The Discourtesy of Death

Father Anselm Mysteries #5

by William Brodrick

An anonymous letter sent to Larkwood's Prior accuses Peter Henderson, an academic celebrity renowned for daring ideas, of a grotesque the calculated killing of Jenny, his disabled partner, believed by everyone to have died peacefully two years previously from a sudden attack of cancer. But for this letter there is no evidence, no suspect and no crime. Time has moved on. Lives have been rebuilt. Grief and loss are tempered by a comforting a paralysed woman, once an acclaimed dancer, had died quickly and painlessly, spared a drawn out illness; a life marked by agonising misfortune had come to a merciful end. But now Anselm has been told the truth behind the soothing lie. He must move cautiously to expose the killer and the killing. He must think of young Timothy, Jenny and Peter's son. A boy who is still learning to live without his mother. And so Anselm begins his most delicate investigation yet, unaware that Jenny's adoring father is also thinking of Timothy's future; that this urbane former army officer is haunted by the memory of torture and shoot-to-kill operations in Northern Ireland; that he remains capable of anything, if he thinks it's for the best; that he has set out to execute Peter Henderson. Death, dying and killing, however, were never so complicated.

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

416 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2013

About the author

William Brodrick was born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1960. Having lived in Canada since he was eleven, he went to school in Australia and England, and went on to take a BA in Philosophy and Theology, then a MTh (Master of Theology) and a Degree of Utter Barrister. Brodrick worked on a logging camp in British Columbia, Canada, before joining the Augustinian Friars (1979-1985). He began his life as a friar in Dublin, Ireland, based on a farm that deployed Iron Age techniques bringing him very close to nature. After several years as a friar, he left the order to help set up a charity at the request of Cardinal Hume, The Depaul Trust, which worked with homeless people. In 1991 he became a barrister. He holds British and Canadian citizenship and is married with three children with whom he lives in France

Reviews

[Shauna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. I would have been interested in exploring the moral dilemmas posed in the book but I failed to engage with any of the characters. Having enjoyed two of the previous titles in the series, this one was a huge disappointment.

[MRS D C GILES · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you finish one of Broderick's books you haven't just read a detective story, you have been asked to think about ethical problems. They are thought provoking, and this stays with you long after you finish the book.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the subject matter of this story incredibly uncomfortable, and so stayed away from finishing for some time. But this doesn't lessen the incredible power and thought put into this story - it increases it. Not many authors could handle such sensitive issues with such an insight. Beautifully written.

[Carey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this; convoluted, pretentious, boring...

[Helen O'Toole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always complex situations in Brodrick’s Anselm novels & this was no exception. Cannot discuss the plot too much but my biggest concern was Jenny’s insistence that her paralysed state meant she could not be a proper mother to Timothy. I have known two parents in similar situations & they adapted very well, as did their children to the altered reality. There are so many moral issues dealt with through the lives of the families around Jenny. The resolution was quite shocking and I felt the doctor was the most noble character of all.

[Peter Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think William Brodrick has a wonderful grasp of written English - I wish I could write like that!

That said, I found this book rather disappointing. In fact this and the previous book in the Anselem series have not lived up to the standards of the first three in the series. My three star rating is for the writing style, the prose, rather than the plot.

I won't be a "spoiler" so I won't go into the plot in any great detail; to do so would give away most of its details, so thin is it. It suffices to say that it is a rather simple plot that gets Ansalem involved in a less than satisfactory or convincing way. I love the character of the Prior (in fact I like all the monastic characters who live at Larkwood) but I can't imagine a "real" prior giving one of his monks carte blanche approval to investigate any and all crimes that seem to impact on the poor and down-trodden of society (my paraphrasing, I'm too lazy to go back into the book and quote the exact words).

So we are off to a bad start. From there we bounce around between Michael's past in Northern Ireland (you will have to read the book to find out who Michael is) and present day happenings in minute detail of the other characters in this book.

