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Inspector Sloan #1
The Religious Body
Inspector C.D. Sloan of the Calleshire C.I.D. makes his first appearance here as he looks into the murder of a nun at the Convent of St. Anselm.
Apparently Sister Anne tumbled down the stairs to the basement to her death. Accidental? Upon closer examination, that didn't explain the evidence of a vicious blow to the back of her head. When Sloan delves into her background, the motives for murder multiply.
First published in 1966, "The Religious Body" was Aird's first book and immediately established her as one of the leading exponents of the post-WW2 English traditional mystery.
Apparently Sister Anne tumbled down the stairs to the basement to her death. Accidental? Upon closer examination, that didn't explain the evidence of a vicious blow to the back of her head. When Sloan delves into her background, the motives for murder multiply.
First published in 1966, "The Religious Body" was Aird's first book and immediately established her as one of the leading exponents of the post-WW2 English traditional mystery.
158 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
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About the author
Catherine Aird
68 books194 followers Kinn Hamilton McIntosh, known professionally as Catherine Aird, was an English novelist. She was the author of more than twenty crime fiction novels and several collections of short stories. Her witty, literate, and deftly plotted novels straddle the "cozy" and "police procedural" genres and are somewhat similar in flavour to those of Martha Grimes, Caroline Graham, M.C. Beaton, Margaret Yorke, and Pauline Bell. Aird was inducted into the prestigious Detection Club in 1981, and is a recipient of the 2015 Cartier Diamond Dagger award.
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January 13, 2022
”It’s about poor Sister Anne. She, poor soul, has gone to her reward and we’ve got the police here.”
The Religious Body is a 1966 crime novel by a British author that features Inspector D.C. Sloan and Constable Crosby. Their investigation about a murder in covenant has a police procedural feel to it while retaining classic mystery vibes.
Inspector Sloan was called to the Convent of St. Anselm when poor Sister Anne was found dead at the bottom of the cellar stairs. Clad in a black habit, little of Sister Anne was visible, but through keen observation the inspector finds clues that defy logic. The police surgeon confirms was Sloan already suspected, Sister Anne was murdered.
Why would someone want to murder Sister Anne, and how did they get behind the cloistered walls?
Suspects emerge quickly when the inspector learns, who besides the nuns, had access to a key. And a distant cousin of Sister Anne’s happens to be in town. Would he benefit from her death? Most bizarre is the tip Sloan got about the Agricultural Institute (all boys school) next door to the covenant. He arrives on campus during their Guy Fawkes Night in time to save the stuffed nun effigy the boys intend to burn at the bonfire. How did the boys get the nun’s habit for the costume?
And then a second murder occurs.
All the typical aspects of a classic murder mystery apply here. A large, isolated estate. Multiple suspects with opportunity. Red herrings (that were just enough without being excessive). The murder weapon, a blunt instrument, which could be anything. The nuns prove to be tricky witnesses too. But what I enjoyed the most was the methodical sifting of the evidence and the sub plots that kept the conclusion obscured until near the end. The British humor and assured competence made Inspector Sloan a compelling character.
This was a delightful and interesting murder mystery, the first I’ve read by this author, but it won’t be the last. The only time my attention drifted was in chapter one. This was due to the flurry of Sister names that were introduced in quick succession. You need not worry about making a character list, the cast is smaller than I anticipated, and each key character was given sufficient background. Once again, I must credit the group Reading the Detectives with another wonderful book find.
The Religious Body is a 1966 crime novel by a British author that features Inspector D.C. Sloan and Constable Crosby. Their investigation about a murder in covenant has a police procedural feel to it while retaining classic mystery vibes.
Inspector Sloan was called to the Convent of St. Anselm when poor Sister Anne was found dead at the bottom of the cellar stairs. Clad in a black habit, little of Sister Anne was visible, but through keen observation the inspector finds clues that defy logic. The police surgeon confirms was Sloan already suspected, Sister Anne was murdered.
Why would someone want to murder Sister Anne, and how did they get behind the cloistered walls?
Suspects emerge quickly when the inspector learns, who besides the nuns, had access to a key. And a distant cousin of Sister Anne’s happens to be in town. Would he benefit from her death? Most bizarre is the tip Sloan got about the Agricultural Institute (all boys school) next door to the covenant. He arrives on campus during their Guy Fawkes Night in time to save the stuffed nun effigy the boys intend to burn at the bonfire. How did the boys get the nun’s habit for the costume?
And then a second murder occurs.
All the typical aspects of a classic murder mystery apply here. A large, isolated estate. Multiple suspects with opportunity. Red herrings (that were just enough without being excessive). The murder weapon, a blunt instrument, which could be anything. The nuns prove to be tricky witnesses too. But what I enjoyed the most was the methodical sifting of the evidence and the sub plots that kept the conclusion obscured until near the end. The British humor and assured competence made Inspector Sloan a compelling character.
This was a delightful and interesting murder mystery, the first I’ve read by this author, but it won’t be the last. The only time my attention drifted was in chapter one. This was due to the flurry of Sister names that were introduced in quick succession. You need not worry about making a character list, the cast is smaller than I anticipated, and each key character was given sufficient background. Once again, I must credit the group Reading the Detectives with another wonderful book find.
October 1, 2011
Just recently I read Past Tense, the most current in Catherine Aird's Inspector Sloan series. When I was hunting around for more books to read for the Birth Year Challenge: Time Machine Version, I was interested to see that the very first Sloan book, The Religious Body, was published in my target year: 1966. It's been a long time since I read Sloan's initial outing and it was very nice to go back and remind myself where it all began.
Our first look at Inspector C. D. Sloan is of a man perplexed. He "had never been inside a Convent before. He had, he reckoned been inside most places of female confinement in his working life--hospitals, prisons, orphanages, offices, and even--once--a girls' boarding school." But never a convent--and he's not quite sure of the rules nor how the rules will shape or interfere with his investigation. You would think that in a closed society where everything runs according to form and schedule that anything out of the ordinary would immediately be noticed--not so in the case of the sudden death of Sister Anne. Her fellow nuns have been trained to "the custody of the eyes"--not to notice what does not concern them, which apparently is most anything that might help Sloan in his investigation.
