A Stain Upon the Robe

Mairead O'Clare Legal Mystery #3

by Terry Devane

Presiding over a highly charged trial of a priest accused of sexually assaulting numerous children, Judge Barbara Quincy finds her job complicated by the disappearance of her young lover and enlists Sheldon Gold and Mairead O'Clare to help.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Jeremiah Healy, a graduate of Rutgers College and Harvard Law School, was a professor at the New England School of Law for eighteen years. He is the creator of the John Francis Cuddy private-investigator series and (under the pseudonym "Terry Devane") the Mairead O’Clare legal-thriller series, both set primarily in Boston.

Healy has written eighteen novels and over sixty short stories, fifteen of which works have won or been nominated for the Shamus Award. Healy's later Cuddy novels include RESCUE, INVASION OF PRIVACY, THE ONLY GOOD LAWYER, and SPIRAL. His O'Clare books from Putnam/Berkley are UNCOMMON JUSTICE, JUROR NUMBER ELEVEN, and A STAIN UPON THE ROBE, the last optioned for feature film in December, 2003.

A past Awards Chair for the Shamus, Healy also served as President of Private Eye Writers of America for two years. In October, 2000, he was elected President of International Association of Crime Writers ("IACW"). Books of his have been translated into French, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, and German. Healy has spoken about mysteries at the Smithsonian Institution's Literature Series, The Boston Globe Book Festival, the Sorbonne in Paris, and at conferences in England, Canada, Spain, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. He was toastmaster at the 1996 World Mystery Convention (Bouchercon) and was the American Guest of Honour at Bouchercon 2004 in Toronto.

Series:
* Mairead O'Clare Legal Mystery

Reviews

[Carol]

This, the third book by Terry Devane, worried me a little when I started it. I did not want vivid decriptions of the crimes the defendant was charged with. My fears were unfounded, as the author continued to concentrate on the main characters. All 3 of these Terry Devane books were wondeful.

[Richard Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good plot which could have scored a higher rating however the writing I found let it down. There are a lot of characters and at times I missed we had switched from one character to another.

Note: Deals with issues of child sexual abuse, abuse by clergy. While it does not detail the abuse it is a theme that runs through the novel. As a survivor of abuse it did at times hit a nerve.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good plot. Well developed characters. Surprise ending. Horrible cliffhanger. Had me gripping the edge of my chair throughout.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed all three of Terry Devane's (Jeremiah Healey) books.