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Sister Mary Helen #7
Death of an Angel
When Sister Mary Helen heeds an inner calling, it leads her straight to a killer.
It is a rainy Feast of All Souls and feisty Sister Mary Helen, the Bay City's famous crime-fighting nun, has nothing more on her mind than helping Angelica Bowers, the troubled young woman who works in the library of Mount St. Francis College. Unfortunately, her plans are shattered when dear Gemma Burke, one of her oldest friends, becomes the latest victim of a serial rapist-murderer.
Sister Mary Helen realizes that the San Francisco police, despite their furious protests, need a little divine intervention-so she and her sidekick, Sister Eileen, set off after Gemma's killer. But little do the devout detectives know that they are walking into an intricate web of evil woven by a cold-blooded killer...
It is a rainy Feast of All Souls and feisty Sister Mary Helen, the Bay City's famous crime-fighting nun, has nothing more on her mind than helping Angelica Bowers, the troubled young woman who works in the library of Mount St. Francis College. Unfortunately, her plans are shattered when dear Gemma Burke, one of her oldest friends, becomes the latest victim of a serial rapist-murderer.
Sister Mary Helen realizes that the San Francisco police, despite their furious protests, need a little divine intervention-so she and her sidekick, Sister Eileen, set off after Gemma's killer. But little do the devout detectives know that they are walking into an intricate web of evil woven by a cold-blooded killer...
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
2 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Carol Anne O'Marie
16 books34 followersSister Carol Anne O'Marie, CSJ was a mystery writer and a nun in the St. Joseph of Carondelet religious order.
She wrote eleven novels with the protagonist Sister Mary Helen, an elderly nun who solves crimes. Most of the books are based in San Francisco.
Her final book, Like a Swarm of Bees, is about the origins of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the United States.
Sister Carol Anne O'Marie and Sister Maureen Lyons ran a shelter for homeless women in Oakland, CA.
She wrote eleven novels with the protagonist Sister Mary Helen, an elderly nun who solves crimes. Most of the books are based in San Francisco.
Her final book, Like a Swarm of Bees, is about the origins of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the United States.
Sister Carol Anne O'Marie and Sister Maureen Lyons ran a shelter for homeless women in Oakland, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
February 1, 2013
Between sex crimes detectives who make tasteless jokes about the next victim, a nun who doesn't get that telling someone she's fat is kinds rude and several coincidence-dependent plots, one of the worst mysteries I've read in recent memory.
I was totally rooting for one of the killers.
I was totally rooting for one of the killers.
October 1, 2018
Two nuns investigate a series of murder-rapes, while a woman they work with is plotting the murder of her tyrannical mother.
Some of the writing in this book is good, very descriptive and surprisingly dark for the genre. Unfortunately the plot is so lazy and apathetic that I ended up hating the novel, and most of its 2-dimensional characters too.
To begin with, this is not a mystery novel, this is a crime story - because we know who the criminals are almost as soon as they're introduced - guest starring two amateur sleuths. The story falls into place like the author was writing it 2 hours before deadline. Why do these 2 nuns force themselves into an investigation being handled by the entire San Francisco police force? Because the author needs them to for the story. They coincidentally spot a list of suspects. They coincidentally bump into a suspects mother. They decide to go talk to the mother - what excuse will they use for wanting to talk? They can't think of one, so they just go. And the suspect changes from his usual M.O. (older but fit women with coppery hair, well planned out breaking and entering at night) to just any old sh*t (young, fat, blond woman, just plain breaking in in the middle of the day), who is also RIGHT next door to his mother's home, so the nuns can spot him at JUST the right time. If writing a story is hard you SHOULD NOT WRITE IT.
A side story is a police man who was shot by the rapist. He recovers enough to say 'hound', from which his family gets 'you ain't nothing but a hound dog', from which they get 'Elvis', which is the name of the rapist.... Why didn't he just say 'Elvis'? He was shot in the shoulder, not the head! And so the police show up just as the nuns are about to confront Elvis, so, all this train of coincidences in their "sleuthing" amounted to absolutely nothing except risking their lives and police investigation and the subsequent criminal trial. Not that they ever feel guilty about how badly things could have gone. Instead they get prissy about how some police investigators aren't nice to them.
The other side story is of the fat woman who's plotting to murder her mother. This is full of fat shaming, as well as suggestions that the victims of child abuse are potential murderers (in addition to being pathetic and fat) and we need to watch out for them.
