HOPE, FAITH, AND A CORPSE by Laura Jensen Walker

"Welcome to Apple Springs, a small town with quirky residents and big-time secrets!"

Hope, Faith, and a Corpse

Genres: Mystery Pet Lovers | Mystery Woman Sleuth

Posted: May 23, 2021

Naturally, the new associate pastor, Hope Taylor, wants her new position at Faith Chapel Episcopal Church to go well. As the congregation’s first female priest (and there was some hearty dissension over her selection), she’s a bit nervous and wants to make a very good impression. But after accidentally getting bopped in the forehead with a garden gnome named Elvis and gaining a large, goose egg of a bump and the start of a glorious shiner, she arrives at the 160-year-old church only to find it empty. Thinking Father Christopher, her new boss, could be in the small chapel and columbarium, she walks behind the main chapel only to discover the body of an influential parishioner – a man who was vocal in his displeasure over her appointment – lying in a pool of blood inside. Just as she kneels to check on the man, two women arrive to find her bending over his body, holding an urn that appears to be the murder weapon. Not bad for the first day on the job.

The victim, Stanley King, seems to be the most hated man in town, having angered, abused, or aggravated nearly everyone he ever met, so there are plenty of other suspects besides Pastor Hope. But with the controversy of being the first woman in the pulpit and the cloud of suspicion hanging over her, Hope really needs the police to find the man’s murderer and find him quickly so she can settle in and effectively perform her pastoral duties for her new flock.

HOPE, FAITH AND A CORPSE is the first book in a new mystery series by award-winning author Laura Jensen Walker. It is a cozy mystery with the murder occurring out of sight and the action happening in the small town of Apple Springs in beautiful northern California. A variety of long-time residents populate it, warm people and some quirky characters, with their feuds, passions, and naturally, secrets. Pastor Hope Taylor is a young, middle-aged woman who has survived her own heartaches, having lived a fairly full life before her ordination into the priesthood.

The story develops quickly, and I was immediately drawn into Hope’s life and the situation in Apple Springs as she navigates the intricacies of being the new priest in town. The mystery of who-done-it was intriguing, and the culprit not obvious with the final reveal a perfectly plausible surprise. Hope is a smart woman with the same type of thoughts we all have, and I loved her humor (and her continual efforts not to say what she was thinking - the struggle is real). I liked that there were warm and accepting parishioners and townspeople to welcome Hope and support her as she gained her footing, and as she investigates other mysterious issues that crop up during the story. Also, I enjoyed the glimpse into the Episcopal Church and pastoral life and responsibilities.

I highly recommend HOPE, FAITH AND A CORPSE to cozy mystery lovers, those that enjoy an amateur sleuth that is a member of the clergy, and of course, a cozy mystery set in small-town USA.

Book Summary

In the tradition of M. C. Beaton, Hope Taylor, pastor of a small-town California church, tries to find out who sent a church elder to Heaven.

Hope Taylor arrives in Apple Springs to start her new life as the first female pastor of Faith Chapel Episcopal Church. The northern California town's quaint cottages, bungalows, and shops promise a fresh start for the 42-year-old widow and Bogie, her scruffy black Labrador. But where is Father Christopher? The kindly old rector who hired Pastor Hope was supposed to meet her upon her arrival, but he's nowhere to be seen. Hope's faith springs eternal, so she explores the little white church hoping to find Father Christopher. But when she enters the columbarium, she instead finds church elder Stanley King--his skull crushed by a fallen burial urn.

Hope had made Stanley's acquaintance before, and had struggled to take a charitable view of his character. Stanley was as wicked as he was wealthy, as petty as he was pious. His soul may have been holy, but his behavior was wholly rotten. The last time Hope had seen him, he had shouted drunkenly that she would preach at Faith Chapel over his dead body.

Many of the townsfolk witnessed the altercation, so Hope finds herself as the prime suspect in Stanley's murder. With Bogie's four-footed assistance, Hope is determined to find the real killer and clear her name...even if it will require a bit of divine intervention.