Let the Dead Bury the Dead: A Christopher Worthy/Father Fortis Mystery

The murder of a priest in front of the altar of his Detroit church reunites police lieutenant Christopher Worthy and Fr. Nicholas Fortis in Carlson’s so-so sequel to 2016’s Enter by the Narrow Gate. Fr. Spiro George was strangled with the vestment piece that hung around his neck, and Father Fortis has been called in to serve as the interim parish priest of St. Cosmas Greek Orthodox Church. While his role is to be pastoral, Father Fortis’s curiosity about crime leads him to be alert for indications from his new parishioners about potential suspects. That proclivity comes in handy when the homicide investigation is reassigned to Worthy, who welcomes his old friend’s assistance. The lieutenant quickly deduces that the murderer could be a church member after observing that the victim’s vestment was straightened out postmortem, an act unlikely to have been performed by a stranger. But despite that insight, the path to a solution is disappointingly not grounded in logic. Insufficient character development is another minus. Agent: Sara Camilli, Sara Camilli Agency. (Sept.)