Sister Anne has been hit over the head with the proverbial blunt instrument and then flung down the convent's cellar steps in the hopes that the death will be put down to accident. Unfortunately for the murderer, the sharp-eyed doctor who attends the nuns notices some irregularities in the "accident" scene and insists that the police be notified. Enter Inspector Sloan and his assistant Detective-Constable Crosby who must try to find out why anyone would want to kill a cloistered nun. While delving into her past, Sloan discovers that Sister Anne came from a moneyed family...and depending on the timing of various deaths stood to inherit a fair sum. She had spoken of her expectations and her desire to see the convent benefit. Did one of her sisters speed her death thinking the inheritance more definite for St. Anselm? Could a nun under vows do such a thing? Or, has one of her relatives, hastened her death to prevent the money from leaving the family? Sloan finds himself looking into the past for the answers he seeks before he can bring the case to a successful conclusion.
Catherine Aird writes a very nice modern version of the classic British mystery. They are cozy and satisfying with just enough of the understated British wit. I like the little mental asides that accompanying most of Sloan's interactions--very wry and not quite sarcastic. And this is an excellent debut novel. The characters are well-grounded and her descriptions give you a very definite sense of place. I originally gave this mystery four stars...I stand by that rating now.
Our first look at Inspector C. D. Sloan is of a man perplexed. He "had never been inside a Convent before. He had, he reckoned been inside most places of female confinement in his working life--hospitals, prisons, orphanages, offices, and even--once--a girls' boarding school." But never a convent--and he's not quite sure of the rules nor how the rules will shape or interfere with his investigation. You would think that in a closed society where everything runs according to form and schedule that anything out of the ordinary would immediately be noticed--not so in the case of the sudden death of Sister Anne. Her fellow nuns have been trained to "the custody of the eyes"--not to notice what does not concern them, which apparently is most anything that might help Sloan in his investigation.
Sister Anne has been hit over the head with the proverbial blunt instrument and then flung down the convent's cellar steps in the hopes that the death will be put down to accident. Unfortunately for the murderer, the sharp-eyed doctor who attends the nuns notices some irregularities in the "accident" scene and insists that the police be notified. Enter Inspector Sloan and his assistant Detective-Constable Crosby who must try to find out why anyone would want to kill a cloistered nun. While delving into her past, Sloan discovers that Sister Anne came from a moneyed family...and depending on the timing of various deaths stood to inherit a fair sum. She had spoken of her expectations and her desire to see the convent benefit. Did one of her sisters speed her death thinking the inheritance more definite for St. Anselm? Could a nun under vows do such a thing? Or, has one of her relatives, hastened her death to prevent the money from leaving the family? Sloan finds himself looking into the past for the answers he seeks before he can bring the case to a successful conclusion.
Catherine Aird writes a very nice modern version of the classic British mystery. They are cozy and satisfying with just enough of the understated British wit. I like the little mental asides that accompanying most of Sloan's interactions--very wry and not quite sarcastic. And this is an excellent debut novel. The characters are well-grounded and her descriptions give you a very definite sense of place. I originally gave this mystery four stars...I stand by that rating now.
December 10, 2015
Robin Bailey 5 Hours 18 MinsDescription: Sister Anne has been thrown down the cellar stairs, and Inspector Sloan wonders who in God's name would want to murder a cloistered nun? Sloan's task is complicated by the unusual witnesses - 50-plus discreet, identically dressed nuns, each of whom has an assumed name and a past secular life.
December 28, 2021
12/26/21 reread - January 2022 challenge read for Reading the Detectives group, started my reread and really enjoying it. Having been raised Catholic, it’s interesting to see how “outsiders” react to the monastic life and setting. Still 4 stars for me, enjoy the humor, characters, especially Sloan and Mother Superior - and Sloan’s cranky Superintendent.
3.5-4 stars - I really enjoyed this first mystery in Catherine Aird's Detective Inspector Sloan series and plan to look for more on Scribd.
The story opens with the discovery of a dead nun in the cellar of a convent; when Sloan is called in to investigate with young Constable Cosby, they soon discover what unreliable witnesses the other nuns are - they go about their peaceful, proscribed daily existence paying very little attention to the personal habits and routines of their fellow religious. Aird does a wonderful job showing how the routine of a convent prevents the nuns, so removed from the daily personality conflicts and emotional ups and downs of daily life in the outside world, from noticing (or indeed often raising their eyes), the details around them. I read a lot of mysteries, and have enjoyed several series set in religious communities, but this was a new and interesting angle for me, a complication for the investigating police I hadn't foreseen, so that was the first thing I appreciated.
I also enjoyed the interesting cast of characters Aird created; Sloan and Crosby are likeable and appealing, and there are healthy doses of humor. The investigation took several interesting turns, and I was surprised and pleased when the killer was revealed at the end. I'd be lying if I said I suspected that character, but I did feel they and might be hiding something. A satisfying police procedural, I will look for more in the series.
3.5-4 stars - I really enjoyed this first mystery in Catherine Aird's Detective Inspector Sloan series and plan to look for more on Scribd.
The story opens with the discovery of a dead nun in the cellar of a convent; when Sloan is called in to investigate with young Constable Cosby, they soon discover what unreliable witnesses the other nuns are - they go about their peaceful, proscribed daily existence paying very little attention to the personal habits and routines of their fellow religious. Aird does a wonderful job showing how the routine of a convent prevents the nuns, so removed from the daily personality conflicts and emotional ups and downs of daily life in the outside world, from noticing (or indeed often raising their eyes), the details around them. I read a lot of mysteries, and have enjoyed several series set in religious communities, but this was a new and interesting angle for me, a complication for the investigating police I hadn't foreseen, so that was the first thing I appreciated.
