Grave Misgivings

Mother Lavinia Grey, Gallison's Episcopal priest sleuth, makes her fifth appearance (after Hasty Retreat, 1997) in this quirky, entertaining story. Mark Smith, with his grown daughter Shannon, has returned to Fishersville, N.J., to place his mother's ashes with his father's remains. There's a problem: no one knows where his father, James Smith, is buried. Turning to Mother Vinnie for help, the Smiths discover that there is a mystery about the elder Smith's death, one that coincides with a devastating flood that hit Fishersville in 1955. While trying to help out Mark and Shannon, Mother Vinnie witnesses the vandalization of a local cemetery and is led to wonder if there's a connection between a local gang's stealing of statuary and monuments from cemeteries and the puzzling whereabouts of James Smith. When an elderly town resident is murdered and suspicion points at Mark, Mother Vinnie and Shannon must redouble their efforts to solve the mystery of Mark's missing father. The over-the-top ending, in which Mother Vinnie stupidly lets herself be put in mortal danger, weakens an otherwise amusing story that features a distinctive and usually appealing heroine. (Sept.)