Death in the Memorial Garden

Grace Church Mystery #1

by Kathie Deviny

Just as the sexton is about to inter the ashes of one of Grace Church’s last wealthy patronesses in the Memorial Garden, he unearths a wine crate containing thashes of an unknown. Next to the ashes is a distinctive pair of shoes. Not only are the woman’s relatives furious at the interruption, but they soon have grounds for a lawsuit: yet another piece of the church’s tower comes crashing to the ground.

With their congregation dwindling and their world literally falling in around them, Father Robert Vickers and his colorful staff members and volunteers put their heads together to solve the mystery of the anonymous ashes and find the means to save Grace Church from the developers … all in time for the Bishop’s visit.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

141 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2012

About the author

After retiring from a career as a “government bureaucrat” serving primarily in the criminal justice system, Kathie Deviny studied creative writing. Essays focusing on her treatment for breast cancer and life as the spouse of an Episcopal priest have been published in the Seattle Times, Episcopal Life, Cure magazine, and Faith, Hope and Healing by Bernie Siegel.

Kathie was Features Editor of her high school newspaper and originally planned a career in journalism. After realizing she was too shy to chase after stories, she followed her mother’s career path and earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in social work, attending UC Berkeley and the University of Washington. She nurtured her journalistic ambitions by developing a program at the Monroe, WA, prison which produced a magazine in cooperation with community volunteers.

Death in the Memorial Garden, her first work of fiction, reflects her love of the cozy-style mystery. Her other loves are gardening, choral singing, and locating bargains at her church’s thrift shop, where she volunteers. Kathie lives with her now-retired husband, Paul; they divide their time between California and Western Washington.

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a lot of cozy mysteries, and this one isn't bad, better than I'd expected. Several points of view, although the minister and parishioner Lucy are in the forefront. As with many cozies, the mystery itself isn't the strong point, the characters and setting are; in that regard, the book succeeds. The organist has such a deficiency of social skills, and a total fixation on music that it can be inferred he has Aspergers. The minister seems presented as a bit more of a ... sad sack figure than necessary I thought, while the Bishop was over-the-top. Very much written for an Episcopalian audience (I'm lapsed myself).

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I really enjoyed this novel and I loved the friendship between the congregation. I particularly loved the socially awkward organ player with an eidetic memory. He was brilliant.
David Loving was particularly good as the narrator, giving everybody an individual voice. Listening, you could tell who everybody was from his tone of voice and he was brilliant.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting for many if not most cozy murder mysteries is a small town rather than the center of a major city. "Murder in the Memorial Garden" takes place around an aging majestic church in the heart of Seattle. Very few cozy murder mysteries revolve around a church. Agatha Christie's "The Murder at the Vicarage" (1930) is a wonderful exception, as is "Murder in the Memorial Garden."

The central figure in this story is Father Robert Vickers, the divorced rector of a church with a building in need of extensive repair. As a metaphor for the state of the church in America, the crumbling stones of Grace Church are apt.

This first novel offers no gory gore not any sexy sex, as these are proscribed by the canons of coziness. Its charm arises from the characters. While each character is a true individual, anyone familiar with the family dynamic of the Episcopal Church will recognize the types which inhabit most congregations. No bishop will be flattered by the depiction of the Right Reverend Anthony Adams but like most caricatures, this one is only funny because it is too often true. Kathie Deviny reveals remarkable insight into the rarefied world of church organists and choir directors. Her familiarity with urban police officers, the urban homeless poor and the urban widows whose lives are often linked to a downtown church lend great reality to her characters.

Without being pedantically religious, the tone of the story is enhanced by snippets of the liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer and the texts of familiar hymns. When the plot warrants, she also reveals some glimpses of the spirituality of a very human parish priest.

Disclaimer: I have known the author for thirty years and value her as a friend. But I bought and paid full price for my own copy and my laudatory opinions are entirely my own.

[Athena Nagel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death in the Memorial Garden was a very comfortable story to read. While reading it I did keep wondering just what events were around the corner and what the final outcome of this story would be - which I can honestly say the ending was nothing like what I anticipated. There were alot of characters and alot that were involved in trying to solve this mystery. Daniel was an essential character in this book. His story line not only held this book together it was essential to the conclusion. In a church with mostly older parishioners (out of the few parishioners they had) - Daniel provided a contrast to the rest of the parish. A large portion of the story was dedicated to the deplorable conditions of the church, threats of closure, safety issues and ultimately a strong push to survive. I did enjoy the casual nature of this story and it was short enough that I read it in one sitting. If you are looking for something to read while relaxing - this is the book. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Leslie Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an entertaining cozy mystery. It is different than most of the "church" mysteries that I've read over the years. In fact, a quote from the book that I found quite amusing was, "She wondered why religious mysteries almost always featured monks or priests rather than descendants of Martin Luther or John Calvin. Possibly they considered solving crimes a distraction from Bible Study.” I thought the characters were interesting, especially the socially inept organist (who probably had Aspergers), as he was only interested in music and could spout a million words a minute on the subject. I listened to the Audible audio version of the book narrated by David Loving. I think this was the first book I listened to that he narrated, and he did a good job. His "Daniel" character was great, and he did a good job giving everyone a unique voice.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. This story is labeled a "cozy mystery," and that's just what it is - tame story with no graphic violence or language. At Grace Church in Seattle, a crate with cremains and a pair of odd shoes is unearthed during a memorial service. Also during the service, a large piece of the church tower comes crashing to the ground. The story follows the parishioners as they try to solve the mystery of the crate and to save their church from developers

