Appointed to Die - 1st UK Edition/1st Printing

Book of Psalms Mystery #3

by Kate Charles

First Edition, preceding the U.S. edition.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, British Literature, Crime, Religion

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1994

Reviews

[Mary Kay Kare · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not a happy reader. The first two books depicted Lucy, one half of our sleuthing team, as smart, savvy, and wise. She behaved like a brain-damaged naive twit in this one, and doing so was instrumental in solving the mystery. Which is ludicrous because I saw the solution way before the suspicious death even happened. The author is doing a disservice to both her characters and her readers. If this had been the first of her books I had read, I would never read another. The first two were good enough to get her another chance.

[Voirrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of the Book of Psalms mysteries, and I found the setting - a cathedral precinct in the 1990s, fascinating. And,I think, having watched documentaries more recently about life in such a community, I think this is probably a fairly realistic background.

The political aspect of the appointment of senior cathedral staff is really interesting, as is the demarcation line between the Bishop and Chapter.

The actual death, and investigation, takes up less of the book than the intrigues and personality clashes that led to it - and I liked that about it, too.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think of this series as Barsetshire-lite, not a patch on Anthony Trollope, but a pleasant read. Some of the characters are pretty one-dimensional, and sometimes our heroine's ability to investigate without running afoul of the police seems unrealistic. Nevertheless, it's well done for a mystery in the cozy style--and these days couldn't we all use a little cozy in our lives?

[Nicola Royan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent relaxing reading, but skates a couple of characters. I understand why but the balance could be better

[Susan Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge fan of this series that has such heart.

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely story but some of the detail was lost on my due to my lack of knowledge about church life in England

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably more of a 3½ star book, but we don't have that option. That being said, I really liked the book a lot, but it's not great literature. This is the third book in Kate Charles's "Book of Psalms" mystery series. Good characters, interesting setting. Again, I'd love a map so that I could visualize the setting better, particularly since the setting is important to the plot. The venue of the novel is a fictional English Cathedral and its Close. Even after reading all the Br. Cadfael novels, I'm still not sure how these things work. Anyway, in England, the Crown appoints cathedral deans. The one appointed for Malbury Cathedral is dreadful, only in it for himself. He's small and hairy, but his wife is tall and icy with a father who's in the House of Lords. The new dean wants to move many of the current tenants out so that he can raise rents and put businesses in the current spaces. Worse, he wants to build a huge office building in the center of the green space in front of the Cathedral. First, the choirmaster commits suicide over something the dean accused him of, then things start to unravel. Watch out for the bell ringers! They're up high where no one pays them any attention, but they see all.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third in this Book of Palms series by Kate Charles. The story is about an ancient cathedral that has been appointed a new Dean. This new man is like other deans, a political appointment. The man is has very few good qualities and the worst of these is that he has no people skills and worse he had no Christian charity in his makeup.

Dean Latimer cares for no one except himself although he does follow his wife's instructions to the T. There is certainly no separation of Church and state and this makes for an interesting mystery because while one would have expected the Dean to be killed, what actually happens is that he is charged with murder.

The problem with the story is that 3/4 of the book sets the stage and the murder takes place very late in the plot.A unique feature that is discussed is the fact that men enter the church for political and ambitious advancement rather than because they have a calling.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strength of this book is in the relationships that develop among the strong characters involved. The setting of the novel is a fictional English cathedral and the residents of the Cathedral Close. A new Dean is appointed to the Cathedral and he is obviously in the church to advance himself and his family in English society. He arrives with a bad attitude and lots of plans to completely change the lives of the clergy and the laity involved with the Cathedral. A very interesting look at the politics involved in the Anglican Church. I thought that the "mystery" was the weakest part of the book. Easy to figure out and I was somewhat annoyed that the main characters didn't catch on earlier. But that was a minor blip in an otherwise very satisfying read. I will be looking for other Kate Charles books.

[Julie Golding Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent mystery by Kate Charles. I can hardly say enough good things about this book and, indeed, her other books as well. The only drawback I can think of is the other side of this book's strength - I love it for its setting of the Anglican Church, but a lot of readers who are either not Christian at all or coming from non-liturgical Christian backgrounds might have trouble following some of it, for its plethora of church-related words and ideas. If you are from a liturgical background or current setting, however, or even if you're fascinated by cathedrals and the like, then check out this and other books of Kate Charles.

[KA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brain candy. The solution to the "mystery" was perfectly obvious to me, so the last third of the book was not very interesting. However, Charles' strength is still her characters and their relationships. I'll keep reading her stuff to unwind as long as her characters are engaging.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series might prove tedious to the reader who is not particularly interested in information about the Anglican church. It is, however, quite a good mystery, with well-developed central characters.

[B.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love her books. She is knowledgeable about high church liturgy and architecture. Most of all, she sets up those plots in which nearly everyone has motive, means, and opprotunity to kill the victim. In this case, the means is creme de menthe Turkish Delight. How Narian.

[Babete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um mistério clerical! ( Quando Chegar A Morte )

[Paula Calhau Silvestre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quando Chegar a Morte
Circulo Leitores

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good writing, but IMO, lacked a "hook" to pull the reader in. But, she knows writes knowledgably about the church politics.

[Karin Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've given this book 5 stars not because it was perfect but because it was one that I looked forward to getting back to. The characterisation was not subtle but everyone played their role in moving the mystery along. I'll be giving one of her other books a go.