I also enjoyed the interesting cast of characters Aird created; Sloan and Crosby are likeable and appealing, and there are healthy doses of humor. The investigation took several interesting turns, and I was surprised and pleased when the killer was revealed at the end. I'd be lying if I said I suspected that character, but I did feel they and might be hiding something. A satisfying police procedural, I will look for more in the series.
May 12, 2023
A nun found dead at the bottom of a staircase.
A suspicious smashing of the skull.
Monastic murder? Oh my.
In walks Inspector Sloan.
Enjoyable enough. A fun setting, but the one major flaw is a total lack of atmosphere. We’re in a convent, I need mood!
A suspicious smashing of the skull.
Monastic murder? Oh my.
In walks Inspector Sloan.
Enjoyable enough. A fun setting, but the one major flaw is a total lack of atmosphere. We’re in a convent, I need mood!
December 14, 2014
When the body of a murdered nun is discovered at the Convent of St. Anselm in the village of Cullingoak, Inspector C.D. Sloan of the Calleshire C.I.D. finds himself with fifty suspects—all black-habited nuns who at first look exactly alike to him. It’s the sardonic Sloan’s first venture inside convent walls and, for most of the nuns, their first encounter with the police. Before the killer is unmasked, both the police and the nuns will come to learn a great deal about each other.
Another totally delightful Aird murder mystery with plenty of red herrings and a murderer I would never have guessed!
Audio.
Another totally delightful Aird murder mystery with plenty of red herrings and a murderer I would never have guessed!
Audio.
November 14, 2015
I gave this book two stars - 'It's OK' - and I think that suits it perfectly well. I just read a review that described the book as barely adequate, yet gave it four stars - go figure.
If you like Agatha Christie and you've already read all of her books, give this one a try. There's not much meat on the bone, but it moves along quite well, and suffers none of the flaws that make me stop reading books more often than I'd like. In the introduction, it says that a reviewer had said that it was difficult to give a sense of place when the location is fictional rather than based on a real town or village. The fact is, in this case Catherine Aird had no interest in giving the reader a 'sense of place.' in fact, 90% of the book is diologue - which is probably why the story doesn't bog down.
I will make one complaint, which speaks more to the characters in author sought to portray than to the writing itself. Repeatedly, characters can't possibly understand why a woman would want to live the isolated life of a nun. Given that convents and monestaries have existed in Europe for over one thousand years, this attitude can only make me see the characters as bigots. The book isn't anti-Catholic, but there's a stink of anti-Catholicism within the pages somewhere for sure. This coming from a long-lapsed Catholic boy....
If you like Agatha Christie and you've already read all of her books, give this one a try. There's not much meat on the bone, but it moves along quite well, and suffers none of the flaws that make me stop reading books more often than I'd like. In the introduction, it says that a reviewer had said that it was difficult to give a sense of place when the location is fictional rather than based on a real town or village. The fact is, in this case Catherine Aird had no interest in giving the reader a 'sense of place.' in fact, 90% of the book is diologue - which is probably why the story doesn't bog down.
I will make one complaint, which speaks more to the characters in author sought to portray than to the writing itself. Repeatedly, characters can't possibly understand why a woman would want to live the isolated life of a nun. Given that convents and monestaries have existed in Europe for over one thousand years, this attitude can only make me see the characters as bigots. The book isn't anti-Catholic, but there's a stink of anti-Catholicism within the pages somewhere for sure. This coming from a long-lapsed Catholic boy....
January 18, 2016
The day begins like any other for Sister Mary St. Gertrude. When her alarm sounds at 5 a.m., Sister Mary begins rousting her convent sisters from their beds, starting with the Reverend Mother. Down the Order she goes with a knock and a warm blessing. But when the young nun reaches Sister Anne's door, there is no answer. She assumes that Sister Anne got up early, and continues on her way.
February 4, 2022
While there was nothing I actively disliked about The Religious Body, I didn't find much to enjoy, either. DI Sloan was interesting but not compelling. The portrayal of religious life rang true in some ways, not in others. Ultimately, the mystery was implausible for me, hence the spoilered rant below.
May 30, 2023
4 Stars. A light cozy mystery. That is, combined with a police procedural. My second Inspector Sloan - not to be my last! "The Religious Body" takes place in the fictitious county of Calleshire, England with all the essentials of a murder mystery occurring in a convent. Specifically, the Convent of St. Anselm. Catherine Aird does her best to bring readers with little understanding of nunneries up to speed, from why women enter convents and daily routines, to the business of running them. Readers just like me! It all starts innocuously. The body of Sister Anne is found at the foot of the basement stairs. Soon it is realized that she didn't miss a step and fall; the serious wound to her head corrects Mother Superior and her aide, Sister Lucy, of any misconceptions. This was murder. The question that Sloan must confront is, was it an inside job? Or could it have something to do with the Agricultural Institute nearby and the theft by three young men of a nun's habit to burn at the stake for the approaching Guy Fawkes Night? When he looks into Sister Anne's background, Sloan also adds the possibility of a very valuable inheritance to the list. Happily for us, he works it all out in the end. (February 2023)
January 3, 2022
This series has been on my reading radar for years and I am delighted that I finally got around to reading it. The Convent of St Anselm lives peacefully in between the village of Cullingoak and the Cullingoak Agricultural Institute. However, all is not peaceful within the Convent one November morning, after it becomes apparent that Sister Anne is missing. When her body is found, Inspector C.D. Sloan and Detective Constable William Crosby are sent in to investigate.
This is a traditional mystery, with Sloan and Crosby faced with an investigation in the unlikely setting of a Convent, with fifty nuns who initially seem to offer no leads. I enjoyed the way Sloan and Crosby uncovered links between characters and there are a good number of suspects and motives. Overall, a really enjoyable start to a gentle, well written mystery. I look forward to reading on in the series.