[Marcy Griffin-Pulliam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A "Holy" Howl

This story was engaging, from minute one!
The characters are quite well developed, as an author who has been at the front lines of social work --& the inner city --& as a Clergy-Wife, would be thoroughly aware...!!
And, I have to admit, I laughed out loud (on a number of occasions)!!
If you've been around any of the above mentioned scenarios, you'll ENJOY this little cozy!!p

[Donna Mcnamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little read! I know the author, and I know the church the book was modeled after. Good little mystery. I need to read the next one.

[Ellen L. King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Cosy with an Episcopal twist!

Light read with enjoyable people. I'm going to give book two a try. Parrish life can be a hoot! Enjoy

[Kriss · Rating 3 out of 5]

“ She wondered why religious mysteries almost always featured monks or priests rather than descendants of Martin Luther or John Calvin. Possibly they considered solving crimes a distraction from Bible Study.”

Death in the Memorial Garden by Kathie Deviny~ Location 97of 2013(4%)

Oh how clever, speaking directly in character a comment towards the religious mystery readers and writers! She is right, our main character Lucy is pondering something I am quite sure the author pondered before deciding to write this delightful little cozy mystery novella.

The story begins in the Memorial Garden of Grace Episcopal Church. The area described reminded me of the edges of Capital Hill in Seattle, where it is set, including the rain. (There is a Grace Episcopal Church in the Seattle area but it is on Bainbridge Island and it very much has the same air, or at least for me, this church does). Like any good mystery, it starts with one and ends up branching out across a whole other series of problems and other mysteries that crop up.

I enjoyed the read, it was delightful and though it had some structure problems in the middle, the mystery went a bit all over for a brief period and had some errors in names which considering this was where I was a wee bit confused about where the plot was going, since I was really enjoying myself, I did not care.

Death in the Memorial Garden is, like I mentioned a weekend read, under 200 pages. It took a bit to much on and the fun mystery of the box of ashes with a pair of organ player shoes with red laces was a bit lost in the shuffling of falling bricks, the saving of a church, the death of one of the numerous homeless people or at least mentally handicapped pigeon lady, and the hobbling of the poor priest by the same way the poor woman was taken out, I started wondering which direction I needed to turn my head. The author was able to capture my attention and my heart with her characters and her little pockets of wonderfully descriptive actions and scenes. I think there was just to many avenues and paths branching out from the bast radius of the main mystery for such a short read.

Kathie Deviny is an established writer in religious circles with her articles (see below in author bio) and in this first story shows a lot of potential in the area of religious cozy mysteries. She has not quite hit the mark here, it needed a bit more polish and I think there was some disservice done to her with a bit of lazy editing (there are some places where the name and job of a character are swapped. Now if they are not and I am confused… I apologize but with all the different paths through the rain drenched rhododendrons… well you see where I am going?)

All that said and done, would I recommend you go pick this up? Yes, honestly even with the problems I point out, I was more engrossed in reading and finding out what next, I did not care because I was enjoying myself, which is the point of a cozy (casual) mystery. If you liked Murder She Wrote, you would like this, though the sleuthing is much more amateurish and willy-nilly (my catch phrase of the week) Lucy still has me, I wish there was more of her and less of others though. Oh as far as the corporate part? It was somewhat lost in the drama of … all those other paths.

[Dalene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally posted at A Date with a Book .

I signed up to review this book for the tour because I was on a cozy mystery kick at the time. Needless to say, this book did not disappoint. While there were a few typos, the story and characters were a lot of fun. I’m not a fan of the cover, but I do love the title. This was a very quick read as well.

There are a lot of characters and sometimes it was confusing as there were so many. My favorite character was Daniel. He was the organist and a very good one, but socially he was quite awkward and funny. He did add a lot to the story. All the others were enjoyable, just not as memorable as Daniel.

I liked the setting and plot of the story. With the idea of the church building getting older and obviously wearing out and needing repairs, this did lead to a lot of questions and concerns with its continuing in service. This dilapidated state also could have opened the doors wider to the property developers who had their eye on the church and its buildings. I loved how this added to the suspense of the story.

This is a very light hearted mystery, not too much depth involved with the characters or the location. I would definitely recommend this to all readers of cozy mysteries.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace Church is in a terrible state of disrepair, and it is up to the church's congregation led by Father Robert Vickers to save their beloved church from falling into the hands of land developers. And if that isn't enough, the congregation become amateur sleuths trying to solve the mystery of the anonymous ashes discovered in a wine crate buried in the church's memorial garden during an internment ceremony. But someone wants the church to close and will go to great lengths to make it a reality ... including murder!