Unfortunately, I also found the ending rather unsatisfactory. The plot of this story is clearly about finding who "murdered" the poor Jenny and that is fine for a crime novel. As I continued to read I was led this way and that, each turn making me realise who was responsible only for the next chapter (or three) to reveal yet another scenario. Again, that's what you expect. Then when you get close to the end the "final" revelation is (I use the word again) unsatisfactory and not very believable. It seems to be against the character of the character concerned ( :-( pun intended I'm afraid ).

I guess that if there is a volume 6 in the Ansalem series I will give it a go, mainly because I have put all this effort into the five volumes so far. I hope that the author can get Ansalem back on track to something like the original three novels.

Peter Carey's Amnesia is the next book up on my to-read list, I can't wait.

Regards,
Peter

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an excruciatingly drawn out, painfully nuanced look at the intersections of the legal and moral issues surrounding assisted suicide and mercy killing with occasional moments of crime fiction thrown in. With a political assassination (incomplete, but with dire consequences) in the sidelines as a further embellishment of the moral questions. Much of the time the book is more polemic than plot.

Anselm is called to investigate the truth behind the death of Jenny Goodwin, a young mother – a dancer, paralyzed, and with terminal cancer. The death report cites her cancer, but she had expressed a wish for assisted death. Her family – partner, parents, aunt, uncle, and son are all questioning what happened, devastated, and estranged from each other. The father of her son, an opinionated academic whom the whole family dislikes, is about to be released from prison (an unrelated charge) and Anselm is concerned that someone might kill him, thinking he killed Jenny. It is a reality based fear.

The plot meanders around the issues for 400 pages, which is about 150 pages too many. The sidelines from the past – like the IRA related, almost murder by Jenny’s father, and the misfortunes of Anselm’s musician partner’s parents - which keep popping up, confuse things more than they illuminate, and interrupt the flow of the plot, such as it is.

Brodrick is a talented writer of descriptive passages and Anselm, Mitch and some of the monks are interesting and appealing characters, but the plot is too convoluted by half and the book drags in too many places.

[Phil Lawless · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts as a rather simple mystery, but quickly devolves into a question of who committed a murder and why. The story's orientation keeps changing all the way up to the end, at which we have to face a lot of the ambiguities of our lives, which embody the very mysteries of our own lives. Well worth reading.

[Any Length · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather complex book. It took me a while to get into and I found it a bit slow moving.
In the end I felt a bit like "one more complication or truth finding session and I'll walk".
It was just a bit long for my liking. But I made peace with it in the end as it all sorted itself out neatly.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful, provocative narrative, wrapped in the comforting cocoon of fiction, on life and the values laced on that most precious of commodities

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery with believable characters. Excellent portrayal of ethical dilemmas within the story.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful

Merged review:

Wonderful

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Embossed on the cover of the book I read was a the words, "a Father Anselm Thriller." Father Anselm was indeed the protagonist, though thriller was a term loosely applied. This book dragged a little. It barely held my interest for the first two thirds, and I barely kept going. By the end, I was hooked, but it took me to almost the very end. Maybe the last 80 pages before the book kind of fell in line for me.

Granted this is #5 in a series of books I never read, Father Anslem is a criminal lawyer turned monk, who is also a sort of amateur detective. The author of series, William Brodrick, was a monk, turned lawyer, turned mystery writer. The concept sounds interesting, though the particulars of Anselm's life as a monk are there, though there is not the faith wrangling of a Father Brown or the theological depth of Susan Howatch's Starbridge series. One of the characters in this novel likes Karl Barth, and Father Anselm's entire reflection on Barth is that he is too complicated for him and that the guy who likes it, has Barth's attention to detail. Sigh.

On the Spoiler side, this book wrestles with the complexities of assisted suicide and the ways people make their peace with dying (and how this affects the living).