What really hurts this book is a plot that just falls out of the sky, but it stinks in so many other ways. There are editing inconsistencies ONE page apart; a 70 year old nun thinks maybe a fat person doesn't realize she's fat, that going to a fat camp will fix her problems; somebody rapes and murders three senior citizens, then shoots two cops (one of them fatally), and there are TWO cops assigned to the case; Sister Mary Helen hears about people leaving the church because of cruel clergy members and she blames the people who leave for turning their back on god instead of the clergy that drove them away...
Screw this book. It is mean and self-righteous, and has a plot that works because the author did not want to work.
Some of the writing in this book is good, very descriptive and surprisingly dark for the genre. Unfortunately the plot is so lazy and apathetic that I ended up hating the novel, and most of its 2-dimensional characters too.
To begin with, this is not a mystery novel, this is a crime story - because we know who the criminals are almost as soon as they're introduced - guest starring two amateur sleuths. The story falls into place like the author was writing it 2 hours before deadline. Why do these 2 nuns force themselves into an investigation being handled by the entire San Francisco police force? Because the author needs them to for the story. They coincidentally spot a list of suspects. They coincidentally bump into a suspects mother. They decide to go talk to the mother - what excuse will they use for wanting to talk? They can't think of one, so they just go. And the suspect changes from his usual M.O. (older but fit women with coppery hair, well planned out breaking and entering at night) to just any old sh*t (young, fat, blond woman, just plain breaking in in the middle of the day), who is also RIGHT next door to his mother's home, so the nuns can spot him at JUST the right time. If writing a story is hard you SHOULD NOT WRITE IT.
A side story is a police man who was shot by the rapist. He recovers enough to say 'hound', from which his family gets 'you ain't nothing but a hound dog', from which they get 'Elvis', which is the name of the rapist.... Why didn't he just say 'Elvis'? He was shot in the shoulder, not the head! And so the police show up just as the nuns are about to confront Elvis, so, all this train of coincidences in their "sleuthing" amounted to absolutely nothing except risking their lives and police investigation and the subsequent criminal trial. Not that they ever feel guilty about how badly things could have gone. Instead they get prissy about how some police investigators aren't nice to them.
The other side story is of the fat woman who's plotting to murder her mother. This is full of fat shaming, as well as suggestions that the victims of child abuse are potential murderers (in addition to being pathetic and fat) and we need to watch out for them.
What really hurts this book is a plot that just falls out of the sky, but it stinks in so many other ways. There are editing inconsistencies ONE page apart; a 70 year old nun thinks maybe a fat person doesn't realize she's fat, that going to a fat camp will fix her problems; somebody rapes and murders three senior citizens, then shoots two cops (one of them fatally), and there are TWO cops assigned to the case; Sister Mary Helen hears about people leaving the church because of cruel clergy members and she blames the people who leave for turning their back on god instead of the clergy that drove them away...
Screw this book. It is mean and self-righteous, and has a plot that works because the author did not want to work.
December 20, 2010
A plague of exclamation points.
June 30, 2013
Couldn't finish this one - too sick. I don't like "My mother did this to me, so now I kill people" books. Had read others by her and liked them. Not this one.
June 20, 2025
The worst 'cozy' I've ever read. This book is dark and depressing. Elvis and Angelica are sick and I had to skip over their thoughts as they were just too demented. Abuse leading to criminal insanity is the basis here. And if you are a dog lover you won't be happy with the poodles. Once I realized that the book was affecting my mood in a negative way, I just skimmed.
It was frustrating to have Jack, who was shot in the shoulder, hovering between life and death for days. From a shoulder wound? This was glossed over because Jack could ID Elvis and there wouldn't be much of a story if he did it in chapter 2.
And while many (too many) copies depend on snooping protagonists, this was just over the top. We're talking about serial rapist/murderer who targets older women. Too many of these kind of plots end up with protagonists who fall into the too stupid to live category because of the dumb things they do. I can't recommend this book to anyone. And when I want to read about these types of crimes, I'll stick with hard boiled.
It was frustrating to have Jack, who was shot in the shoulder, hovering between life and death for days. From a shoulder wound? This was glossed over because Jack could ID Elvis and there wouldn't be much of a story if he did it in chapter 2.
And while many (too many) copies depend on snooping protagonists, this was just over the top. We're talking about serial rapist/murderer who targets older women. Too many of these kind of plots end up with protagonists who fall into the too stupid to live category because of the dumb things they do. I can't recommend this book to anyone. And when I want to read about these types of crimes, I'll stick with hard boiled.
