THE VEIL OF IGNORANCE

by Monica Quill ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 15, 1988

Sister Mary Teresa ""Emtee"" Dempsey is playing God again from the Chicago house where--supported by Sisters Kim and Joyce--she heads the barely surviving Order of Martha and Mary, enjoying a reputation for scholarly intellect and deductive skills (Nun of the Above, etc.). Now Emtee has taken under her wing Lydia Hopkins, convicted of the savage killing of her husband and young daughter, released on a technicality after three years in prison, and certain to be retried. The old nun, convinced of Lydia's innocence, is determined to find the real killer, and so deputizes Kim to question everyone involved--especially at the golf club where Lydia supposedly fled after the murders. Kim soon has a picture of an unhappy marriage with an obsessively jealous husband. It's amplified in talks with retired golf pro Adam Fenwick; pro-shop employee Benny, a retardee; Lydia's lawyer Bill Dunning; and Beverly John, head of a detective agency used by Lydia and her husband for very different purposes. Then the murder of Dolores Merrill, a club member who had professed fear of Lydia, and some new-found, seemingly damning evidence bring Lydia out of hiding--only to confess her guilt. Emtee, of course, will have none of that, gathering all hands to her library to be closely questioned and duly amazed when she produces the true villain. Characters who lack substance, Emtee among them, and a contrived, rambling plot make this the thinnest of trifles, on a par with others in the series.

Pub Date: Nov. 15, 1988

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1988

Categories: FICTION