A Great Day for the Deadly

Gregor Demarkian #5

by Jane Haddam

Winter is thawing, but in a small-town convent there lurks an ice-cold killer

Her childhood friends wanted careers, but Brigit Ann Reilly spent her youth looking forward to her wedding—her wedding to God. When she finally gets to don the habit, her new order sends her to Maryville, where a former sister is poised to become Rome’s first Irish-American saint. Brigit has no time to worry about Vatican politics. She’s about to become a martyr herself.

 

Brigit is found dead in the basement of her local library, her corpse swarming with ten poisonous water moccasins. When ex-FBI investigator Gregor Demarkian hears of her death, he is puzzled by two Water moccasins are not native to upstate New York, and Brigit died of hemlock poisoning, not the snakes’ venom. As Maryville whips itself into a pious frenzy in search of evidence for its hometown hero’s sainthood, Demarkian will attempt his own miracle by finding justice for the murdered young nun.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Detective, Holiday, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 1992

About the author

Aka Orania Papazoglou

Jane Haddam (b. 1951) is an American author of mysteries. Born Orania Papazoglou, she worked as a college professor and magazine editor before publishing her Edgar Award–nominated first novel, Sweet, Savage Death, in 1984. This mystery introduced Patience McKenna, a sleuthing scribe who would go on to appear in four more books, including Wicked, Loving Murder (1985) and Rich, Radiant Slaughter (1988).

Not a Creature Was Stirring (1990) introduced Haddam’s best-known character, former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian. The series spans more than twenty novels, many of them holiday-themed, including Murder Superior (1993), Fountain of Death (1995), and Wanting Sheila Dead (2005). Haddam’s most recent novels are Blood in the Water (2012) and Hearts of Sand (2013). Wife of William L DeAndrea.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifth in the Gregor Demarkian holiday mysteries series and features two things that Jane Haddam liked to include in her books - the Catholic Church and a holiday; in this case, St Patrick's Day. Unlike many of the books, this features Demarkian alone, with Bennis only appearing at the end. Indeed, Demarkian is feeling a little lonely when he is first approached by Cardinal John O'Bannion (who the reader has met previously in an earlier book, "Precious Blood") to investigate the murder of a young postulant, named Brigit Ann Reilly. With Bennis writing the first draft of her next fantasy novel and many of the inhabitants of Cavanaugh Street away on holiday, he is at something of a loose end and so agrees to visit Maryville.

Maryville is very much an Irish-American town and in the midst of planning St Patrick's celebrations and hoping the founder of their convent, recently beatified, will be the first Irish-American saint. In the midst of these planned celebrations, and a flood, young Brigit Ann Reilly is discovered in the library - poisoned and with a swarm of snakes around her. It is up to Gregor Demarkian to untangle the local suspects, motives and work out why she was killed and by who.

I really do love this series and I enjoyed this installment. Haddam writes characters well and there is often some humour and romance along the way. However, they are a little darker than formulaic, cozy mysteries, and I enjoy the way she creates interesting settings. As well as the Cardinal, we also meet Sister Scholastica again, also from, "Precious Blood," and it is through building up these familiar characters that makes this series so enjoyable for me, as it is like meeting up with old friends.

Demarkian has to be one of my favourite detectives, although I do feel for such an intelligent man, it is unlikely that he would be as destructive towards everything from ties to cars, as he is said to be - in the early mysteries particularly! I hope to read all the way through the series and look forward to when I come across those novels I have not read before.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several years ago I was entranced by the Church of England series of books by Susan Howatch. (Starting with Glittering Images and ending with Absolute Truths.) Having grown up in decidedly 'low-church' setting, I was fascinated by the inner workings of the Anglican church and the characters' messy lives. It occurred to me as I was reading this book, that Jane Haddam does some of the same thing for me as Howatch did. I learn about concrete things about churches I'm unfamiliar with, and, more importantly, I begin to understand that beneath all the trappings, we're all just humans, trying to get by in one way or another.

