SAINTLY REMAINS

Think a trip to your in-laws is scary? Wait till you hear what happens to freelance reporter Nick Bertetto and his family.

The small Indiana town of Jasper has barely recovered from a massacre at the high school. Although a cryptic note was left on the library wall, no cult connections have been discovered, and the shooters killed themselves at the scene, short-circuiting the police investigation. When Nick’s mother-in-law’s cat is skinned alive, Nick (Angels Whisper, 2005, etc.) begins sleuthing and soon discovers that other animals have been attacked around town. After high-school student Kevin Mueller’s dog is mutilated, Kevin, an aspiring reporter, pitches in to help Nick investigate. When the corpse of Keri Schoening, one of the massacre victims, is stolen from her grave the cops reluctantly reopen the case. Is Keri, who answered yes to the question, “Do you believe in Jesus?”, on the fast track to sainthood? Could her body’s disappearance be related to the attempted theft of relics from a local cathedral? Nick is soon swamped with dubious assistance from Kevin, the police, a local priest and the hotshot town reporter, whose local connections make it hard for Nick to get scoops for his own paper. He and Kevin find themselves in mortal danger before they can solve the creepy crime.

Nick’s third appearance proves his investigative skills as sharp as ever despite marital strain and religious controversy.