A Violent Act

Sister Agnes #9

by Alison Joseph

The South London hostel is under attack, and Sister Agnes is trying to protect her vulnerable charges. At the same time, someone from her estranged father's past appears, bearing an odd collection of fossils. The apparent suicide of a desperate young woman resident throws Agnes into crisis – and the situation is made worse by the realisation that the fossil collection, with its strange journal, hides deeper secrets from her father's life.

This page-turning crime story is about how the past informs the present, whether in the shape of fossils, or in our own family history. It is a meditation on faith, evidence, Darwinism and the age of the Universe.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, British Literature

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2009

About the author

Alison Joseph was born and brought up in London. She studied French and Philosophy at Leeds University, and then worked in local radio in Leeds as a producer and presenter. She moved back to London in 1983 and worked for a Channel 4 production company, making short documentaries. In 1985 she set up her own company, Works on Screen. Productions included Through the Devil's Gateway, a series about women and religion presented by Helen Mirren, which was broadcast by Channel 4 in 1989. A book of the series was published by SPCK. Sister Agnes became a reality with the publication of Sacred Hearts in 1994. This was followed by The Hour of Our Death (1995), The Quick and the Dead (1996), A Dark and Sinful Death (1997), The Dying Light (1999) and The Night Watch (2000). All the Sister Agnes books are published by Endeavour Press and Allison & Busby in the UK, and the first three are also available in German.
Other novels include Dying to Know (published by Endeavour Press), featuring D I Berenice Killick. Alison is also the author of two novellas in which (a fictional) Agatha Christie is the detective. They are Murder Will Out and Hidden Sins, both published by Endeavour Press. The third is due out Autumn 2016.

Alison has also written short stories for Radio 4, for YOU magazine, for Critical Quarterly and for various women's magazines, as well as abridging novels for Radio 4's Book at Bedtime and The Late Book, including the award-winning production of Captain Corelli's Mandolin. She is the author of about twenty-five plays for BBC Radio 4. Her most recent short story is Samir's Lament, available on Kindle Singles.

Alison lives in London.

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Agnes solves mysteries in her own gentle, but not innocent, way.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written with some darling characters .

[Anne Herbison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each of the books in the series builds on the one before and on the details of Sister Agnes' life, as in this book in which a visiting American geologist who knew her father brings up memories of her childhood. The development of her character and the choices she makes - and those of her friends - are the most satisfying aspects.

[Valerie Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

So different

If someone had suggested I read this book I'd have said they were mad. Not my sort at all. It was only by accident I started to read. So beautifully written. This was a true mystery and absolutely gripping. I'll now start at the beginning with book 1 which will fill in some gaps for me. Just brilliant

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m getting to really like Sister Agnes and this series. I like the moral dilemmas, the working through of