As ever, I enjoyed Haddam's writing, the characters, the puzzle, and the denouement. And this time I had no idea, despite clues given throughout, of the identity of the villain or the motivation, right up until it was revealed. Excellent!

[Michelle Bacon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute cozy mystery on St. Patrick's Day.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Day for the Deadly (Gregor Demarkian #5) by Jane Haddam.

It was such a welcoming home for me to be reading another Demarkian book after a too long an absence. I've read all the Demarkina books except for most of the holiday books. This story centers on St. Patrick's Day. It has Demarkian involved with the Catholic Church and the hierarchy including nuns in a convent. Characters I remember from prior books with the one exception that Demarkian was alone and out of his usual environment. Even Bennis the menace is out of reach and not included in any of the action until all is solved.
A novice/nun is found dead and covered in black snakes in a back room at the public library. The fun begins!
Loved it and love everything about this Demarkian series. Happy reading.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Open Road Media is republishing the Gregor Demarkian series in e-book format and I, for one, could not be more thrilled. This is one of my favorite series, but it is often difficult to convince anyone to dig in due to the earlier mysteries. It seems like the publisher decided Jane Haddam needed a gimmick to get people to read her books and so they went with holidays. This has, in my opinion, led to readers dismissing the series as fluffy and without merit, which is very sad. This is a wonderful series and has much in common with the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny. These are thought-provoking mysteries with realistic characters but without excessive gore and violence. These are true mysteries with a puzzle to solve, not just suspense thrillers masquerading as mysteries. And until now, they have only been available in used paperbacks with schlocky covers. Now, thanks to Open Road Media, you can read them on your e-reader. Yay!
I had read this entry into the series some years ago and had forgotten it entirely, so it was a joy to read all over again as though it were new. I have read the entire series and was pleased, in going back to this earlier volume, to see how consistently the characters have developed throughout the series. I was also surprised at how much of what comes later in the series is foreshadowed here, if you know what to look for.
This was a very solid mystery, especially if you enjoy trying to figure out the ending along with (or perhaps before?) the fictional detective.

[Kyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it because Gregor was on his own. While I like Father Tibor and Bennis and all of Cavanaugh Street, it was nice to just have Gregor.
Also, it had nuns. I like anything set partly in a convent or monastery.
Finally, there were lots of choices for the murderer, so I had fun guessing.

12/24/24 Not sure I'd still give it 4 stars. Gregor was hard to follow. Everyone seemed tied up in their own thoughts, and I had trouble understanding their logic. It didn't help that people were often interrupted in their stream of thought and didn't pick it back up. On the other hand, it's interesting to learn more about Gregor's life before Cavanaugh St, and what motivated him to move back and stay there.

[Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hercule Poirot will love this series because the clues are so difficult to unravel. For most of us, super surprise endings. This one is no exception, though I tired to investigate each and every person ...

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed all the Jane Haddam mysteries I've read so far. Gregor Demarkian and his friends and neighbours always make for interesting reading.

[Lizzytish · Rating 3 out of 5]

We have nuns, snakes, hemlock, murder, shamrocks, a library and librarian, and even a little romance. What’s not to love? Gregor is in upstate NY to help solve a murder of a young nun. Lots of twists and a great read. Only scored a 3 due to too many asides and descriptions of the church and it’s workings.


Also met 50 state challenge for taking place in NY.

[Otto Penzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This holiday-themed mystery features the unusual and intelligent hero, Gregor Demarkian. Although he has retired from the FBI, Gregor continues to solve cases that interest him. In A Great Day for the Deadly, a young nun is murdered in very puzzling fashion just as a small Irish-American town in Upstate New York is preparing for its St. Patrick’s Day celebration. As usual, Haddam writes clever whodunits that keep the reader guessing until the very end. Her charming characters are fascinating and fun to know, while the plot is well structured and researched, as all good traditional mysteries should be.