This is a traditional mystery, with Sloan and Crosby faced with an investigation in the unlikely setting of a Convent, with fifty nuns who initially seem to offer no leads. I enjoyed the way Sloan and Crosby uncovered links between characters and there are a good number of suspects and motives. Overall, a really enjoyable start to a gentle, well written mystery. I look forward to reading on in the series.
April 1, 2016
8 DEC 2015 - recommendation through Bettie. Sounds exciting. Thank you!
12 DEC 2015 - a new-to-me series/author. I really enjoyed this one. On to #2.
12 DEC 2015 - a new-to-me series/author. I really enjoyed this one. On to #2.
April 15, 2022
Loved the book, though the end was a bit sudden. Will continue the series.
March 23, 2016
Inspector C D Sloan and Sgt Crosby (dense, dumb, and rather endearingly doglike) are called in to investigate the mysterious death of a nun, Sister Anne, who appears to have fallen down a flight of stairs. She was seen at the nuns' last meal. Examination of her body indicates she died soon after eating, but two fellow nuns are quite sure they saw her at Compline. As Sloan investigates, it becomes quite clear that the nuns do not make the best of witnesses. They are trained to focus more on the inner world and do not often see (or they're not supposed to see) what goes on around them. The case is further complicated by some high-spirited students at the neighboring agricultural college, Guy Fawkes' Day, a "guy" in the form of a nun, some missing eyeglasses, and another murder.
This is my third Aird book and my favorite so far. It's also the first in the series. Another reviewer referred to these books as half-cozy and half-police procedural, and I agree with that description. There's no gore, sex, or profanity. Though "The Religious Body" dates from 1966, it feels more like the 1940s or 1950s. There's a definite air of nostalgia about it. However, it's not dated. Unlike some other old mysteries I've read lately, it holds up pretty well.
I read a negative review on Amazon from someone comparing this book unfavorably with P D James' work. Uhm, if you're looking for a P D James-style book, this is definitely not it. This is for people who enjoy writers like John Dickson Carr, Agatha Christie, Rex Stout or Edmund Crispin. It has a nice, old-fashioned, cozy feel to it, good for a lazy afternoon read.
This is my third Aird book and my favorite so far. It's also the first in the series. Another reviewer referred to these books as half-cozy and half-police procedural, and I agree with that description. There's no gore, sex, or profanity. Though "The Religious Body" dates from 1966, it feels more like the 1940s or 1950s. There's a definite air of nostalgia about it. However, it's not dated. Unlike some other old mysteries I've read lately, it holds up pretty well.
I read a negative review on Amazon from someone comparing this book unfavorably with P D James' work. Uhm, if you're looking for a P D James-style book, this is definitely not it. This is for people who enjoy writers like John Dickson Carr, Agatha Christie, Rex Stout or Edmund Crispin. It has a nice, old-fashioned, cozy feel to it, good for a lazy afternoon read.
January 13, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed The Religious Body. I have somehow managed to miss Catherine Aird for the last 50-odd years; this, the first in a long series, was a recommendation and I’m very glad I have found her now.
We are introduced to Inspector C.D Sloan and his slightly slow sidekick, PC Crosby, as they investigate the death of a nun in her convent. As a mystery, it’s OK but not that brilliant. The climax and explanations were rather disappointing, I thought, but I really liked the slightly sardonic tone and Aird’s creation of the setting and characters. She plainly knows a good deal about life in a convent, but spares us the pages – pages and pages – of interminable detail we’d get from P.D. James, for example, just to show off how much she knows. It is very skilfully and readably sketched in as background and I found it excellent. Similarly with her characters; Aird has the ability to create a convincing portrait with a few well-chosen lines and through their dialogue and behaviour rather than laboured exposition, and I enjoyed the characters very much. Sloan himself is an engaging protagonist with a nice line in dry wit, his Superintendent is slightly comic but nobody’s fool, and others ar equally well portrayed – especially the Reverend Mother.
I found this a great read, slightly let down by the ending but still very enjoyable. I can recommend it warmly and I’m looking forward to more in the series.
We are introduced to Inspector C.D Sloan and his slightly slow sidekick, PC Crosby, as they investigate the death of a nun in her convent. As a mystery, it’s OK but not that brilliant. The climax and explanations were rather disappointing, I thought, but I really liked the slightly sardonic tone and Aird’s creation of the setting and characters. She plainly knows a good deal about life in a convent, but spares us the pages – pages and pages – of interminable detail we’d get from P.D. James, for example, just to show off how much she knows. It is very skilfully and readably sketched in as background and I found it excellent. Similarly with her characters; Aird has the ability to create a convincing portrait with a few well-chosen lines and through their dialogue and behaviour rather than laboured exposition, and I enjoyed the characters very much. Sloan himself is an engaging protagonist with a nice line in dry wit, his Superintendent is slightly comic but nobody’s fool, and others ar equally well portrayed – especially the Reverend Mother.
I found this a great read, slightly let down by the ending but still very enjoyable. I can recommend it warmly and I’m looking forward to more in the series.
June 7, 2012
You would think a 1966 novel on murder committed at a Roman Catholic convent in the English countryside would be dated. Not so! You'll find the mystery of the murder of Sister Anne to be cleverly plotted -- as is the novel. You'll grow to love Detective Inspector Sloan, despite his impatience and gruff exterior, and sympathize with the dim-witted but long-suffering Sergeant Crosby.
I never guessed who the murderer was. I also loved the detail of life in a pre-Vatican II convent, which was much less austere than I would have expected. I highly recommend The Religious Body, and I promise you won't be able to wait to the read the other books in this series from the prolific Catherine Aird.
I never guessed who the murderer was. I also loved the detail of life in a pre-Vatican II convent, which was much less austere than I would have expected. I highly recommend The Religious Body, and I promise you won't be able to wait to the read the other books in this series from the prolific Catherine Aird.
