Pious Deception by Susan Dunlap

Kiernan O'Shaughnessy #1

by Susan Dunlap

At the promising start to a new detective series by the author of the Jill Smith mysteries, a young priest is found hanged in particularly compromising circumstances in his parish church in Phoenix, Ariz. To determine whether the death was suicide or murder, the diocese's bishop calls upon Kiernan O'Shaughnessy, a young medical examiner turned private eye. Kiernan runs into obstacles at every turn, not the least of which are the cremation of the priest's body before an autopsy could be performed and her name forged on his false death certificate. While struggling with her own painful memories dredged up by the case, Kiernan uncovers a clan of hostile mountain villagers, a bizarre castle, a hidden shelter for abused women, and the diocese's plan to build an elegant retreat-resort in the nearby White Bone Mountains. Feisty Kiernan has appeal, but her debut is overburdened with subplots, complaints about the weather and hard-to-credit emotional conflicts regarding Kiernan's sister.Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Genres: Mystery

Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Susan Dunlap is best known for her Jill Smith detective series, but she is a prolific and much loved writer of crime and mystery fiction, including award-winning short stories.

Reviews

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

When she was eleven Kiernan O'Shaugnessy's older sister committed suicide, or at least that was the official view. Kiernan knows differently but no-one listened when it happened. It's unclear as to the outcome but there was a problem when it came to her burial as the Catholic Church at the time would not allow those who rook their own lives to have a funeral service or to be buried in Catholic graveyards (practices that came to an end in 1983).
Kiernan, as a result, isn't a fan of organised religion. She's a former forensic pathologist and currently works as a private investigator. She appears to be independently wealthy though it is never explained where her riches come from.
She's employed by the Venderhooven family to determine the cause of death of their son, Fr. Austin Vanderhooven. It seems a case of death by autoerotic asphyxiation - he was found hanging in front of his altar in the church at Mission San Leo, Phoenix, Arizona.
The wealthy family don't like it and his immediate superior Auxiliary Bishop Dowd isn't having any of it. He goes to extraordinary lengths to hide the cause of death.
Throw in dodgy dealings, a scandal from decades ago that would threaten the Church, a dying man surrounded by his vigilante tribe, water rights and oil extraction - Kiernan's got her work cut out for her.
There's a lot of descriptive text in "Pious Deceit" - too much for my liking - but Kiernan is a likeable character and there are some interesting plot twists.
It is a solid 3 Stars.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Former medical examiner Kiernan O’Shaughnessy investigates a scandalous suicide in a Catholic church
Quick-witted, precise, and comfortable with corpses, Kiernan O’Shaughnessy was perfectly suited to life as a medical examiner. In her four years with the coroner’s office, she never had one unhappy shift until the day they let her go. Enraged and adrift, she made her way to La Jolla, California, to set up a high-class private investigation service for medically suspicious deaths. She works only the cases she wants, and charges a steep enough fee that she can afford a cherry red Triumph and a former NFL player as a houseman. Her latest client is one of the biggest moneymakers on the the Roman Catholic Church. A troubled young priest is found hanged in Mission San Leo in Phoenix, Arizona. Hoping to avoid scandal, the bishop bypasses the police, and hires Kiernan to determine whether the death was an accident or a suicide. They ask her to be quiet, but the secrets she uncovers will make her want to sing louder than any church choir.

[William · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started out OK but deteriorated badly at the middle. Introduced a character from the oil industry which automatically made him the villain but it was poorly developed reasoning for a mystery. The book was all over the place. Very disappointing. I read one of the author's books taking place in Berkeley that featured parking enforcement in a very funny (but true) way that I enjoyed but this book just did not measure up.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting characters, interesting story and interesting writing...but the book was too long with endless descriptions of landscape. I probably won't read any more books in this series.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Dunlap heroine in a series with a darker bent than the other two. Those are more upbeat and light whereas this one is concerned with darker themes--a priest is found dead in a compromising position, and Kieran--a former medical examiner--is called in to discreetly uncover the circumstances.
I didn't like this one as much--it is a book that foreshadows the rise of authors like Patricia Cromwell and their gruesome forensic details and twisted killers.
I prefer the "cozies".

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 in the former medical examiner turned private investigator Kiernan O'Shaughnessy mystery series. Kiernan takes a case that sends her to Phoenix, Arizona where she's hired by the Catholic Bishop for the area to determine cause of death for a parish priest's apparent suicide. This simple start becomes far more complicated by the various players involved and their various desires.

[Sallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been in my to-be-read pile for years. My sister told me to read her maybe 15 years ago - took awhile didn't it? It was ok, and I may read more of her books, but I still have piles and piles of books to go first.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kiernan O'Shaughnessy #1

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right from the start, this one hooks you in. It's a real who-done-it that'll keep you guessing til the end. Makes me pine for Arizona.