April 26, 2015
Fat library assistant plans to kill mother and let the dogs eat her.
Domineering mother story.
OK
Domineering mother story.
OK
August 16, 2016
Excellent characters, but the story line is extremely leading so there is no surprise at the end. This is a very nice suspense novel, but not a who-done-it by a long shot.
May 14, 2018
Not the light-hearted cozy mystery we usually expect of author O'Marie. This is more of a psychological study of overbearing mothers and the pain and misery they inflict on their children. The theme is revealed early on, and the killers are never in question. The author seems to purposely construct the plot lines so there would be no mystery about who the killers were, and the main body of the book is about their unhappy lives and how they plan to end their pain by murdering their mothers.
The only mystery is the unhappy demise of one of the killers, Angelica. She is an obese woman constantly berated by her mother. Her only comfort is eating. When Sister Mary Helen gently suggests that she should go to a health retreat for a few days, Angelica seems to be energized, but part of her plan is to kill her mother before she leaves. In a twist, after Angelica smothers her mother to death, she is attacked by her mother's dogs and is mauled to death. After a lifetime of misery inflicted by her mother this did not seem to be justified.
Another change in the series: Sister Eileen has almost equal billing with Sister Mary Helen. In all of the previous books in the series Sister Eileen was a minor supporting character.
The only mystery is the unhappy demise of one of the killers, Angelica. She is an obese woman constantly berated by her mother. Her only comfort is eating. When Sister Mary Helen gently suggests that she should go to a health retreat for a few days, Angelica seems to be energized, but part of her plan is to kill her mother before she leaves. In a twist, after Angelica smothers her mother to death, she is attacked by her mother's dogs and is mauled to death. After a lifetime of misery inflicted by her mother this did not seem to be justified.
Another change in the series: Sister Eileen has almost equal billing with Sister Mary Helen. In all of the previous books in the series Sister Eileen was a minor supporting character.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2020
Written by a true nun of the Sisters of St. Joseph, I was surprised about how gritty she could write a mystery story. I was expecting something more like a Father Dowling plot line, but this is written for adults. However the plot line was a bit weak and I sometimes couldn't wait to get to the end of these very long chapters.
The ending was not too surprising and rather a disappointment for my reading experience. So, unfortunately, this being a series sleuth, it did not capture my interest enough to continue with reading other books in the series.
The ending was not too surprising and rather a disappointment for my reading experience. So, unfortunately, this being a series sleuth, it did not capture my interest enough to continue with reading other books in the series.
August 12, 2018
Delightful cozy mystery
May 17, 2020
Darker than her other novels, but still a good read.
April 22, 2022
Some detective series just get better and better; and then there is this….
May 18, 2022
A little grizzly, but I still enjoy the "religious order-author, nun-crime solver" genre. A quick listen.
March 2, 2017
Darker than others in this series, this book had surprises at every turn although I did figure out who the criminal was halfway through the book. Sister Mary Helen and Sister Eileen are delightful characters who make the series enjoyable.
October 29, 2013
Sister Mary Helen is not one to let the ravages of age and declining health prevent her from completing a goal, be it solving a murder or doing her best to play guardian angel to someone she believes is in need. In Death of an Angel, however, she's pulling a double duty. A killer/rapist is on the loose in the Oakland area, and the effects of his crimes are felt deeply within the community of Mount St. Francis College when a beloved, elderly friend of the nun's is counted among his victims. Never one to let such a mystery die, particularly one hitting this close to home, Sister Mary Helen is finds a new vocation in her search for the killer.
Her second project, catering to wallflower college employee Angelica Bowers, is by no means shelved, as Sister wants desperately to boost the young woman's self-esteem and lower her calorie intake. Unbeknownst to the nun, Angelica has plans of her own, namely destroying the one thing she blames for her current state: her mother.
Maybe my faith has something to do with it, but I tend to gravitate toward mysteries starring sleuths who wear some sort of religious habit. In many cases the characters are likable, and treatment of supporting players is fair. In this novel, however, the portrayal of Angelica Bowers as an overweight person, I must admit, bothered me a tad. This is not to say that Sister O'Marie is prejudiced against overweight people, but at times I admit I was bothered by the implications made in this story that overweight is equated to useless. Having lived with weight problems myself, I tend to take such remarks to heart. Maybe it's just me, but I never had difficulty accomplishing what I wished because of my weight.
