Death of an Angel

O'Marie's maturity as a mystery writer blossoms in this seventh appearance of Sister Mary Helen (Death Goes on Retreat, 1994, etc.). Mount St. Francis College in San Francisco is home to the sprightly senior citizen and Sister Eileen, her friend and sometime sleuthing companion. The peaceful atmosphere is shattered, however, when a wealthy college benefactor, Gemma Burke, becomes the latest victim of a serial rapist-murderer. Over the protests of Inspector Dennis Gallagher, the two nuns determine to find the killer. O'Marie deftly braids three plot strands as she leads readers toward an inevitable conclusion. Gallagher's partner, Kate Murphy, waits anxiously at the hospital as her husband, Jack, a sex crimes detective, lies comatose after being shot by the rapist. Angelica Bowers, miserable and overweight librarian at the college, plots to escape from her overbearing bedridden mother. And Tilllie Greenwood, overprotective and lonely, nurses a secret fear that her grown son, Elvis, could be the rapist. Against an oppressive backdrop of continuous rain, Angelica and Elvis, each the product of an abusive mother, are propelled toward an explosive finale. Relying less on the charm of Mary Helen and Eileen than in previous outings, O'Marie delivers compelling characters and sophisticated plotting in her best effort to date. (Jan.)