The Penitent Priest: A Contemporary Small Town Mystery Thriller (The Father Tom Mysteries Book 1) —by J. R. Mathis and Susan Mathis (Revised Edition)

 Fiction / Contemporary Mystery/Cozy

Private publisher

May 23, 2020

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B086RYHYC6’

1305 KB

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8754617841

324 pages

5 Stars

 

Remember the tv show, The Father Dowling Mysteries? Brother Cadfael? This is similar, but more up-to-date, and fun. 

 

Before Father Tom took to wearing a backward collar, he was happily married to the love of his life. She died in his arms. Fifteen years later, he’s a genuine, bona fide Roman Catholic Priest, and gets sent back to the town where it all happened to substitute the local, and much loved, priest who is on a leave of absence. 

 

He finds himself getting reacquainted with his best friend, his mother in law, many people who remember when his wife was killed, and remember him fondly even though he ran off to the monastery.

 

The killer is still out there. His return brings up old memories, and his first college love (to whom he was for a short time, engaged) is now a detective in the local police department, and just as lovely as before. He broke off the engagement, and now he must eat crow and convince her to open the cold case, convince her the killer is still here, and remember he can’t divulge anything heard in the confessional. 

 

He carries a tremendous guilt, which you’ll read about by the end of the book. Actually, he carries more than one guilt. 

 

How well do you really know the person you love and live with? Eh?

 

No gratuitous sex, violence, or f-bombs! A great read. I’ll read more. Oh, did I mention it’s a one sit read? I read it on my birthday ;-)