January 21, 2022
Another book goodreads/amazon tried to close early. Why? oh why? Must you continue to do this????????????
Luckily I was close to the end this time.
Found it very interesting. Although it took place in England I somehow kept thinking it was Canada. Maybe I am confusing it with The Beautiful Mystery which doesn't take place in a convent but in a monastery.
It had me. I had no idea who the killer was.
Luckily I was close to the end this time.
Found it very interesting. Although it took place in England I somehow kept thinking it was Canada. Maybe I am confusing it with The Beautiful Mystery which doesn't take place in a convent but in a monastery.
It had me. I had no idea who the killer was.
June 8, 2018
In The Religious Body by Catherine Aird, all is still at the Convent of St. Anselm when Sister Gertrude goes to wake up all the other 50 nuns. Knowing that Sister Anne’s cell sits next to a loud snorer, Sister Gertrude assumes her fellow nun has escaped from the noise unbidden. But when she doesn’t see Sister Anne at breakfast, she decides to tell the Reverend Mother, at the same time that Sister Peter discovers that the fingerprint she left on the gradual is of blood.
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation
December 7, 2015
A talented writer, an interesting place for a mystery, a convent, but Inspector Sloan was a little too dry and humourless for me or maybe I just didn't get his dry humour. I also thought there were some fairly improbably assumptions in his sleuthing logic that dimmed my enthusiasm.
Often first books in a series are harder to buy into, but then it was good enough for me to want to try the next book in the series.
Often first books in a series are harder to buy into, but then it was good enough for me to want to try the next book in the series.
May 27, 2019
The first Inspector Sloan mystery leads Sloan and Sergeant Crosby to a convent with a murdered nun. The nun came from a prominent manufacturing family and expected to come into money she planned to donate to mission work. A door left unlocked overnight opens the suspects to those outside the cloister, including some boys from a nearby school playing a prank. Another body turns up. Will Sloan catch the serial killer before another corpse is found? I enjoyed this first installment of the series. The narration was difficult to hear in places because the narrator's bass voice created difficulty in hearing whispered voices or comments made under one's breath.
September 10, 2013
Inspector Sloan, chief detective in Banbury visits nearby Cullingoak Convent with DC Crosby, after Sister Anne is bashed on the head, by smooth blunt object as yet unfound, and dumped down cellar stairs. Pathologist Dr Dabbe places the murder soon after supper, yet someone took her place at evening service. Anne's cousin Harold will not say why he came to see her.
Like a real investigator, we have no idea what red herrings will turn out to be most important. Regulations about raising a private company for a public stock offering are made simple p119. Clues lead to substantial family money, cut off for 30 years years, and thin evidence requires baiting a trap.
Foreshadowing is rare, so tolerable. 'I don't think Bonfire Night at the Agricultral Institute will concern us, sir.' Wherein he was wrong." p55. Nearby live-in future dairy farmers, clothe an effigy as a nun for their in the Guy Fawkes bonfire. One student responsible is strangled speedily by "fuse wire" p125, of three put at risk by lazy janitor Hobbert, thirsty for beer.
Sprinkled with humor, fun speech phrasings, laconic aphorisms, some literary obscurities, minor roles filled in, the style is worth following. Dabbe refers to "Mr Fox", and Sloan has to ask police cameraman Dyson to explain; the appellation refers to "one of the inventors of photography, blast him" p42. Irish Sister Polycarp still breathes IRA rebellion. Mother Superior (once Jones) chides "impossible is a word no true religious should use lightly" p76. Not as appetizing as Hogwarts, still cuisine flavors setting. I'd rather make sticky toffee pudding than parkin p32, a dark oatmeal gingerbread for 5 Nov bonfire night. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spa...
Deaf Sister Damien knows "minor disabilities were sent purely to test the weak on earth and were as nothing compared with the sufferings of saints and martyrs .. made it easier to be properly recollected, if he knew what she meant. He didn't. He gave up" p94. Crosby sings Noel Coward p155. The Superintendent tries to impose his night school classes, last in Logic, onto procedures, calling a "silly fool" .. "fairly safe to assume he meant the bigamist", not the arresting officer p161.
We easily absorb lessons on the unusual closed religious culture, "a Living Death" p66. He is hindered by "custody of the eyes .. the opposite of observation" p93, rendering witnesses the most unobservant ever. Like Agatha Christie's Evil Under the Sun, where sunbathers resemble one another from a distance, or others, where killers rely on servants or older women 'of a certain age' passing unnoticed, a nun habit and wimple more than disguise, they envelop and hide the wearer. Similar to BBC-TV Midsomer Murders "A Sacred Trust" only in that one nun is mistaken for another seen decades before, investigated by Barnaby and Jones.
Sloan reminds Crosby "Caesar's wife. She was above suspicion" p111. He knows human behavior can be "Innocent, but not harmless" p163. Can we thank pub quizzes for trivia mastery? Wool "they make nuns' habits from [is] .. black sheep" p113. One observation sets Sloan "you wouldn't suspect a woman .. you would tend to trust her" against Dabbe "you would, but then we do do (sic) very different jobs" p127.
Forensics, over-rated, beloved by fiction now, take a back seat. Big footprints are unhelpful when "this lot wear men's shoes -- every one of them" p55. The book is enjoyably brief, speeds to the solution. "The police don't like coincidences" impels to answers.
Typos:
p127 "we do do very different jobs" is strange, but does make sense with one or two "do"s
p147 "she's being very kind thought she doesn't understand how very different everything is" is "though"
p149 "murder murder" is one too many "murder", unless she is upset, tripping up, too moved to continue "now I can't think about anything else"
Like a real investigator, we have no idea what red herrings will turn out to be most important. Regulations about raising a private company for a public stock offering are made simple p119. Clues lead to substantial family money, cut off for 30 years years, and thin evidence requires baiting a trap.
