Death at Whitewater Church
"...gives a chilling, almost claustrophobic feel to proceedings."
Synopsis:
When a skeleton is discovered wrapped in a blanket, in the hidden crypt of a deconsecrated church, everyone is convinced the bones must be those of Conor Devitt, a local man who went missing in his wedding day six years previously. But the post mortem reveals otherwise.
Solicitor Benedicta 'Ben' O'Keeffe is acting for the owners of the church, and although an unwelcome face from her past makes her reluctant to get involved initially, when Conor's brother dies in strange circumstances shortly after coming to see her, she finds herself drawn into the mystery.
Whose is the skeleton in the crypt and how did it get there? Is Conor Devitt still alive, and if so is there a link? What happened on the morning in his wedding to make him disappear?
Negotiating between the official investigation, headed up by the handsome but surly Sergeant Tom Molloy, and obstructive locals with secrets of their own, Ben unravels layers of personal and political history to get to the truth of what happened six years before.
Purchase the book from Amazon.
Review:
Welcome to the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland and welcome to the world of solicitor Benedicta 'Ben' O'Keeffe - a persistent, intelligent, and vulnerable protagonist. 'Death at Whitewater Church' is the first in a new series of crime novels and is definitely a series to get stuck into. Andrea Carter has written a spot-on mystery with echoes of Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series. She has perfectly crafted the small village mentality and given us a wonderful cast of characters. The 'everyone-knows-everyone-else's-business' image is evident and very true to life and gives a chilling, almost claustrophobic feel to proceedings. Ben O'Keeffe is a subtle, yet engaging, lead character. There is definitely plenty of scope for more novels featuring her and I imagine Carter is going to have great fun writing them.