The Maligned Marine
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Enjoy this Small-Town Murder Mystery Featuring A Unique Sleuthing Couple
As a Catholic Priest in a small town, I get along with most of the other clergy in Myerton . . . with one exception.
The Reverend Dexter Huckleberry. Lord help me, I just do not like the man. He gives all of us a bad name. He is a demagogue of the worst kind, wrapping himself in God's word while targeting people because of who they are, how they live, and even where they worship.
He never calls me Father, for example. But I don't take it personally.
And now, he's targeting Steve Austin and the Hoot-n-Holler as a din of iniquity, calling it a 'gay bar' and a gathering place for perverts.
Considering I go there regularly, I take that a little personally . . .
But now he's been murdered, and a friend and fellow vet of Steve's stands accused . . .
. . . and the fallout from that is something I haven't seen coming.
The Reverend Dexter Huckleberry's murder seems open and shut to me . . .
A witness places Steve Austin's friend at his office around the time of the murder. A troubled ex-Marine, he has both the strength and the skill to kill a man. Not only that, he was apparently the last person to see him alive.
But my detective doesn't believe he's guilty. The doctor who saved my life is shielding him from me. Steve's angry with me for placing his friend under arrest. Even Tom's questioning me.
Not only this, but the Mayor's breathing down my neck to make sure this case is closed quickly. I even got a call from the Governor's office!
This case is giving me a huge headache.
And there is another problem . . .
. . . my gut's telling me I'm wrong.
The Maligned Marine is the second novel in the Mercy and Justice Mystery series, a contemporary small town mystery series. The series is a sequel to the Father Tom Mysteries that began with The Penitent Priest and includes the same cast of characters. It features Father Tom Greer, a Catholic Priest who is also an amateur sleuth in the tradition of Father Brown, and his wife Helen Greer, female Chief of Police and detective in the tradition of Kinsey Millhone.
Customer Reviews
Another great read
Another great read in the Mercy and Justice Series from J. R. & Susan Mathis. Fr. Tom Greer and his wife, Chief of Police Helen Greer are on the trail of another killer in Myerton. Dexter Huckleberry, controversial pastor of The Elect Fellowship, has been murdered. Gary Stevens, former Marine and friend of Steve Austin, has been arrested for the murder. Steve is owner of the Hoot-n-Holler Bar and latest target of Dexter for his eroding of traditional family values by virtue of being gay and running a gay bar, which the Hoot-n-Holler is not. And yet, there are many other possible suspects, including the pastor’s widow, ex-wives and an elder of the church. And then, the finances of the church are somewhat suspect too. Some of Myerton’s best return, including detective Dan, Gladys and her teal bullhorn, Anna in the parish office, pastor Clark and his wife Vivian and Dr. Martin, trauma surgeon. The rigours of both Fr. Tom’s and Helen’s callings take their toll as they navigate their way through the twist and turns of another murder investigation as well as the spiritual and emotional lives of the parishioners of St. Clare’s. These books never disappoint; always a satisfying read.