Advent of Dying

Sister Mary Helen #2

by Carol Anne O'Marie

Sister Mary Helen insists on investigating the murder of her blues-singing secretary and, against the advice of detectives Kate Murphy and Dennis Gallagher, looks into some very unlikely San Francisco locales

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Christmas, Christian Fiction, Christian, Cozy

277 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Sister Carol Anne O'Marie, CSJ was a mystery writer and a nun in the St. Joseph of Carondelet religious order.

She wrote eleven novels with the protagonist Sister Mary Helen, an elderly nun who solves crimes. Most of the books are based in San Francisco.

Her final book, Like a Swarm of Bees, is about the origins of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the United States.

Sister Carol Anne O'Marie and Sister Maureen Lyons ran a shelter for homeless women in Oakland, CA.

Reviews

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this even more than the first book of the series. Sister Mary Helen is a fun character, and I like the way Catholic tradition, experience, and teaching is worked into the story. I especially love the fact that the chapter titles refer to the liturgical year, using St. Andrew's feast day and the Sundays of Advent to mark time. I also appreciate that the author includes characters behaving in realistic ways that go against church teaching and shows how some of them, at least, come to see the error in their behavior and take steps to change it. The book shows a very loving attitude toward these characters, which I think does a lot of good for the image of the Catholic church among non-Catholic readers.

The mystery itself was also compelling, and though I figured out a few things early on, I didn't piece the whole puzzle together until Mary Helen did. I found that I cared more about the victim in this book than the last one, probably because there was an air of mystery about her, and not just about the manner of her death. I also found myself wondering about the author. My impression is that she must have been quite the character herself.

[Nancy Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another "find" from a library book sale that's been sitting on my shelf for awhile....Sister Mary Helen is a septuagenarian nun who loves reading murder mysteries and also manages to help the police when she occasionally happens upon a murder herself. This time, she discovers the body of her secretary, a young lady with a mysterious past. Sister Mary Helen involves her friends at the convent and "assists" the very likable Detectives Kate Murphy-Bassetti and Dennis Gallagher in the investigation and eventual solution of the case.

This is pretty much what I'd consider a "cozy" mystery, fairly light but still entertaining with some cute characters and catchy humor. I also enjoyed the way Catholic ritual and tradition is woven through the story, not in an overbearing way, just informative and what I find interesting. Sister Carol Ann O'Marie was herself a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, taking her vows in 1954, and along with another Sister ran a shelter for homeless women in San Francisco for many years. Unfortunately she died in 2008, I believe, or maybe it was 2009, and left us with only 11 entries in the Sister Mary Helen series.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Sister Mary Helen loses her book, she thinks she may have left it in her secretary’s car. When she goes to find it she finds her secretary murdered in a ripped apart apartment. She calls her friend, homicide detective Kate of course. Then they realise how little was known about the secretary which certainly makes it harder to find a motive for her murder. But Sister is motivated to find the murderer so she starts asking questions. And that almost gets her killed. A good read.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 5 out of 5]

After collecting and savouring Sister Carol Anne O’Marie’s novels, I’m thrilled that they are suspenseful and hard-hitting. I correct anyone calling them “cozy mysteries”. The eventually released details of this murder are very off-putting, which does not in the least fit the “light” label. Carol Anne was obviously bold enough to show seedy people. The blessing is that the author jerking unpleasant topics out from the closet, is a highly creative and exceptional writer. Don’t flinch at the religious home base. I’m not tied to any conventional religion but am a person of strong faith, who advocates justice and that is what you find. The tour granted us of this university is atmospheric and we see that the principal trio are very forward-thinking.

I love each of their very identifiable personalities. Helen is Motherly and sturdy, Eileen has wonderfully blunt Irish wit, and Anne, in her twenties, is esoteric and musical. Pushing relief through awful subject matter, are laughable moments. For instance, Helen jolts in surprise, after she invites her fellow nuns to watch her secretary perform at a bar and they have all heard of the place! Or she cons them into helping her investigate a suspect, by patronizing the spa at which that lady works! You can imagine the wry complaints about the mud bath that caked all over their bodies. This secretary is dead by morning and the task is tall, figuring out from whence this quiet colleague came in the first place.

Encounters with numerous residents of her apartment building and the bar are all suspicious, creating an anxiety until the novel closes. I’m disappointed that officer Kate caved into domestic pressure from her husband, even in 1986 but she’s an immensely likeable contributor to these cases. I look very much forward to their next mystery.

