Easter Week is a time for celebration, but it is also a time for a lot of work for church secretaries, and Cindy Preston is feeling the pressure already when she arrives to work at the First Presbyterian Church on the Monday before Easter. But when she stumbles over a dead body in the sanctuary, the week suddenly goes from bad to worse. As she panics and screams, help arrives in the form of Jeremiah Silverman, the rabbi from the next door synagogue, who helps Cindy call the police.

As Detective Mark Waters and his team uncover more and more clues to the unknown dead man's identity, it soon becomes come clear that a serial killer might be on the loose, and he seems to be tracking Cindy closely. As more and more dead bodies begin to turn up, each murder relating to an event connected to the Easter Week as well as Passover, Cindy finds herself turning not to her fellow church members, but to Jeremiah for help in understanding what's happening. And when the killer strikes a family in Jeremiah's congregant, he and Cindy both know they have to unravel who the murder is before the killer comes after them.

In her debut novel of the Psalm 23 Mysteries, THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, author Debbie Viguie delves into murder and mayhem with a spiritual setting in a unique way. Using the romantic tension between her main characters, as well their cultural and spiritual differences, Viguie gives her story the gentle twist of seductive intrigue that somewhat tempers the aggressive, almost brutal nature of the mystery at hand.

Viguie captures spot-on the hard work of the average church secretary and the church politics that most have to endure, and I found the romantic aspect of the story to be well done. But I found myself shuddering at the graphically violent manner that the victims were depicted. This is definitely not a cozy mystery, but for those who prefer a little gore with their suspense, THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD will be right up their alley.

Book Summary

Cindy's church is getting ready to celebrate Easter, and Jeremiah's Temple is preparing for Passover when Cindy literally stumbles over the body of an unknown man lying dead in the sanctuary. The church was locked, and a bloody cross necklace on the floor seems to be the only clue. The killer is likely a member of the congregation, but there are hints that similar deaths have happened in the past. Are Cindy and Jeremiah dealing with a serial killer? They have to unravel the clues before Easter Sunday arrives and more people die.

Cindy and Jeremiah come from two different worlds, even though they work right next door to each other. Cindy is a strong Christian who lives a normal but somewhat dull life, working as a church secretary. Jeremiah is a Reformed rabbi with a mysterious past full of danger and excitement. But one eventful Easter/Passover week, the two find themselves working together to solve a murder and stop a serial killer from striking again. Solving the mystery should put an end to their alliance, but the church secretary and the rabbi quickly find themselves enmeshed in another mystery. Soon the two form a friendly alliance and friendship, exploring personal history and faith and growing closer with each passing adventure. Despite their differences Cindy and Jeremiah find a lot of common ground.