Foreshadowing is rare, so tolerable. 'I don't think Bonfire Night at the Agricultral Institute will concern us, sir.' Wherein he was wrong." p55. Nearby live-in future dairy farmers, clothe an effigy as a nun for their in the Guy Fawkes bonfire. One student responsible is strangled speedily by "fuse wire" p125, of three put at risk by lazy janitor Hobbert, thirsty for beer.
Sprinkled with humor, fun speech phrasings, laconic aphorisms, some literary obscurities, minor roles filled in, the style is worth following. Dabbe refers to "Mr Fox", and Sloan has to ask police cameraman Dyson to explain; the appellation refers to "one of the inventors of photography, blast him" p42. Irish Sister Polycarp still breathes IRA rebellion. Mother Superior (once Jones) chides "impossible is a word no true religious should use lightly" p76. Not as appetizing as Hogwarts, still cuisine flavors setting. I'd rather make sticky toffee pudding than parkin p32, a dark oatmeal gingerbread for 5 Nov bonfire night. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spa...
Deaf Sister Damien knows "minor disabilities were sent purely to test the weak on earth and were as nothing compared with the sufferings of saints and martyrs .. made it easier to be properly recollected, if he knew what she meant. He didn't. He gave up" p94. Crosby sings Noel Coward p155. The Superintendent tries to impose his night school classes, last in Logic, onto procedures, calling a "silly fool" .. "fairly safe to assume he meant the bigamist", not the arresting officer p161.
We easily absorb lessons on the unusual closed religious culture, "a Living Death" p66. He is hindered by "custody of the eyes .. the opposite of observation" p93, rendering witnesses the most unobservant ever. Like Agatha Christie's Evil Under the Sun, where sunbathers resemble one another from a distance, or others, where killers rely on servants or older women 'of a certain age' passing unnoticed, a nun habit and wimple more than disguise, they envelop and hide the wearer. Similar to BBC-TV Midsomer Murders "A Sacred Trust" only in that one nun is mistaken for another seen decades before, investigated by Barnaby and Jones.
Sloan reminds Crosby "Caesar's wife. She was above suspicion" p111. He knows human behavior can be "Innocent, but not harmless" p163. Can we thank pub quizzes for trivia mastery? Wool "they make nuns' habits from [is] .. black sheep" p113. One observation sets Sloan "you wouldn't suspect a woman .. you would tend to trust her" against Dabbe "you would, but then we do do (sic) very different jobs" p127.
Forensics, over-rated, beloved by fiction now, take a back seat. Big footprints are unhelpful when "this lot wear men's shoes -- every one of them" p55. The book is enjoyably brief, speeds to the solution. "The police don't like coincidences" impels to answers.
Typos:
p127 "we do do very different jobs" is strange, but does make sense with one or two "do"s
p147 "she's being very kind thought she doesn't understand how very different everything is" is "though"
p149 "murder murder" is one too many "murder", unless she is upset, tripping up, too moved to continue "now I can't think about anything else"
September 27, 2020
The Religious Body by Catherine Aird is the first book in The Calleshire Chronicles and is a good one. What initially presents as a locked room mystery set in a nunnery is far more complex than the initial set up would have the reader believe.
It is early November and before dawn at the Convent of St. Anselm as the book begins. Sister Mary St. Gertrude arises, and is her role each morning, goes about her morning duties. It is her duty this month and she moves through the building following the prescribed order of awakening all inside those walls. It takes a while with more than fifty people to awaken so that each may go about their day. As a result, it takes a while for the bloody thumbprint to gain attention and for the realization that Sister Anne can’t be found.
So, several hours have passed before Inspector C. D. Sloan and Detective-Constable William Crosby, a young officer and new to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Berebury Division of the Calleshire Constabulary, are dispatched to the covenant located a few miles away in Cullingoak village. Upon arrival, it takes additional time for them to be allowed into the inner rooms of the Covent and eventually to the body. Sister Anne is at the bottom of the cellar stairs and clearly died due to some sort of blow to her head that reshaped her skull. It is also clear, at least to C. D. Sloan, she did not die as a result of falling down the stairs.
To catch a killer, they have to work a case where normal witness behavior goes totally against the rules of the Convent and the faith and practice of the nuns. It is a good thing C. D. Sloan has the patience of a saint coupled with a touch of subtle humor and a knowledge of history. Not just helpful with the nuns, his skills also help him manage his boss.
A complex mystery full of clues and misdirection The Religious Body by Catherine Aird is a solidly good read. It moves fast despite the subtle observations about life and other things expressed by Inspector C. D. Sloan that are mixed in throughout the read. A solidly good foundation is laid here in the first book and I very much enjoyed it.
As my local library does not have this read in print, I was forced to go with the digital version via the library. While my copy from Open Road Media indicates the book is 210 pages, it was actually far less than that as there were ads for other reads as well as a long excerpt from the start of the next book in the series, Henrietta Who? That book is available in large print and is now on my holds list at the Dallas library.
The Religious Body: The Calleshire Chronicles
Catherine Aird
http://www.catherineaird.com/
Open Road Media
https://openroadmedia.com/search/the%...
May 2015
ASIN: B00USNENO8
eBook
210 Pages
Material came by way of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2020
It is early November and before dawn at the Convent of St. Anselm as the book begins. Sister Mary St. Gertrude arises, and is her role each morning, goes about her morning duties. It is her duty this month and she moves through the building following the prescribed order of awakening all inside those walls. It takes a while with more than fifty people to awaken so that each may go about their day. As a result, it takes a while for the bloody thumbprint to gain attention and for the realization that Sister Anne can’t be found.
So, several hours have passed before Inspector C. D. Sloan and Detective-Constable William Crosby, a young officer and new to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Berebury Division of the Calleshire Constabulary, are dispatched to the covenant located a few miles away in Cullingoak village. Upon arrival, it takes additional time for them to be allowed into the inner rooms of the Covent and eventually to the body. Sister Anne is at the bottom of the cellar stairs and clearly died due to some sort of blow to her head that reshaped her skull. It is also clear, at least to C. D. Sloan, she did not die as a result of falling down the stairs.
