Publisher's Weekly Review
The flavor of San Francisco adds to O'Marie's witty sequel to A Novena For Murder, which marked the debut of Sr. Mary Helen. In her 70s, Mary Helen is supposedly retired at Mount St. Mary College. When her timid secretary Suzanne Barnes is murdered, however, the grieving nun determines to see justice done. Her friends in the police have no leads; very little is known about the victim, who had appeared out of nowhere, seemingly, to work at the school. Taking her equally daring religious companions on visits to people in Suzanne's apartment building, Mary Helen questions the residents but gets no solid clues. It's a conference with the chaplain at Vacaville prison that confirms the sleuth's suspicions and, unluckily, puts her at the mercy of the killer later. But Mary Helen wins again and fans can look forward to continuing tales of the wily, humane, ageless ``retiree.'' (October 17) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
A second adventure for 70-ish Sister Mary Helen after a flabby debut (A Novena for Murder). The victim this time is Sister's reclusive young secretary Suzanne, found raped and murdered in her apartment. Mary Helen's sleuthing soon uncovers Suzanne's past life as an ex-nun and her doomed marriage to a convicted rapist now out on bail--information apparently unavailable to Lieutenant Gallagher and his now-wed partner Kate Murphy. The author tries to create some excitement by putting her heroine into one dark, threatening space after another and subjecting her to some vaguely obscene anonymous phone calls. It doesn't work. Neither does Mary Helen's confrontation with the mad killer and her last-second rescue. Kate's struggle between career and motherhood, which gets a lot of attention, is no less hackneyed. Lack of pretension and a sometimes wry humor are the only saving graces here--and they're not enough. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
A sharp-witted nun turns sleuth in order to solve the grisly murder of an enigmatic employee. Upon discovering the bruised and mutilated body of her reticent secretary, Suzanne Barnes, Sister Mary Helen vows to investigate the unfortunate victim's murky past. With the able assistance of her whimsical chum, Sister Eileen, and the ever-pragmatic Inspector Kate Murphy of the San Francisco Police Department, Sister Mary Helen delves into Suzanne's troubled history and uncovers the startling and provocative fact that she was an ex-nun. A moderately entertaining whodunit featuring a genially unorthodox detective. Sister Mary Helen also appears in A Novena for Murder (Scribner, 1984). MF. [CIP] 86-4536