[Ricki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read most of this series by Jane Haddam , but am just catching up on the earliest installments. If you like mysteries that are rich with detail and multiple plot lines, you will like the writing of Jane Haddam. Gregor Demarkian is a most interesting sleuth with many connections in the community of Maryville from past detections in other novels. I enjoyed the bits of characterizations that are revealed piece by piece. If you like mystery, try on a Jane Haddam read....you won't be disappointed!

[Brigid · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, so it's pretty public knowledge that I love this series. And this was one of my favorites. Sister Scholastica and Reverend Mother General are wonderful, and the twists and turns were just great fun.

[M. White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read by Jane Haddam

As is typical of Haddam's Gregor Demarkian series, the characters are well developed and the plot is cleverly complex, but it once again falls victim to the clever thinking of her Armenian-American Hercules Poirot. An interesting, well crafted story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Gregor Demarkian and his friends. As far as I know he is the only Armenian detective in mysteries published in the United States. I am always a greater fan of the cerebral investigator rather than the "action hero". Excellent series. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my very favorite authors - I could read this series again and again.

[Lindi Goins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy each of the Gregor Demarkian books. I am reading them in order to stretch out the growth of relationships. These books help.me relax and have a fun read at the end of a tough day.

[shawn marton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t see the end coming!

This is another good story by Jane Haddam. I was a quick read and a page turner. I didn’t expect the ending.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

"IRISH EYES ARE CRYING
"Fifteen hundred years after St. Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland an American detective is dueling sin in a small upstate New York town. On the eve of St. Patrick's Day festivities, a young nun in training has been murdered. A man of irresolute faith himself, former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian knows enough about religion to know that St. Patrick's Day falls smack in the middle of Lent: a time of penitence.

"ANONYMOUS HATE MAIL, A SECOND BODY, WITNESSES TO THE IMPOSSIBLE ... WILL MIRACLES, OR MURDER, NEVER CEASE?
"With hemlock in the body and mysterious apparitions abounding, Demarkian faces his most bizarre case. As more bodies fall and the solution is about to go up in flames, Gregor finds that putting all the clues together in time will take a miracle."
~~back cover

This is the first book in this series that I've read, and I wasn't very impressed. The plot was intricate and submersed, clues appeared slowly out of the murk ... but it did make sense in the end. Although why the murderer wanted what ... that would be a spoiler.

[Kiwi Carlisle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m something of a botanist, so I know damned well that conium maculatum (poison hemlock) is deadly. It’s not a pretty plant, however, and I absolutely cannot believe that it would be used as an ornamental border in a flower bed. The idea is frankly unbelievable. Booh!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Great Day for the Deadly originally published in 1992 and republished as an e-book by Open Road Media.

I've read one other book featuring Gregor Demarkian, a rather unusual protagonist. In this novel, he has retired from the FBI, but still engages in certain cases that either catch his interest or which he is asked to pursue by someone he knows and respects.


When a young postulant is murdered, the Archbishop of Colchester, John Cardinal O'Bannion requests Demarkian's aid in solving the murder. Of course, one murder then turns into two, and Demarkian must figure out who would want to kill both a young nun and a banker. What connection could there be? And will there be another murder?

Mystery. originally publ. 1992, republ. March 5, 2013.

[Alaina Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the full review (and to learn why I'll never truly be Marion Ravenwood), read the entry at That's What She Read.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder outside the nunnery-- poisonous snakes, a librarian and a detective who has his eye on the librarian. Good, easy read.

[Sue Kelso · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually read this years ago...and forgot

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

While in a way this reminded me of Murder She Wrote, and how deadly it was to go visit Jessica, the story was interesting and I was surprised by the twist.

[Margaret Varho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Read in 2021. It was in the 90's early 2000's when I first read the series

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Local color was shamrock green

[Bookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another murderously wonderful holiday with Gregor.

[M]

Also July 2014.

[Leticia W]

I enjoyed all of Jane Haddam’s books. I read them in January of 2015. I was recuperating from back surgery and I read them in sequence. She kept me entertained for nearly a month. Interesting characters set in an unfamiliar area. I would like to find another set like it.