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The Religious Body (Inspector Sloan #1)

Catherine Aird

Start date: January 1, 2022

Finish date: January 31, 2022

Discussion: Group reads

Why we're reading this: Winner of the poll for our January group read.
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What Members Thought

Mar 06, 2011 Bev rated it really liked it

Shelves: british-mystery, mystery, silver-age-mystery, police-procedural

Just recently I read Past Tense, the most current in Catherine Aird's Inspector Sloan series. When I was hunting around for more books to read for the Birth Year Challenge: Time Machine Version, I was interested to see that the very first Sloan book, The Religious Body, was published in my target year: 1966. It's been a long time since I read Sloan's initial outing and it was very nice to go back and remind myself where it all began.

Our first look at Inspector C. D. Sloan is of a man perplexed. Just recently I read Past Tense, the most current in Catherine Aird's Inspector Sloan series. When I was hunting around for more books to read for the Birth Year Challenge: Time Machine Version, I was interested to see that the very first Sloan book, The Religious Body, was published in my target year: 1966. It's been a long time since I read Sloan's initial outing and it was very nice to go back and remind myself where it all began.

Our first look at Inspector C. D. Sloan is of a man perplexed. He "had never been inside a Convent before. He had, he reckoned been inside most places of female confinement in his working life--hospitals, prisons, orphanages, offices, and even--once--a girls' boarding school." But never a convent--and he's not quite sure of the rules nor how the rules will shape or interfere with his investigation. You would think that in a closed society where everything runs according to form and schedule that anything out of the ordinary would immediately be noticed--not so in the case of the sudden death of Sister Anne. Her fellow nuns have been trained to "the custody of the eyes"--not to notice what does not concern them, which apparently is most anything that might help Sloan in his investigation.

Sister Anne has been hit over the head with the proverbial blunt instrument and then flung down the convent's cellar steps in the hopes that the death will be put down to accident. Unfortunately for the murderer, the sharp-eyed doctor who attends the nuns notices some irregularities in the "accident" scene and insists that the police be notified. Enter Inspector Sloan and his assistant Detective-Constable Crosby who must try to find out why anyone would want to kill a cloistered nun. While delving into her past, Sloan discovers that Sister Anne came from a moneyed family...and depending on the timing of various deaths stood to inherit a fair sum. She had spoken of her expectations and her desire to see the convent benefit. Did one of her sisters speed her death thinking the inheritance more definite for St. Anselm? Could a nun under vows do such a thing? Or, has one of her relatives, hastened her death to prevent the money from leaving the family? Sloan finds himself looking into the past for the answers he seeks before he can bring the case to a successful conclusion.

Catherine Aird writes a very nice modern version of the classic British mystery. They are cozy and satisfying with just enough of the understated British wit. I like the little mental asides that accompanying most of Sloan's interactions--very wry and not quite sarcastic. And this is an excellent debut novel. The characters are well-grounded and her descriptions give you a very definite sense of place. I originally gave this mystery four stars...I stand by that rating now. ...more

14 likes · Like · see review

Apr 23, 2015 Susan in NC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, tbr-with-gr-groups, reread

12/26/21 reread - January 2022 challenge read for Reading the Detectives group, started my reread and really enjoying it. Having been raised Catholic, it’s interesting to see how “outsiders” react to the monastic life and setting. Still 4 stars for me, enjoy the humor, characters, especially Sloan and Mother Superior - and Sloan’s cranky Superintendent.

3.5-4 stars - I really enjoyed this first mystery in Catherine Aird's Detective Inspector Sloan series and plan to look for more on Scribd.

The s ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Jan 20, 2022 Jan C rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gr-group-read, mystery, 2022, england

Another book goodreads/amazon tried to close early. Why? oh why? Must you continue to do this????????????

Luckily I was close to the end this time.

Found it very interesting. Although it took place in England I somehow kept thinking it was Canada. Maybe I am confusing it with The Beautiful Mystery which doesn't take place in a convent but in a monastery.

It had me. I had no idea who the killer was. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Sep 21, 2015 Teri-K rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, mystery-golden-age

When I pick up a new mystery I hope for two things - a good puzzle and entertaining characters. This is my first Catherine Aird book so I don't know indicative it is of her writing, but it definitely had the first. The mystery was well laid out, there were plenty of suspects and the solution was plausible. Unfortunately I didn't like some of the characters and found I had to force myself to keep reading.

Inspector Sloan is a decent, intelligent man but we don't get to know much about him in this ...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Abbey rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: myst-cosies, myst-set-andor-auth-uk, reviewed, vintage, series, myst-police, myst-fems-project

BOTTOM LINE: Smooth, well-plotted "rural Brit traditional mystery", with a goodly dollop of tongue-in-cheek; first in a long series, and I'm glad there's more to read - while there's nothing spectacular in her first novel, it was entertaining and holds promise of better to come.

Nun in a convent gets herself murdered and the motives behind the death are somewhat odd (for a nun). A nice, laid-back police inspector (whose boss is a bit of a pain) investigates, along with a sargent who appears to b ...more

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Feb 16, 2008 Mary Ellen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery

Catherine Aird is one of my favorite mystery authors and has been for many years. Her real name is Kinn Hamilton McIntosh and she is the author of over twenty detective fiction novels and a few short story collections. The Religious Body is her first novel which was published in 1966.

The Religious Body takes place in the Convent of St. Anselm where Sister Anne is found at the bottom of a dark basement staircase dead, not of the fall, but of our old friend the blunt instrument. Enter, for the fi ...more

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Apr 24, 2022 Diane rated it liked it

Shelves: mysteries-gr-britain

I’d rate it closer to 4 stars.
This is my kind of mystery. No gory mass murders or torture. Just plain old detective work solving a plain old murder in style of the Golden Age of Mysteries

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Feb 12, 2008 Nancy Oakes rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-fiction-uk, crime-fiction, mystery-series-first-novel

1 like · Like

Mar 11, 2011 Robin rated it liked it

Shelves: 2015

Jul 15, 2020 Amy rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020, brit-trip, read-as-an-audiobook

Sep 14, 2019 Lillian rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-vintage-golden-age, most-like-pym, read-in-2019

Jul 05, 2015 Jenn Estepp rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sleuths-and-gumshoes, kindling

2 likes · Like

Dec 26, 2021 Judy rated it liked it

2 likes · Like

Aug 12, 2016 Melinda marked it as to-read

Jul 24, 2017 Paperbackreader rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: all-collections, read-but-unowned, british, classic, mystery, crime, inspector-sloan, constable-crosby, the-chronicles-of-calleshire, audiobook