Wages of Sin by Penelope Williamson is a powerful and provocative mystery centering around the precepts and corruptness of the Catholic Church. The setting is 1927 New Orleans and its focus is on the torture and crucifixion of Father Patrick Walsh, the city’s most beloved priest.

Ms. Williamson’s plot is fresh and insightful, revealing how the Church uses its power and influence to sweep unsavory or unacceptable occurrences under the rug. She presents us with a hero, Daman Rourke (the homicide detective investigating the case and also the brother of one of the priests) who takes us along for a ride through a multiple array of twists and turns that begin with the priests’ grisly murder, and continues through the circumstantial evidence that links an innocent black man to the crime, and includes the torture and murder of several young girls. Through all of this, however, is the main thread of the story which is a secret that the young priest hoped to carry to the grave.

This reader found the novel informative, well researched, and entertaining. The Wages of Sin is well worth the reading for the serious mystery enthusiast.

[tags]book review, Wages of Sin, Penelope Williamson, mystery, Catholic Church[/tags]