The Veil of Ignorance

In her fifth appearance, among them Nun of the Above , Sister Mary Teresa Dempsey of the sadly diminished Order of Martha and Mary takes on another seemingly hopeless case. Lydia Hopkins, convicted of killing her husband and young daughter, is released from prison on a technicality but remains guilty in the eyes of the newspapers and the prosecutor's office. Sister Emtee, as she is known, is determined to prove Lydia's innocence with the aid of her reluctant henchwomen, Sisters Kim and Joyce, the only remaining members of the order. While concealing Lydia in the convent and taking her on as a postulant, Sister Emtee fends off the police and sends Kim out to investigate. Another murder takes place and Lydia refuses to disclose her whereabouts at the time, eventually confessing to the killings. Convinced that Lydia is protecting someone, Sister Emtee finally cuts through the confusion and finds the culprit. Quill, aka Ralph McInerny, of the Father Dowling mysteries, has created some engaging series characters but the plotting in this work remains thin and rather unsatisfying. ( Nov .)