A Violent Act

Sister Agnes #9

by Alison Joseph

Sister Agnes is now, as Father Julius solemnly teases her, a ‘fully paid-up’ member of the convent, but any thoughts that life might go more smoothly with her final vows taken are soon proved incorrect.

Delighted to have escaped the oppressive confines of life inside the convent, Agnes is back in her own flat, working at the Order’s hostel for the homeless.

But before long, things take a turn for the worse: a young and vulnerable resident, Abbie, is found dead, and the fragile peace is shattered.

Though it looks like suicide, questions are raised about the mysterious drug dealer Murchison’s influence over Abbie and the other young hostel-dwellers.
What, or who pushed Abbie to end her life?

With Murchie’s formidable reputation, as increasingly sinister incidents unfold, the finger of blame seems to be pointing right at him.

But Agnes has more than that on her mind.

Forced to confront the foundations of her faith, she is plagued by doubts planted by Abbie in their last conversation before she died — did she become a nun to run away from real life?

Was entering the Order really a positive embracing of the new or an escape from the old?

Was her faith really just based on running – both from the neglect of her father and her abusive ex-husband?

Whether she likes it or not, her past soon catches up with her in the form of gentlemanly American geologist Dr Bretton Laing bearing news of her long-dead father’s last years.

She cannot run from her past for ever …

Genres: Mystery, Crime, British Literature

307 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2009

About the author

Alison Joseph was born and brought up in London. She studied French and Philosophy at Leeds University, and then worked in local radio in Leeds as a producer and presenter. She moved back to London in 1983 and worked for a Channel 4 production company, making short documentaries. In 1985 she set up her own company, Works on Screen. Productions included Through the Devil's Gateway, a series about women and religion presented by Helen Mirren, which was broadcast by Channel 4 in 1989. A book of the series was published by SPCK. Sister Agnes became a reality with the publication of Sacred Hearts in 1994. This was followed by The Hour of Our Death (1995), The Quick and the Dead (1996), A Dark and Sinful Death (1997), The Dying Light (1999) and The Night Watch (2000). All the Sister Agnes books are published by Endeavour Press and Allison & Busby in the UK, and the first three are also available in German.
Other novels include Dying to Know (published by Endeavour Press), featuring D I Berenice Killick. Alison is also the author of two novellas in which (a fictional) Agatha Christie is the detective. They are Murder Will Out and Hidden Sins, both published by Endeavour Press. The third is due out Autumn 2016.

Alison has also written short stories for Radio 4, for YOU magazine, for Critical Quarterly and for various women's magazines, as well as abridging novels for Radio 4's Book at Bedtime and The Late Book, including the award-winning production of Captain Corelli's Mandolin. She is the author of about twenty-five plays for BBC Radio 4. Her most recent short story is Samir's Lament, available on Kindle Singles.

Alison lives in London.

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Agnes solves mysteries in her own gentle, but not innocent, way.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written with some darling characters .

[Anne Herbison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each of the books in the series builds on the one before and on the details of Sister Agnes' life, as in this book in which a visiting American geologist who knew her father brings up memories of her childhood. The development of her character and the choices she makes - and those of her friends - are the most satisfying aspects.

[Valerie Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

So different

If someone had suggested I read this book I'd have said they were mad. Not my sort at all. It was only by accident I started to read. So beautifully written. This was a true mystery and absolutely gripping. I'll now start at the beginning with book 1 which will fill in some gaps for me. Just brilliant

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m getting to really like Sister Agnes and this series. I like the moral dilemmas, the working through of