Abide With Me: A Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery
by Jane Willan
About Abide With Me
Abide With Me: A Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Amazon White Glove (November 17, 2020)
Number of Pages – 300
Digital ASIN: B08NCT19K1
Change is afoot at Gwenafwy Abbey. Ten new nuns from a convent in Los Angeles join the community of Anglican sisters bringing energy, youthful enthusiasm, and more electronic equipment than Sister Agatha could have imagined. The arrival of the new nuns brings something else to the Abbey—a bit of unexpected notoriety. Claire Mac Donagh, an ambitious young reporter for The Church Times, interviews the new sisters for a feature story. Murder is the last thing on anyone’s mind when Claire is found dead on the beach, her mobile phone in the sand. A tragic death, says Constable Barnes. A selfie gone bad. Meanwhile, Sister Agatha is unconvinced and puts on her detective’s hat, only to find herself in the midst of a tangled murder mystery. Her suspect list includes everyone from the new sisters to Reverend Mother to the beloved archbishop of Wales. Time is running out as Sister Agatha uncovers a shocking reality. Will she reveal the truth hidden in an ancient document before it is too late?
Oh my word, what a delightful discovery I’ve stumbled across with this series. This is book 3 and my first of the Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery series. I’ve already gotten a copy of Book 1 to catch up.
These characters are absolutely charming. They reminded me of the few years I worked at a university chaplaincy and then at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Church of England clergy and lay communities are certainly a quirky bunch and I really delighted in seeing the spunk and ambition in these characters as a true reflection. Maybe the murder mystery solving not so much, but you never can tell…
The mystery to solve is who killed Claire Mac Donagh, a visiting journalist. But first is Claire who she appears to be? And what of this mysterious cousin and elusive ex-boyfriend? And how is a sweet, retired Archbishop implicated? And a former London chef too? Maybe even another nun? Oh, I thoroughly enjoyed all these unlikely suspects and found myself engrossed in trying to solve the puzzle of who and why. The big reveal and final showdown were far more dramatic that I’d expected… and so good.
There are several plot twists that took me by surprise. Every time I thought I had a good handle on how things would play out, something shifted. So fun!
The characters are well-written and complex. The series regulars are quirky but add a great sense of place to the story. I did not like ‘visiting’ character, Peter at all… because the author wrote him so well and brought his attitude out in spades. I did like the direction the story took him though…
The ending of Abide With Me is unexpectedly emotional but so sweetly written, I just wanted to curl up with the story all over again.
I’m so thrilled to have uncovered this gem of a series and I look forward to catching up and continuing. Abide With Me is a fantastic cozy mystery, set in Wales and features the most endearing characters.
5/5 espresso shots.
About Jane Willan
Jane Willan wants to live in a world where everyone has time to read their favorite books, drink good coffee, and walk their dog on the beach, but until that can happen she enjoys life as a pastor and writer. When she’s not working on a sermon, or hiking with her husband, Don, you can find her rereading Jane Eyre, binge-watching Downton Abbey, and trying out new ways to avoid exercise.
Author Links
Website – https://www.janewillan.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jane.willan.9
Twitter – https://twitter.com/Jane_Willan
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/authorjaneawillan/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8507263.Jane_Willan
Purchase Links – AMAZON
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The Cozy Pages 
Oh my are you in Sound of Music? And is that a pony-ish animal?
But you managed to intrigue me. I am going to get some of this series. At least book 1
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Hehehe. It is a pony! He’s part of the story.
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You really choose the best books like this one and…. 😂 😂 😂 VIPER
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Hahahahahahahahaha. Totally different vibes from those two books!!!
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I read an ARC of the first book in the series and didn’t like it. I seem to be in the minority and thinking I need to read another book. It may my feeling of reading books based on religion.
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Ah okay. This one wasn’t ‘preachy’ like some others I’ve tried. I found it was a good balance.
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I question of comments on the church.
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great review and i like that cover too. sweet!
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Wonderful review Nina, and I love that cover.
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