[Barbara Blindauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been sitting on my book shelf. Sister Mary Helen and her cohort Sister Eileen, and on occasion Sister Anne are invited by Sister Mary Helen’s secretary, Suzanne to hear Suzanne sing. The next day Sister Mary Helen discovers dead and that soon starts a search for the murder with the nuns trying their best to help Detectives Kate Murphy and Detective Dennis Gallagher. Hope to find more in this series.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of mysteries. I have nothing against them but there are usually other books that I want to read more. I stumbled on this one at the library while looking for an advent devotional. This wasn't what I was looking for, but I am glad I found it. It was an enjoyable read for the season. The murder was awful but the search for the killer kept me reading.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Sister Mary Helen goes to the apartment of her secretary, she discovers that Suzanne must have been much more than she believed --and someone wasn't happy with who she was for they had killed her.

[Cheryle · Rating 4 out of 5]

No surprises in this whodunnit; no twists or turns, a couple of red herrings. But the murderer was always there, in the background. The 4 stars are for the always-well-fleshed-out characters; the nuns, the cops, and those oddball "guest stars."

[William Jeanes Memorial Library]

The murder of Sister Mary Helen's secretary sends her into a complicated search for clues into the shy, quiet victim. The motive is a surprise to all. Good development of police detectives in regard to their personal and work considerations. Realistic characters. Satisfying ending.
-Patron M.D.

[Sean Walczak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A VERY entertaining mystery book; I am greatly looking forward to reading more stories by this author. The descriptions of the settings, in particular, were quite atmospheric and helped me to truly imagine the

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love the concept of this series and I love that it was written by a Sister of Saint Joseph. The actual writing and plotting is a little too cute for me. Like if I hear Sister Mary Helen referred to (or refer to herself) as "old girl" one more time...

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but Sister Mary Helen's antics are starting to get on my nerves. I don't think I'll continue with the series.

[Krismas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light fun read

[Rosemary Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Mary Helen's crime solving escapades continue when her secretary is murdered. The other sisters who help her are delightfully entertaining.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Mary Helen might be a nun and she may be in her 70's but don't think that stops her or slows her down. An avid mystery reader, she was sent to Mount St. Francis to retire and do research when the murder of the head of Mount St. Francis history department interrupted her retirement and she helped Inspector Kate Murphy solve the murder. When her receptionist Suzanne invites her to the Sea Wench to hear her sing, she is a bit surprised as Suzanne is so quiet normally but she happily agrees and gets her friend Sister Eileen Francis and sister Anne to go with her. Suzanne Barnes turns out to have a beautiful voice. The next morning, Sister Mary Helen checks out the convent car and goes to pay Suzanne a visit, what she find when she gets there will start her out on a new adventure, which will test her mettle along with causing a headache for her Mother Superior and Inspectors Kate Murphy and Dennis Gallagher. Getting into the building as someone leaves, Sister Mary Helen finds Suzanne's apartment door unlocked and ajar. when no one answers her knock, she let her self in to find the dead body of Suzanne stretched across her bed. Who is Suzanne Barnes? Why no next of kin listed in her personnel file? The answers to these questions will lead her to Suzanne's killer and much to the dismay of the police investigating the case, Sister Mary Helen has no intention of sitting this one out.
Sister Carol Anne O'Marie has created a character in Sister Mary Helen who one might remind you of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. These books are a lot of fun, you almost feel sorry for Inspector Dennis Gallagher who as a life long Catholic has very firm ideas of how nuns are supposed to act and Sister Mary Helen certainly breaks that mold. I find these books delightful. As a recovering Catholic, I wasn't sure if I would like these but it's very tongue in cheek, even the other nuns wish that Sister Mary Helen wouldn't get involved. I look forward to reading more of her books.

[Linda Rawlins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Advent of Dying is the second book about religious sleuth Sister Mary Helen, written by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie in 1986. In Advent of Dying, Sister Mary Helen's ecclesiastic secretary, Suzanne, invites her and several other nuns, to a bar, to witness her debut as a blues singer. No one was as shocked as Sister Mary Helen who always suspected Suzanne of being a former nun. When Sister Mary Helen goes to speak to her the following day, she finds Suzanne dead with a silver letter opener protruding from her chest, her apartment in total disarray. Feeling guilty for not listening to Suzanne when she was approached in the past, Sister Mary Helen decides that she and her faithful group of close nuns will help San Francisco homicide inspector Kate Murphy and her partner, Dennis Gallaher, solve the crime. As they dig deeper and closer to the truth, she is amazed at what she finds out about Suzanne as well as being threatened and stalked by the killer.
Advent of Dying is the second mystery of eleven books starring Sister Mary Helen. Sister Carol Anne O'Marie, who passed away in 2009, was a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet for forty-five years and ministered to a homeless women's shelter in Oakland, CA which she co-founded in 1990. Her book is an enjoyable, light, humorous mystery, with a main character who exudes the stubborn tenacity of a religious educator on a mission. The character development is enjoyable and well done - especially that of Sister Eileen and her other religious colleagues as they reveal themselves to be more humanistic and socially aware than expected.
The denouement was a tad lack luster and I wanted more explanation but overall Advent of Dying was a wonderful, feel good kind of mystery that makes you want to go to church just to have the pleasure of meeting Sister Mary Helen.