To catch a killer, they have to work a case where normal witness behavior goes totally against the rules of the Convent and the faith and practice of the nuns. It is a good thing C. D. Sloan has the patience of a saint coupled with a touch of subtle humor and a knowledge of history. Not just helpful with the nuns, his skills also help him manage his boss.
A complex mystery full of clues and misdirection The Religious Body by Catherine Aird is a solidly good read. It moves fast despite the subtle observations about life and other things expressed by Inspector C. D. Sloan that are mixed in throughout the read. A solidly good foundation is laid here in the first book and I very much enjoyed it.
As my local library does not have this read in print, I was forced to go with the digital version via the library. While my copy from Open Road Media indicates the book is 210 pages, it was actually far less than that as there were ads for other reads as well as a long excerpt from the start of the next book in the series, Henrietta Who? That book is available in large print and is now on my holds list at the Dallas library.
The Religious Body: The Calleshire Chronicles
Catherine Aird
http://www.catherineaird.com/
Open Road Media
https://openroadmedia.com/search/the%...
May 2015
ASIN: B00USNENO8
eBook
210 Pages
Material came by way of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2020
August 16, 2024
I wasn't sure I liked Catherine Aird after my first book of her's Harm's Way. But I loved no.1 of Seedy's cases. I forgot how much he likes his puns. And I listened to the audiobook, which always helps with mindless murder.
I inherited my love of murder mysteries from my Dad (and his Mum before him).
I inherited my love of murder mysteries from my Dad (and his Mum before him).
March 14, 2012
This is the first novel in the Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan series. In this first installment Sloan is called out to a Convent to check out a suspicious death of one of the nuns. Where everyone dresses the same it would be hard to notice an imposter among them. Is that what happened? Did a stranger enter the community of nuns and commit this terrible crime? Was it one of the other sisters?
Sloan is on the trail, but it is not an easy task. Who killed Sister Anne?
I really liked this book and look forward to reading the other books in the series. It is fun to discover books from series that have been around for awhile. Inspector Sloan is a great character and it will be interesting to see how he develops throughout the series.
Sloan is on the trail, but it is not an easy task. Who killed Sister Anne?
I really liked this book and look forward to reading the other books in the series. It is fun to discover books from series that have been around for awhile. Inspector Sloan is a great character and it will be interesting to see how he develops throughout the series.
February 5, 2018
It's not as good as some of the later Inspector Sloan mysteries, but it was still quite mystifying. The setting was good. The convent setting made it just a little exotic, a little spooky, a little strange, and a little stifling. That's incredibly important to the plot. I really liked the way she used it to complicate her plot.
I wasn't quick enough to figure out the clues she left out in plain sight, but it was fun anyway.
I actually heard this as an audiobook, but that copy isn't on here.
It was very clean. I didn't catch any foul language and no inappropriate scenes.
I wasn't quick enough to figure out the clues she left out in plain sight, but it was fun anyway.
I actually heard this as an audiobook, but that copy isn't on here.
It was very clean. I didn't catch any foul language and no inappropriate scenes.
March 21, 2017
4 STARS | There's a reason Catherine Aird was presented with the 2015 CWA Diamond Dagger Award for life-time achievement. She's very good at what she does and she does it in a minimal number of pages. Characters are interesting and Sloan & Crosby are once again amusing.
October 3, 2014
I enjoyed the gentle pace and the narrator's soothing voice. There was tongue-in-cheek humor also, which is always a treat.
December 13, 2021
By the time I finished this book, I was enjoying myself and realised that I'd found another series to read (there are currently twenty-seven Inspector Sloan books, so that gives me plenty to add to my TBR).
But I didn't really relax into the book until the second half because I strongly disliked what I saw as the book's attitude towards the nuns at the centre of the story. I kept telling myself that the sneering, dismissive way the nuns were talked about by the police was just a reflection of the times (the book was published in 1966). Perhaps it's a result of being raised as a Catholic, but I couldn't reconcile the fact the I was supposed to see Inspector Sloan as an educated, sophisticated man, with a dry wit and yet he seemed to have no respect for a life of prayer and reflection and instead of seeing it as a valid choice driven by spiritual need, he tended to dismiss a nun's life as either unnatural or a waste.
This annoyed me so much that it took me a while to notice the changes in Sloan's attitudes and behaviour as he gained an understanding of the daily lives of the Sisters. By the end of the book, Sloan clearly has a lot of respect for the nun running the convent, even if he still struggles to understand why anyone would choose the religious life.
I think Catherine Aird did a good job of displaying the attitudes of the time without necessarily accepting them and that she portrayed the nuns themselves as a diverse set of people who, even when trying to live a life that subjugates the self, remained distinct personalities with their own approach to a life of prayer.
One of the things that helped me relax in the second half of the book was that the plot suddenly took off. There was a second body and a plethora of suspects and motives. The ending was surprising and clever and quite dynamic for a book that had felt a little static at times.
So, although this book showed its age and some of the humour felt more like aggression, I was impressed enough that I'd like to see how the series develops.
July 3, 2025
The Religious Body is the 1st book in the Inspector Sloane mystery series by Catherine Aird and what a nice surprise it was. It was originally published in 1966 and Aird went on to write 25+ books in the series. I will continue to check it out.
The story is set in the fictional county of Calleshire, England. This particular story in a convent, located next to an agricultural college. On the night before Bonfire night, a nun, Sister Anne goes missing. Nothing is suspected until the next morning after breakfast (The convent has appropriate religious terms for the various activities and times of day, so please forgive me if I don't use them as I'd have to search into the story to find them. 😎) A search is organized by Mother Superior and her body is found at the bottom of a stairway leading to the cellar.
