A Darkly Hidden Truth~The Monastery Murders 2 by Donna Fletcher Crow

About the novel... "Felicity can’t possibly help Father Antony find the valuable missing icon. She’s off to become a nun. Then her impossible mother turns up unexpectedly. And a good friend turns up murdered...
Breathtaking chase scenes, mystical worship services, dashes through remote waterlogged landscapes keep the pages turning. Felicity learns the wisdom of holy women from today and ages past and Antony explores the arcane rites of the Knights Hospitaller. But what good will any of that do them if Felicity can’t save Antony’s life?"


It is purely by accident that I've read two series very recently involving monastic mysteries. One was for my book club and the other is The Monastery Murders by Donna Fletcher Crow. The book club series was a historical look at the little known world while Ms. Crow's series presents a modern day tale.

Because A Darkly Hidden Truth was the second in the series, I thought it would benefit me me to read the first mystery... just to get my "bearings". While I really enjoyed having that "background" knowledge, I came to the conclusion that one could read A Darkly Hidden Truth as a stand alone. Ms. Crow takes care to include enough information about the first mystery featuring Antony and Felicity so the reader does not feel lost. I would highly recommend, though, reading A Very Private Grave then plunging right into A Darkly Hidden Truth... it makes for a richer reading experience.

As a voracious reader as well as a historical mystery "aficionado", I really appreciated the timeline, the map, glossary as well as the prologue that set the story in motion. It is details like these that make me appreciate the care the author put into her novels. Not only did she write a fascinating mystery (actually mysteries as I thought A Very Private Grave was great, as well) but she understands that not all her readers are as well-versed about the monastic way of life as she is. Instead of throwing all of her research into her novel as some authors feel the need to do, she writes the story her way and gives the reader the tools they may need to enjoy the novel their way.

As with most mysteries I read, I did not even try to solve it... that's not why I read mysteries. I read them for the puzzle... I like to be able to close the book and know that the author gave me all the clues. A Darkly Hidden Truth was perfect in that regard... it's really laid out for you... it's just layered into a novel whose plot is so much more than a typical "category" mystery.

~~ Thanks to Donna Fletcher Crow, author of A Darkly Hidden Truth as well as Dorothy at www.pumpupyourbook.com/ for sending me a copy in exchange my review.~~