[Syrdarya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Mary Helen is astonished when her mousy secretary, Suzanne, invites her and her fellow nuns to see Suzanne sing at the Sea Wench. The next day she is horrified to find Suzanne murdered, and she offers her police friend Kate help that Kate would like to refuse, but seems unable to do so. Sister Mary Helen ropes some other nuns, Sister Eileen and Sister Anne, into the investigation as well. They discover a well of secrets in Suzanne's life which leaves Sister Mary Helen a bit ashamed, because she hadn't reached out more openly to Suzanne before her death.

The dialogue is a little bit stilted and unnatural, but this doesn't detract much from the story. Sister Carol Anne O'Marie's love for the characters and San Francisco really shone through. The characters are well-drawn and add their own flavors to the mystery. The funniest part was when the nuns went to interview the apartment residents and afterwards Sister Mary Helen wanted a report from Anne and became impatient with Anne's replies, and Anne and Eileen told her off a bit. Sister Mary Helen is only human, and she recognizes her limitations from statements from other characters, but she's so lovable (as are Eileen and Anne in their own ways), that this conversation really cemented their group of detectives for me.

I am very eager to read the rest of the series!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The good sister had vowed to give up reading Mysteries for Advent, which she keeps hidden in her prayer book which she always has with her and is always reading! She’s an ageless retiree who rushes in where angel’s fear to tread usually hauling a couple of other sister’s with her! She goes to the Sea Wench Bar to hear her quiet secretary belt out the blues –who also gets savagely murdered that night. It was a matter of conscious to investigate but her good intentions soon lead her from the path of righteousness into one of the deadliest secrets of the heart! The author’s hardy mix of humor and suspense proves irresistible and I’m anxiously waiting to get a bit caught up in my reading to fetch more of her from the library!

[Scott L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sister Carol Anne O'Marie writes nice cozies. They are not in the same high quality category as an Agatha Christie or a Rex Stout, they are a pleasant read and a nice diversion. Advent of Dying is just that. The style of the book doesn't depend so much upon a mystery and a reveal as it does on the character's personalities, which O'Marie does a nice job at developing. In fact, it almost should not be called a mystery novel. But it is a nice read, hence the three stars - if it were just for the mystery genre, I would only give it one star.

[Kyrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time I wanted to throttle Sister Mary Helen on occasion. It really irks me when people don't think to tell the police about crucial things, especially when they seem to tell the police about everything else.
Other than that, I liked the mystery. There were moments when Kate was pondering pregnancy that I wondered how little Sister O'Marie knows about having a baby, but then maybe there's a lot I don't know.

[Marianne Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sister May Helen series isn't meant to be a "Great Work of Literature", they are fun, light reads which leave you smiling at the end.

I picture adorable Betty White at Sister Mary Helen and all is right with my world.

I was sad to have found out that Carol Anne O'Marie, the author, passed away last year.

I was hoping we could have a little more of Sister Mary Helen.

[Awallens · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Sister Mary Helen's secretary is murdered and she finds the body, she takes on the case because she wants the killer caught before Christmas is upon San Francisco. this book was great. Again I felt like it was wrapped up to quickly, but I love the character development in these books and throughout the series.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow Sister Mary Helen's advent season where she doesn't read mystery stories but gets involved in one of her own. Don't pass this story up this holiday season, pick it up and find out who killed Sister's secretary, why they did it, and who keeps calling Sister Mary Helen as she gets embroiled in other people's business.

[Alexandra]

2nd in the series.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd installment in the escapades of Sr. Mary Helen, Sr. Eileen, and Sr. Anne. I cannot wait for the next one. The Sisters on Holy Hill will help me stay up late at night:-)

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun.

[Rvchua · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something was lacking.

[ChrisGA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable cozy featuring two seventy-something NUNS and a likeable you g homicide detective and her husband

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sisters Mary Helen and Eileen get into trouble because of Mary Helen's curiousity. Sister's are personable and fun to follow.