Calling the local doctor, he finds the death suspicious and, thus, the local police Criminal Investigations Department, led by Inspector Sloane is brought in. His normal DS is not available, so he takes DS Crosby with him. And this commences an entertaining, well-written mystery that drew me in and kept my interest. Inspector Sloane is a well-written character and the whole cast of suspects and witnesses and just the story itself was excellent.
There are many suspects. Could it be someone from within the convent itself? It turns out that Sister Anne came from a very wealthy family and planned to use her share of the family money to help the convent and its activities abroad. A cousin shows up, conveniently. He plans to turn the family business public and Sister Anne may have been an obstacle to that. What about the Agricultural college next door? On bonfire night, Inspector Sloane receives a telephone call, telling him to check out the colleges bonfire? Why is the body wearing a nun's wimple and Sister Anne's glasses? And what about the grumpy handyman who works out of the basement?
It's all very fascinating. Sloane conducts a competent, wide ranging investigation... 'ably?' assisted by Crosby. Sloane's daily interactions with his boss, Superintendent Leeyes, are always entertaining. Leeyes can only think of the golf game he is missing because of the murder investigation. And his recourse to quoting from his course on Logic always add something. It's just an entertaining story, not too dark, but still a murder investigation. It is wrapped up neatly and satisfyingly. I will be reading #2, Henrietta Who? Check out this series (4.5 stars)
The story is set in the fictional county of Calleshire, England. This particular story in a convent, located next to an agricultural college. On the night before Bonfire night, a nun, Sister Anne goes missing. Nothing is suspected until the next morning after breakfast (The convent has appropriate religious terms for the various activities and times of day, so please forgive me if I don't use them as I'd have to search into the story to find them. 😎) A search is organized by Mother Superior and her body is found at the bottom of a stairway leading to the cellar.
Calling the local doctor, he finds the death suspicious and, thus, the local police Criminal Investigations Department, led by Inspector Sloane is brought in. His normal DS is not available, so he takes DS Crosby with him. And this commences an entertaining, well-written mystery that drew me in and kept my interest. Inspector Sloane is a well-written character and the whole cast of suspects and witnesses and just the story itself was excellent.
There are many suspects. Could it be someone from within the convent itself? It turns out that Sister Anne came from a very wealthy family and planned to use her share of the family money to help the convent and its activities abroad. A cousin shows up, conveniently. He plans to turn the family business public and Sister Anne may have been an obstacle to that. What about the Agricultural college next door? On bonfire night, Inspector Sloane receives a telephone call, telling him to check out the colleges bonfire? Why is the body wearing a nun's wimple and Sister Anne's glasses? And what about the grumpy handyman who works out of the basement?
It's all very fascinating. Sloane conducts a competent, wide ranging investigation... 'ably?' assisted by Crosby. Sloane's daily interactions with his boss, Superintendent Leeyes, are always entertaining. Leeyes can only think of the golf game he is missing because of the murder investigation. And his recourse to quoting from his course on Logic always add something. It's just an entertaining story, not too dark, but still a murder investigation. It is wrapped up neatly and satisfyingly. I will be reading #2, Henrietta Who? Check out this series (4.5 stars)
November 25, 2020
Religious Body is the first in Catherine Aird's Inspector Sloan unusual series of mysteries. Her central characters, Sloan and Detective-Constable Crosby, don't have first names, outside lives or, apparently, bodies, as they are never described as tall, short, fat, or thin. In fact, it took me a while to identify whether Sloan and Crosby are male or female. The clues were there, sometimes very directly, but I missed them. Although they are clearly 20th century detectives, even the time period is unclear. Sloan and Crosby are almost as physically anonymous as the nuns who people this mystery.
Instead, Aird describes Sloan, in particular, from the inside. Inspector Sloan's public voice fits his position: questioning, asking, generating hypotheses. His interior voice, however, is irreverent and less controlled. This tension between the staid and the creative and irreverent can be seen as he discusses the victim's appearance after her death with his often-bombastic Superintendent: For one wild moment [Sloan] contemplated asking the superintendent to cover his head with a large handkerchief to see if he would pass for a nun, but then he thought better of it. His pension was more important (p. 88).
This mystery at least – the only one in the series I've read – Aird gives voice to different perspectives. Sloan and Crosby are confused and taken aback by the Convent's culture and inhabitants. Why would anyone, they wondered, choose a cloistered life? The order's culture and rituals end up affecting Sloan and Crosby's detecting at every turn: “They’re a strange crew. Not like ordinary witnesses at all. They don’t wonder about anything because they don’t think it’s right” (p. 149).
That curiosity about the different is the most attractive part of this novel from my perspective. It is shorter than I wanted – almost a tapas rather than a full meal – and the mystery is solved almost too conveniently. I can live with both when the mystery is tasty, as was true here.
Instead, Aird describes Sloan, in particular, from the inside. Inspector Sloan's public voice fits his position: questioning, asking, generating hypotheses. His interior voice, however, is irreverent and less controlled. This tension between the staid and the creative and irreverent can be seen as he discusses the victim's appearance after her death with his often-bombastic Superintendent: For one wild moment [Sloan] contemplated asking the superintendent to cover his head with a large handkerchief to see if he would pass for a nun, but then he thought better of it. His pension was more important (p. 88).
This mystery at least – the only one in the series I've read – Aird gives voice to different perspectives. Sloan and Crosby are confused and taken aback by the Convent's culture and inhabitants. Why would anyone, they wondered, choose a cloistered life? The order's culture and rituals end up affecting Sloan and Crosby's detecting at every turn: “They’re a strange crew. Not like ordinary witnesses at all. They don’t wonder about anything because they don’t think it’s right” (p. 149).
That curiosity about the different is the most attractive part of this novel from my perspective. It is shorter than I wanted – almost a tapas rather than a full meal – and the mystery is solved almost too conveniently. I can live with both when the mystery is tasty, as was true here.
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