In her debut novel, author Kathie Deviny weaves a fast paced tale that has intrigue, mystery and humor all rolled up into a neat little story that takes place over a span of one week. Death in the Memorial Garden's storyline has surprising twist and turns coupled with satirical humor that will keep you engaged, and a quirky cast of characters who are a lot of fun.

Death in the Memorial Garden is an entertaining little cozy mystery that can be read in one sitting.


Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...

[Ruth Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a nice, cozy mystery, indeed! I almost can't find any fault with this book. The profanity was extremely mild, and there were no sex scenes. The reference to the gays was not even a problem for me.

Now the minor negatives are out of the way, let me celebrate the joys of this story. Any story that takes place in the Pacific Northwest and mentions the majestic Mt. Rainier deserves my highest praise. And when you add a fascinating mystery and possible murder, it couldn't be much better. Then when you add in an Episcopalian priest and the typical parishioners, it only gets better. I don't want to give away the story, so I won't share any more about that.

This book is so good it practically reads itself. Let me tell you a secret. I was very tired as I read this, but this book was so exciting that I could not sleep! I did not nod off once. If you like mysteries, this book is for you. It is practically squeaky clean, and it is enjoyable reading for a winter's night.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

[TAMMY CUEVAS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anonymous cremains, antique organist's shoes, and a crumbling church tower have the Bishop ready to close the doors of Grace Church. Father Vickers and his staff and volunteers team together to solve the mystery and save the church.


I love a nice, cozy mystery! This novel had some wonderfully eccentric characters; Daniel the organist was my personal favorite. Set in an Episcopalian church, the mystery is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's "Miss Marple" series, except this time, instead of villagers, we have church members. Very nicely done; I hope this is the first in a series.


5 stars


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quite nice cozy mystery. I especially like Kathie's way with characters. She does an excellent job in her first work of fiction giving every character their own distinctive voice and mannerisms...not always an easy task for first-time writers. Father Robert is wonderful as a very human man of God trying to do his best for his aging congregation and to save his aging church from closure or commercial development. It is also enjoyable to watch the entire community surrounding Grace Church come together to solve the mystery and try to save the church. The mystery itself is an interesting one and it was quite refreshing to read a currently-written mystery with no blood, no gore, no high-level pyschological suspense and no objectional language. I do hate wading through f-bombs right and left. This is the perfect book to grab when you want a quiet, comfy afternoon of fictional sleuthing. The ending feels just a bit rushed...but overall, a lovely read. Three and a half stars.

[Beth Cutwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read, with subtle comic relief. There were all sorts of characters in this story and they were unique to say the least. Some of the chapters were very long and almost distractingly so. But it really was a smart story. If you have ever participated in a church, the people were quite similar to what you find in your home base. Some were gossipy, some were odd and some were malicious and others uber caring! Solving the mystery of the unnamed ashes and the organist shoes with red laces and saving the church were the plot points that kept you hooked in the story. It was a fun and quick read. It makes me smile to reflect on it!

[Meg Mims · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the urban setting (as opposed to the myriad small towns or what-have-you) in this cozy mystery, and the author knows her stuff about the atmosphere of church parish intrigue. Lots of suspects, interesting characters and a sympathetic priest, Father Robert, made this a fun read. My only quibbles -- the writing style wasn't smooth - not enough "said" tags, which disappear when reading, versus the "he/she shouted" type of thing, which distracted me, and not enough motive. But overall, a good solid read for cozy mystery lovers.

[Paula Ratcliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great cozy that takes place in Grace’s Church where the church is having some issues. First the Church is falling apart and the pastor is feeling depressed, secondly while burying the ashes of a church member the congregation finds a pair of patent leather shoes and a box of ashes. It is up to the members to find out what is going on. Meanwhile someone also used this to murder another church member who spent time with birds.

This book was typical cozy mystery with a big mystery to solve and colorful characters to meet I look forward to reading her next book!

[PopcornReads - MkNoah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Tour Review & Giveaway: We’re today’s stop on the virtual book tour for Death in the Memorial Garden by Kathie Deviny. If you’re looking for a quick read and are fond of cozy mysteries then this one could be just the thing. It contains very likeable, quirky people and will warm your heart while you work to solve its whodunit puzzle. Read the rest of my review & enter to win a copy at http://popcornreads.com/?p=4953.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, involving trying to save an old church building in Seattle. The characters were very well-drawn and interesting, and I really enjoyed reading this book, it was rather short, and the mystery was not as compelling as it could have been.

[Tami P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming mystery novel with great characterizations. Lacked some depth, but quick enjoyable read.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent this audiobook free in exchange for an honest review.

A humorous little mystery set in the confines of a crumbling city church. A lovely little snapshot of urban life, street people, and the desire of progress.

What starts out as a internment of ashes in the church's memorial garden turns into a mystery when they unearth something unexpected, then turns into a murder. Oh, and maybe a bit of romance thrown in.

The characters were quirky and likeable, well thought out. The narration was very good, I'm really liking this narrator. Well done