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow even though I pretty much expected every twist and was irritated by some of the gender stuff (it was subtle, I have to give the author that) I enjoyed this- or not excactly enjoyed it but was un-bored. I nver really worked out whether he was being snarky about Karl Barth (and people who read him) or just name dropping. I'd also never heard of the Gilbertine monks, but I guess they are a made up order (if so that is done quite cleverly). I suppose it's not surprising that in a book starring a monk about 80% or more of the characters are male but I was irritated that the few women who did appear were first and foremost wife and mother even when there was some grudging admission of other aspects of them (the very minor character of the lawyer might be an exception).

The "magnificent" cake thing was interesting but went nowhere. Overall it was quite a conservative book but it managed to do that in an intelligent way at least I guess.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part of a relatively new series featuring Father Anselm, a former barrister who becomes a monk and then later is asked for help solving morally and philosophically difficult cases. I would say that description applies to the case in this book. The "whodunit" aspect of the murder(?) is not particularly difficult to figure out. The rub comes in the moral questions surrounding said action. Here is where I should point out that the author himself is a former monk. He raises the issues well, in a way that "makes you think," as the high "school" "guidance" "counselors" like to say (boy that was a cynical sentence). Brodrick has written five other books in this series. Will I read them? Is there really any doubt?

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always expect to be made to think whenever I read a Father Anselm story and this one was no exception! I love the ways in which the author gradually teases out all the relevant facts, explores the ambiguities in his characters' behaviour and shines an unrelenting spotlight on the complexities of the moral and ethical dilemmas faced by them. Throughout the story the author challenges his readers to ask themselves what they would do if faced with the same dilemmas. This is not a fast-paced, easy read because of the need to frequently stop and think - but this is what I love so much about this series.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father Anselm's investigation of the possible murder of a young woman, paralyzed and dying of cancer, involves past personal and national histories as well as multiple murders suspects with varying degrees of probability. I love the way Brodrick weaves so many stories, each of which contribute to the main plot and subplots, all of which provides clues to the identify of the murderer. I wonder about the significance of the title of this book--Is it the lasting impact of Jennifer's death upon her family and friends, preventing them from fully living and forgiving each other?

[Fred Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Father Anselm books. As far as psychological and ethical mysteries go I like him much better than books by Tana French. The moral issues here are a little more complex I think and not deeply entwined in 200 pages inside the brain of one of the characters. I also like the layered mysteries. There's the primary one which you can usually work out for yourself about halfway through the book but that one ends with still quite a bit of the book left. Then there's a couple more. And then finally one at the very end. These are great books.

[Jreader · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is a reason why I have not watched this series on streaming services. Although I believe the author is Australian it would fall into the Brit box category.

It is well written and it is so dang wordy that I forced myself to keep reading to figure out who was the person who committed the crime, and found that out by page 204 of 344 pages, but I really did not care at that point.

It is so wordy. I'm restraining myself some using some swear words for emphasis. I got the book for free at a book exchange and I will be returning it. I know the author has many many fans and I do not mean to be inappropriate or rude. This was not for me. Not at all.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really liked this. The detective is a former lawyer who has turned monk and investigates on the side. It’s very interested in moral dilemmas in a Christian moral world, and it was a pretty good page-turner. It’s not much like Chesterton’s Father Brown books.

Content note: I could have done with significantly fewer gory details about Irish NRA torture and assorted suicides. This is a rough world Anselm is working in.

[Emily Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series of books are both intriguing and enjoyable. The writing draws you into the character, and by the end of the story a reader feels as though you have either walked with the Father Anselm or been a bystander. I really like them. Read all six more than once. Can not believe they have never been made into a TV drama series, as the Seeker series from S.G.Maclean.

[Tom Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book sluggish, introspective and somewhat didactic on the subject of euthanasia. Didn't really grasp my attention and I almost couldn't be bothered to finish it owing to the sheer tedium of the protagonist's thought processes. He seemingly couldn't align himself fully with either of his life choices and neither brought much to the slight story.

[Stephen Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another well written crime fiction story by Brodrick. This time we were made to muse on life, death, euthanasia, dignity in dying and when to let secrets lie or open Pandora's box.

