ADVENT OF DYING

by Carol Anne O'Marie ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 17, 1986

A second adventure for 70-ish Sister Mary Helen after a flabby debut (A Novena for Murder). The victim this time is Sister's reclusive young secretary Suzanne, found raped and murdered in her apartment. Mary Helen's sleuthing soon uncovers Suzanne's past life as an ex-nun and her doomed marriage to a convicted rapist now out on bail--information apparently unavailable to Lieutenant Gallagher and his now-wed partner Kate Murphy. The author tries to create some excitement by putting her heroine into one dark, threatening space after another and subjecting her to some vaguely obscene anonymous phone calls. It doesn't work. Neither does Mary Helen's confrontation with the mad killer and her last-second rescue. Kate's struggle between career and motherhood, which gets a lot of attention, is no less hackneyed. Lack of pretension and a sometimes wry humor are the only saving graces here--and they're not enough.

Pub Date: Oct. 17, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1986

Categories: FICTION