As far as the mystery aspect of this story, Death of an Angel brought to mind an episode of "The Commish" I saw once with a similar plot. The murderer was, like in this story, met early on, and protected vigorously by a predictable source, hence shedding light on the motives for murder. I won't give the story away, but if you read this story you will easily see who the true angels are and who is trying to be one.
Her second project, catering to wallflower college employee Angelica Bowers, is by no means shelved, as Sister wants desperately to boost the young woman's self-esteem and lower her calorie intake. Unbeknownst to the nun, Angelica has plans of her own, namely destroying the one thing she blames for her current state: her mother.
Maybe my faith has something to do with it, but I tend to gravitate toward mysteries starring sleuths who wear some sort of religious habit. In many cases the characters are likable, and treatment of supporting players is fair. In this novel, however, the portrayal of Angelica Bowers as an overweight person, I must admit, bothered me a tad. This is not to say that Sister O'Marie is prejudiced against overweight people, but at times I admit I was bothered by the implications made in this story that overweight is equated to useless. Having lived with weight problems myself, I tend to take such remarks to heart. Maybe it's just me, but I never had difficulty accomplishing what I wished because of my weight.
As far as the mystery aspect of this story, Death of an Angel brought to mind an episode of "The Commish" I saw once with a similar plot. The murderer was, like in this story, met early on, and protected vigorously by a predictable source, hence shedding light on the motives for murder. I won't give the story away, but if you read this story you will easily see who the true angels are and who is trying to be one.
March 20, 2016
Death of an Angel is a cozy mystery featuring Sister Mary Helen, an elderly crime-solving nun in San Francisco. It sounded cute so I gave it a try. Sister Mary Helen and Sister Eileen make a good pair, supportive and humorous and their religious vocation is integral to their characters rather than incidental to the plot. Unfortunately, I found the rest of the characters cliche: the gruff detective; the over-bearing mother; the pathetic overweight girl. It is quite obvious early on who the rape/murderer is so the reader is denied the stimulus of solving the puzzle along with the sisters. There was detective work involved but the denouement relied on coincidence. A quick, light read that does not contain too much mystery.
June 2, 2013
I listened to the whole book. I would have given it more stars, but I truly disliked a couple of the characters so much that I just couldn't. Two stereotypical bad mothers (in different ways); some other completely unrealistic characters. I refuse to believe that in order to write a book that many characters have to be either clueless, stupid or both. The whole thing kept knocking out of my suspension of disbelief. On the other hand, it was a nice enough cozy type mystery, and I was grateful for the chance to listen to a book w/o fear of gratuitous sex scenes that add nothing! I am going to read some of her other books, just to see whether this was just an unlucky first choice.
July 24, 2022
2 1/2 stars rounded up to 3 because I found it to be a moderately entertaining read during a camping trip. It reminds me of those shows on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries where amateurs, in this case two nuns, insinuate themselves into a murder investigation, to the great annoyance of the police. The ending was more grisly than most HMM’s, though, and the pop psychology was cliche.
February 17, 2013
I didn't warm to this book as much as I did "Requiem at the Refuge" in the same series. The irrepressibly investigative nun who appears throughout the series shines here as well. I was able to guess the identity of the killer early on, though, which made it a little less fun.
October 8, 2016
When a wealthy widow, benefactor of Mt. St. Francis College and a dear friend of Sister’s Mary Helen and Eileen becomes the second victim of a local murdered --- they once again go flying where angels fear to tread! The author’s handy mix of humor and suspense just proves irresistible!
February 17, 2016
I've read books by this author before and enjoyed them. This is the first audiobook I've listened to from the series. The reader was very good, as was the story. I hope to find more audiobooks in the series through my local library.
Read
September 7, 20077th in the series.
October 25, 2008
My review for this series is under Novena for Murder.
August 24, 2009
Sister Mary Helen #7
December 16, 2009
Light, fun, great characters.
February 9, 2012
like it so much I plan to read the rest of her mysteries
July 17, 2012
I really enjoyed this story
it was fun following the spunky nuns through this procedural mystery
it was fun following the spunky nuns through this procedural mystery
October 24, 2012
One of those light murder mysteries you want to read once in a while to give your brain a rest from heavier stuff.
January 18, 2014
I love the series. Each character compliments the other. The books are light-hearted reading and humorous. Sister Helen has her own special way of sleuthing that is uncanny.
January 14, 2014
This is a light , fast, read with delightful characters and crime solvers. I knew the author well. Sr. Carol Anne O'Marie went home to God a few years ago, after a long illness.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews