Beyond Absolution

Reverend Mother Mystery #3

by Cora Harrison

Reverend Mother Aquinas must discover who murdered a much-loved priest in the third of this compelling new Irish historical mystery series. Ireland 1925 . Pierced through to the brain, the dead body of the priest was found wedged into the small, dark confessional cubicle. Loved by all, Father Dominic had lent a listening ear to sinners of all gunmen and policemen; prostitutes and nuns; prosperous businessmen and petty swindlers; tradesmen and thieves. But who knelt behind the metal grid and inserted a deadly weapon into that listening ear? The Reveend Mother Aquinas can do nothing for Father Dominic, but for the sake of his brother, her old friend Father Lawrence, she is determined to find out who killed him, and why.

Genres: Mystery, Ireland, Historical Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, 20th Century

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2017

About the author

Cora Harrison worked as a headteacher before she decided to write her first novel. She has since published twenty-six children's novels. My Lady Judge was her first book in a Celtic historical crime series for adults that introduces Mara, Brehon of the Burren. Cora lives on a farm near the Burren in the west of Ireland.

Reviews

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Using the practices of the priests and nuns dedicated to the Roman Catholic church: a well plotted thriller evolves. Interesting plots and turns. An unexpected ending. But it made sense using the facts that emerged. Unputdownable.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This exciting book is the 3rd part of the "Reverend Mother (Aquinas)" series, which is set in the 1920s, in and around Cork, Ireland.
Storytelling from this lady author is of a wonderful quality, for she brings Irish society of the 1920s, a few very rich and many very poor, much alive with her very believable characters.
Also the city of Cork and its surroundings come clearly off the pages and in such a very beautiful fashion, and all these fine ingredients make this book such a joy to read.
The story is set in 1923, in Cork, Ireland, and our main character, Reverend Mother Aquinas, is coming again into action with her investigating skills.
The story starts with Father Dominic pierced through the brain in a small confession cubicle, while lending a listening ear to someone who has come to him for confession.
Reverend Mother Aquinas, much for the sake of Dominic's brother and her friend Father Lawrence, will now come into action to determine who killed Father Dominic, and why.
What will follow is a gripping murder mystery, in which Reverend Mother Aquinas, along with the investigating skills of Police Inspector, Patrick Cashman, and the medical knowledge of Dr. Scher, and certainly not to forget the girl, the Irish Patriot, Eileen MacSweeney, will eventually in her own unique and determined way find the perpetrator of this heinous crime and other killings.
Very much recommended, for this is a very loveable and enjoyable mystery series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "The Reverend Mother Aquinas At Her Best Again"!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another conservatively presented mystery for the Reverend Mother, this one close to home when the priest conducting confessionals does not respond due to death administered by stiletto through the ear.
1925 Cork

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Troubled Times: a history and a mystery!

In this rather marvellous Irish historical mystery I found myself immersed in the actions and times, set as they are in Cork, in 1925. My reactions to the wonderfully rich descriptive narrative was probably helped by the fact that I was actually in Cork at my time of reading. I felt immersed in the history of the time. The vivid reality of the story intertwined with my real life journey.
Reverend Mother Aquinas is a gem. When her long time friend, Father Dominic, a priest beloved by the people and respected by the Irish Republican Army is killed in the confessional, the Reverend Mother brings to bear her vast influence and intelligent mind to solving the problem. This includes childhood acquaintances and their remembrances of the great houses during that time, past students and current ones, police, bankers, and others. The mix of people the Reverend Mother can reach out to is inspiring.
The only irregular thing Father Domonic had been doing was visiting antique shops. When the Reverend Mother follows that trail her memories of times past surface and some disturbing puzzles come into play including the members of a local musical group, the Merrymen.
I love the humanness of the Reverend Mother, her understanding of children and their needs and her acknowledgment of their differences.
The secondary characters are strong and likeable. A great supporting cast.
Tragedy strikes again, upsetting and unlooked for. Who the murderer is keeps one wondering right up to the end. Some suspect the IRA, others the Anti-Sinn Féin Society.
A well executed plot that draws together many factors about Ireland in the 1920's and uses them to advantage, all the while illuminating the very real history and conditions of the times.

A NetGalley ARC

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Beyond Absolution, the third novel in the Reverend Mother series set in 1920s Cork.

The novel opens with the death of Father Dominic in the confessional box. At first no one is sure how he died but the postmortem shows he was stabbed in the ear with a long thin implement. Inspector Patrick Cushman of the newly formed Garda Siochána is on the case, ably assisted, unofficially, by the Reverend Mother.

I thoroughly enjoyed Beyond Absolution. It has a clever plot with plenty of twists and turns. A possible motive emerges slowly as the Reverend Mother uses her contacts, memories and intelligence to piece it together but nothing is obvious in the novel so I was never sure if I was guessing correctly - completely wrong on the murderer!

I like the way Ms Harrison weaves her story around actual historical detail. I don't know much about the Republican movement so it is interesting to read about their cause and beliefs in a natural way as part of the storyline. I also like the descriptions of 1920s Cork which seems to come alive as the novel progresses.

The Reverend Mother is a great protagonist. She is a people person, wise in their ways, able to keep a secret and always willing to help. She likes to see justice done, maybe not always legally, and is prepared to use her intelligence, knowledge of people and a little manipulation to see it done.

Beyond Absolution is a good read and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

[Peter Mannix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun mystery set in Cork and the convent. Those brought up in Catholic school can relate to each Sister , their habit, and the school and Church that they serves. Interesting characters carried over from the pre ious books, including Eileen, who shows much promise. The murderer was unknown until the very end, and it was fun to keep guessing. Glad there are more volumes to this series.

[Phyllis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Reverend Mother series is a lightweight but well written mystery series set in Cork Ireland during the 1920's. If you're looking for a decent diversion this will do it.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I stayed up late finishing it as I could tell it was going to end badly for some.."Noli respicere post tergum" says Mother Aquinas.." Do not look back"..

It was a riveting book in so many ways for me..first I continually marvel that my great Uncle Patrick and family lived in that part of Cork at that exact time..well Uncle Patrick died in 1907, his son in 1913 and his wife and daughter in 1921 but his granddaughters were still living at Little Cross Street. Secondly that so very many experienced those hardships that went on and on.. Great Uncle Patrick's two older sons got themselves to New York and New Jersey well before that.

It was a complex but extremely interesting plot which slowly resolved itself, but not without some tragedy. A murder in the Confessional of a beloved priest had so very many ramifications, which the fight for a Republic complicated, as did personal greed and ideology.

So now we readers and followers of Reverend Mother and her entourage will be waiting and wondering what will happen. Will Reverend Mother have a debilitating illness and she mentions her age? Will Inspector Patrick recover, and what role will Eileen be playing in future and will they collaborate. I wish I knew but for sure you need to preorder this copy now.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book demonstrates what I have long considered to be one of the most essential aspects of the mystery novel, and that is the ambivalence that the sleuth as solver of mysteries has with the world of officialdom. This novel demonstrates that ambivalence in a particularly elegant way, telling a complex story of death and the deep divisions of Irish Civil War-era Cork in a way that is deeply poignant. This is a mystery that gets to the heart of various characters and shows the struggle between different systems of law, and at the center of so much of it is a mother superior who runs a convent school and who shows herself to be an immensely shrewd and complex woman from a background that allows her to navigate between a variety of roles, from her modest place within the local Catholic hierarchy to interacting with figures who are connected to the civil guards as well as the Sinn Fein, all of which have an interest in a chain of murders that appears to be connected to some wealthy spendthrifts who are well-connected and living far too fast of a life for it not to catch up with them. Of course, plenty of people get caught up in harm's way.

This book is written in such a way that it demonstrates the passage of time as well as the relationship between a small set of characters. On the one hand, we have the Reverend Mother and the people she interacts with, including people who help her out with the Convent School as well as the local church, and also a group of people relating to the legal and justice system of the area, and on top of them a connection that she has with someone who wants to be involved in the justice system for Sinn Fein, all of which present a complicated picture. Beyond this there is a further social circle that attracts scrutiny, a jet-setting mostly Protestant group of people whose fast living and involvement with drugs and arson and stolen property serves both to finance a high life on their part and a love of high culture as well as serving to blame Sinn Fein for the destruction of ascendancy homes. This atmosphere of blame and recrimination has deadly consequences as the body count rises and the Reverend Mother finds it necessary to seek for justice outside of the law to protect those who are being targeted by a murderer.

What is that makes murders beyond absolution? This book tests various ways that may be the case, including the murder of a priest whose devotion to his flock helped to sabotage his political chances of advancement within the Catholic hierarchy because of the humanity he showed even to Irish terrorists facing their just executions, the murder of a boy with obvious mental handicaps that prevented him from being able to read, the murder of an obvious evildoer, but in pinning the murder on someone else as a means of drawing conflict to those who were, in this case, innocent of a large variety of crimes they were being accused of, including arson as well as murder. And while all of this is going on, there is a picture of a society under deep stress, with a look at multiple systems of justice that are trying to help deal with the large amounts of violence present in Irish society at the time, a harbinger of what would be a permanent sort of existence for areas like Ulster but was mercifully temporary for Cork. Still, this is a mystery novel that hits at a rather personal place even if one doesn't happen to be Irish, if the divided nature of the area can be easily understood and related to.

[Elite Group · Rating 4 out of 5]

The latest in the Reverend Mother Series

This novel is set in Cork in the 1920s and features the compelling Reverend Mother, headmistress of a school for disadvantaged children. She is a great character and as is common these days is also an amateur sleuth.

The action starts when popular Father Dominic, a Capuchin Friar, is found dead in the confessional. The Garda police are newly set up and Inspector Cashman, a previous pupil of the Reverend Mother, is in charge of the case. There appears to be little to work with but it is clear that Friar Dominic didn't die of natural causes. One statement, however, leads Cashman to the 'Merrymen' musical theatre group and its leader, Peter Doyle.

There is so much detail in this novel it is difficult to say much more without venturing into the plot and many subplots and I would hate to spoil it for anyone. As well as the murder, there is a gang who sets fire to the big old houses of the area and whilst the easy option is to blame Sinn Fein it seems unlikely that they are responsible. Rather strangely, items from these houses seem to appear in the antique shop.

The characters speak for themselves and are a diverse mix of a doctor, teachers, antique shop owners, bank clerks (with a secret vice!), Reverend Mother's cousin Lucy, a grubby schoolboy and Republican sympathisers. Each is presented with enough detail to allow the reader to visualise them, warts and all. The Reverend Mother is the main character and is a straightforward, intelligent woman who is far from the stereotype who is unable to empathise with the lives of ordinary people; she is most irritated that much of her work is hampered by lack of funds and so she cannot even provide each child in her care with a pair of boots!

You won't be surprised that it is the Reverend Mother who solves the case, but the final conclusion I think will surprise you.

This is a well-written novel, although I did feel some points were laboured, it is an easy and enjoyable read.

Pashtpaws


Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is usual with the books in this series, I did not guess the guilty party in this book until it was revealed. I've decided that from now on I'll simply read the Reverend Mother books for the entertainment value and not waste time and energy on trying to figure out who the bad guys are.

Gave Beyond Absolution 4 stars because I enjoyed the story and all the history of Ireland, both the background before the twentieth century and also during the era when this series was placed; this one was 1925, I believe. It's set in Cork, A city I knew virtually nothing about prior to finding the series a few months ago. Actually, that's probably what I enjoy most: the beginnings of the founding of the city, the start of the Irish Republican Army and Sinn Fein (I likely misspelled that, but the book has already been returned so I can't look it up), Catholic religious practices of the priesthood and of religious orders of nuns, both teaching and nursing orders, even the weather, and much more!

I now know more of the extreme poverty that characterized the time, in that city, how the poor got along, how utterly trapped they were in their situation. I know a little of the fear and the deep despair that encompassed everything in their lives. I'm growing more impressed with each book I've read, with the author's ability to describe all of that in desperate detail without the books becoming a book about the stifling effects of the poverty; the poverty is essential to each story, yet the crimes are the point without them becoming police procedurals. The actual solvers of the mysteries are not usually police detectives, and the whys and hows are at least as important as who did it.

All those factors, combined with the author's remarkable writing skills, make for very interesting and instructive books. I haven't checked, but I hope that there are plenty more books to come in this addictive series of books!

[Kilian Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Harrison's My Lady Judge series so much, set in 16th-century Ireland, that I was willing to give this new series a try, and I'm glad I did. She picked another time of turmoil for Ireland: Cork in the 1920s. The main character is another strong woman, Reverend Mother Aquinas, head of the convent school. She spends much of her time worrying about how to stretch the money to cover the needs of her pupils.

A beloved, gentle priest is killed in the confessional at a time when Reverend Mother happens to be in the church, and her former pupil Inspector Patrick Cashman investigates the murder. The priest had been much troubled by the sight of a ceramic Japanese hawk in a local antiques shop, and the Reverend Mother thinks she remembers something about this hawk. It takes a gentle reminder of her past from her wealthy cousin, married to a judge, to jog her memory.

Cork in the 1920s is a fascinating setting for this new series, as the battle between the Republicans and the English begins to warm up, and the local citizens are forced to take sides in the conflict. Aside from the puzzle of the murder, Mother Aquinas' former students on both sides are drawn into this well written mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley for ARC.

My blog: The Interstitial Reader​
​https://theinterstitialreader.wordpre...

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the Mother mysteries I've read so far, this was the most riveting. It is not easy to kill someone this way and the boldness of the murderer is amazing. Harrison has created a very touching character in little Jimmy, a slum child who is very bright, but has, I venture to say, some form of dyslexia, which had not yet been acknowledged as a hindrance to learning in the 1920s. He is an appealing character as indeed are all the slum children who will learn eagerly something hard just for a piece of hard candy, a treat otherwise unavailable to them (they are lucky to have enough of bread to eat each day). Harrison drops her clues carefully and obscurely and the denouement is thrilling. Her description of underground Cork makes me want to visit it, if it is viewable today. She knows how to set up a heart racing scene; I wonder why some one has not started to make a TV Netflix type series out of her books. Perhaps because the angst Reverend Mother feels is not the modern detective's kind?

[Patricia Romero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ireland in the 1920's was an interesting time in history. With six counties still belonging to the UK, and most of Ireland wanting them back, you had all kinds of groups causing trouble and meting out justice as they see fit.

When a normal Saturday confession at Holy Trinity Church in Cork ends with the discovery of Father Dominic's body in the confessional. Stabbed through the ear and murdered. Reverend Mother grew up with Dominic and his brother Lawrence and she is determined to find out who did this horrible crime and why.

As she gathers information and passes it on to Inspector Patrick Cashman who is working this case and was a student of Reverend Mothers long ago.

There is a little bit of everything in this story. Reverend Mother is a wonderfully imagined character. Each character in the book had his or her own story and it made the story very real. Even the ending I appreciated.

Another really good read from Ms. Harrison and Severn House! Release Date is August 1, 2017.

[Susan Elizabetha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've really enjoyed this mystery set in Cork, Ireland. Where a group of elder citizens help Civil Guard, Inspector Patrick Cashman to solve murders. The deaths in this series result in the myriad of complicated events and circumstances in the aftermath Ireland's struggle for independence from Britain in the 1920s. Reverend Mother Aquinas, Dr. Scher, and Mrs Lucy Murphy and students help by combining their knowledge and experience.

Father Dominic is murder during confession. Doctor Scher saw Father Dominic in a local antique store asking questions about a Japanese Akita hawk ceramic figurine. His brother, Father Lawrence knew that Dominic was concerned about a recent confession. And the murder seems to revolve around the ceramic Japanese Akita hawk figurine.

Very good historical fiction and murder mystery story.

[Damien G · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mystery that centers on the death of a much loved Franciscan Priest.The book centers on the early days of the independent Ireland,and the civil war.The new police force is hated by the republicans as much as the previous RIC.The book was a joy to read. The reverend mother is a kindly person,and slowly realises who is the murderer.Feels no guilt when the culprit is tried and sentence by the illegal Sinn Fienn court.This series brings to light the early days of the Free state,and the realities of the civil war.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Cork in 1925 during a period when the IRA was burning the homes of the Protestant gentry with callous disregard for their potential as future tourist destinations. The crime that is beyond absolution in the title (though not in Catholic doctrine) is the murder of a priest in the confessional. The author has a gift for characterization as well as pulling the reader into a different place and time. For the most part the mystery plot is easy to detect but builds to a totally unsatisfying conclusion.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

A well liked priest is murdered during confession, Reverend Mother becomes involved.... A young boy is murdered, as is another man... and the local policeman is run down by a car!

Antiques that were once a part of local Grand Homes , now burnt down, are showing up in a local antique shop and both the Reverend Mother & the dead priest remember one of the items in the shop from their childhood.

I pretty much figured out a good portion of this. I found the storyline to be of interest, but the writing dry and the characters flat.

[Cindy Ladensack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this concept and setting--Reverend Mother in a richly drawn 1920s Ireland--and she is such a lovely, sympathetic character. The plot and central mystery of this book were also clever. One quibble (without spoilers): I know that she is an elderly nun, but her reluctance to act upon things quickly repeatedly results in bad things happening..... you'd think she would realize this at some point. Also, a couple of typos and copy editing misses that were minor irritants.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of Ireland has always fascinated me, and this series has provided me with a perspective and knowledge I truly appreciate. The characters become more familiar and dear as the series moves along, and each book gets better. I have visited Cork in the past, and now I feel compelled to return to look at it wth new eyes and understanding….what more can anyone ask of the experience of reading, than that?

[Leyla Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book, I was expecting more of a murder mystery and found it pretty dark. It was extremely well written and moved along quite well. I am sure other people will enjoy the book, set in Ireland in 1922 and with the shadow of Sinn Fein behind it, it makes good reading for anyone interested in this period.

[EuroHackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit on the gory and gruesome side, and still suffering from amateurish writing, but nonetheless an interesting historical mystery. It encapsulates the IRA in its earliest stages, including their perverse sense of justice. Knowing what we know now, on the other side, makes for rather chilling reading.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ireland 1925. This has a very unique murder weapon, tied to this historical period.

I was intrigued by the Merrymen a Gilbert and Sullivan troop with a side business of theft and murder and the IRA court of law when "proof" is hard to come by but everyone knows who the guilty parties are.

I was surprised by the ending, but these were difficult times and only the strong survive. I will read on for more of Reverend Mother Aquinas.

I borrowed this copy from the public library.

[Catherine Cheney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising ending!

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Irish mystery where a friar is killed and the reverend mother finds the killer.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writing, surprise ending, I really like the Reverend Mother mysteries.

[Kathy Moberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great series! I am so emotionally invested in these characters, I felt drained by the final page.

[Vontel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good read in the series taking place in Ireland during "the troubles" pre-division.

[Ellen Dark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, but the narrative jumped ahead in ways that were disorienting for me. The manuscript needed another round of proofreading too. Typos threw me out of the story at times.

[Susan Viscusi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rather gripping.....keeps you in suspense! Brilliant read this was.