday before Easter and literally trips over a dead man in the sanctuary. Jeremiah, the rabbi from the synagogue next door comes to her aid, and an interesting friendship and sleuthing duo is formed. Bodies begin to pop up whenever Cindy is around, and the staging of the murders mimics the final week in Jesus’ life. The police have their hands full, so Cindy and Jeremiah oblige them with some extracurricular investigating.
The Lord Is My Shepherd was timely reading for me since it is set during Holy Week and Passover and the mystery revolves around the final actions of Jesus. The interactions between Cindy and Jeremiah are not romantic, but they definitely have a friendship going on. I enjoyed the glimpse into the traditions and rituals of Passover preparations. I also liked that Cindy didn’t shy away from her faith around Jeremiah, but lived it out. This book is definitely one any mystery lover will like. I look forward to reading the remaining 3 books in the series, all revolving around holidays.
Recommended.
(I purchased The Lord Is My Shepherd for my Kindle. All opinions are mine alone.)
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