It wasn't perfect, it was too slow at times and too often tied itself in unnecessary complex philosophical knots, but overall this was a story well told which really made you think.

[Ceil · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Father Anselm - solving murders while considering the tensions between legal and divine systems of jurisprudence, not to mention family dynamics and the lingering effects of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Simply delightful.

[Shiela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more a read about philosophy, psychology and morality than murder or suspense. The book examines in a very sympathetic way motives beyond, beyond motives.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s convoluted and clever, but lacks the suspense of his other books, so felt like more of a slog.

[Kristi Isbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. I referred to it as my "smart person book" because it was VERY British and I felt smarter just trying to sludge through it. The character is a former barrister turned monk and the author is a former monk turned attorney. From what I understand, his books often deal with topics of moral ambiguity or those with social sensitivities. The questions in this book deal with issues surrounding assisted suicide and elective death. I took pictures of several passages to share with (med school student) daughter and to consider later on. It's that kind of book. Will definitely look for more by Brodrick.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

From Goodreads: "An anonymous letter sent to Larkwood's Prior accuses Peter Henderson, an academic celebrity renowned for daring ideas, of a grotesque murder: the calculated killing of Jenny, his disabled partner, believed by everyone to have died peacefully two years previously from a sudden attack of cancer.

But for this letter there is no evidence, no suspect and no crime. Time has moved on. Lives have been rebuilt. Grief and loss are tempered by a comforting thought: a paralysed woman, once an acclaimed dancer, had died quickly and painlessly, spared a drawn out illness; a life marked by agonising misfortune had come to a merciful end.

But now Anselm has been told the truth behind the soothing lie. He must move cautiously to expose the killer and the killing. He must think of young Timothy, Jenny and Peter's son. A boy who is still learning to live without his mother.

And so Anselm begins his most delicate investigation yet, unaware that Jenny's adoring father is also thinking of Timothy's future; that this urbane former army officer is haunted by the memory of torture and shoot-to-kill operations in Northern Ireland; that he remains capable of anything, if he thinks it's for the best; that he has set out to execute Peter Henderson.

Death, dying and killing, however, were never so complicated."

The book was confusing... jumping from the now to the past to the recent past and back & around again....

Some parts were clear, however, most others were convoluted....

Whom was whom, who died, when, where, why.... made no sense to me.

It would have been fine to stay with who killed Jenny and forget all about her father's past w/ the NRA....

Just like a hallucination and as difficult to follow.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Formerly a barrister, now a monk, Father Anselm is drawn into the investigation of the possible mercy killing of Jenny, a former ballerina who was paralysed and later suffered from cancer. He delves deeper and deeper into the past actions and possible motives of her extended family, which includes a priest and a former army officer who bears deep scars from his time serving in Northern Ireland. William Broderick reveals snippets and trails from the family members' lives leading us on a labyrinthine path towards the possible truth. The book contains much discussion of the concept of morality, measuring good and evil against legality and illegality. This is not an edge-of-the-seat gripping tale, but it is a psychological study which builds up a slow-burning momentum that gradually leads us through the smokescreens of the family, towards what may be the truth. It kept me absorbed and made me read on, many times, when I should have been doing other things. I didn't feel particularly drawn to any of the characters apart from Father Anselm and his sidekick Mitch, but they are all very individual and finely drawn. This is a very intelligently written novel.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as first and third books. It seems Anselm is being put on short time as a monk - which is a shame, because there are so many secular detectives. Even Fr Brown of venerable memory hardly ever does any work on his "day job" - saying Mass, hearing Confessions, praying the Hours! Anselm acquires a very worldly sidekick, and listens to more jazz than Divine Office.
It is very convoluted, and by exploring the death of a young woman who mostly seems to feel life with disability is unbearable, conflicting and often controversial views about "mercy killing" and assisted suicide are expressed, but perhaps the wisest comment made is regret for a lack of education in ethics of younger generations.