Death in the Shadows

Wearing the priestly white collar hasn’t ended Father Gilbert’s sleuthing tendencies. The former detective stumbles into a murder mystery while visiting the seaside town Engelsea on the English Channel for a pastors’ convention, and he can’t help but investigate after he experiences several supernatural visions of a murdered girl. As events bring him to the local massage parlors, which he suspects are a front for a thriving sex trade, he encounters an old Scotland Yard buddy. Tensions climb when the local monastery is vandalized and a young monk dies suspiciously—with signs pointing back to the massage parlors. Father Gilbert proves to be persistent, insightful, and wry in his quest for answers. McCusker (The Body Under the Bridge) uses a well-written whodunit plot line and sympathetic, flawed characters to invite the reader into the very real horror of modern slavery and sex trafficking. And since it’s starring Father Gilbert, spiritual forces play a key role in the story—the apparitions can get a bit sensational, but the author’s message of grace and truth addresses morality without sounding preachy. This second installment of the Father Gilbert Mystery series will engage readers and attract new fans. (Nov.)