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Christine Bennett #1
The Good Friday Murder
Christine Bennett has left the cloistered world of nuns for the profane world of New York State, where murder and madness are often linked. At a town meeting, Christine volunteers to investigate a forty-year-old murder case long since closed. Now she'll move heaven and earth to exonerate a pair of retarded savant twins, now senior citizens, of their mother's murder on Good Friday in 1950.
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
75 people are currently reading
648 people want to read
About the author
Lee Harris
103 books77 followersA pseudonym used by Syrell Leahy.
Lee Harris is the author of the mystery novels featuring ex-nun Christine Bennett, who first appeared in The Good Friday Murder, an Edgar Award nominee. She also writes the New York Mysteries, which debuted with Murder in Hell's Kitchen. In 2001, Lee Harris received the Romantic Times magazine Career Achievement Award for her distinguished contribution to crime writing.
Lee Harris is the author of the mystery novels featuring ex-nun Christine Bennett, who first appeared in The Good Friday Murder, an Edgar Award nominee. She also writes the New York Mysteries, which debuted with Murder in Hell's Kitchen. In 2001, Lee Harris received the Romantic Times magazine Career Achievement Award for her distinguished contribution to crime writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
March 27, 2018
I picked this little book off the pile I have and started to read it simply because I needed a break from the serious and sad books that I have been reading recently.
The story is about a set of twins that are savants and are able to calculate all sorts of numbers and dates instantly in their heads. When they were young men their mother was murdered and the boys (mental age about five) were accused of the murder and separated. They were never found guilty but were nevertheless incarcerated in different mental institutions and did not see each other for the next forty years.
Christine Bennet, a young woman who has just left her life in a Franciscan Convent, decides to investigate and try to find out what really happened all those years ago. A lot of past memories and injustices are brought back to life. Christine finds that she may be in danger!
This was a well written novel easy to read and interesting. I had no idea if the twins were guilty until the last chapter of the book.
The story is about a set of twins that are savants and are able to calculate all sorts of numbers and dates instantly in their heads. When they were young men their mother was murdered and the boys (mental age about five) were accused of the murder and separated. They were never found guilty but were nevertheless incarcerated in different mental institutions and did not see each other for the next forty years.
Christine Bennet, a young woman who has just left her life in a Franciscan Convent, decides to investigate and try to find out what really happened all those years ago. A lot of past memories and injustices are brought back to life. Christine finds that she may be in danger!
This was a well written novel easy to read and interesting. I had no idea if the twins were guilty until the last chapter of the book.
January 24, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. This was first published in 1992, but I just ran across it at Goodwill. Christine has just left the convent, after 15 years there, for teaching a university. She has a cousin who is in a care facility that she visits frequently and she's just found her first ever boyfriend at age 30. She's going to solve a 40 year old mystery that was left open and the twin "young men" who are both "idiot savants", were locked up and never charged. Since she started knocking at doors about this murder, things are starting to happen. And it looks like the boys, now elderly men, are really in the clear.
July 9, 2017
This was wonderful. It reminded me so much of spending summers with my family out on Long Island with visits to the city and New Jersey. Old 1980-90's tv with nuns and priests solving crimes. I'll certainly pick up the next book in this series.
August 15, 2019
I rarely give a book 5 stars but this one deserves it. The mystery was good, the characters well drawn, there was no foul language. I especially like the way the Catholic faith is shown as the compassionate and loving faith that it is.
I look forward to reading more in the series.
I look forward to reading more in the series.
March 8, 2016
The first in the series of mysteries featuring ex-nun Christine Bennett was certainly intriguing however not exactly a fair-play mystery. If one prefers mysteries that are character-driven over a puzzle, this one should please. Christine is very likable and her backstory is slowly revealed. Her early connection with NY Police Sergeant Jack Brooks makes the story plausible as she investigates. The pace never lags and the book is leanly written. I'm guessing this series only gets better.
December 17, 2016
Really fun- first book in series where detective is an ex-nun
Want to read
October 28, 2019Synopsis: Christine Bennett has left the cloistered world. At a town meeting, she volunteers to investigate a forty-year-old murder case.
July 25, 2019
I've accidentally read these out of order. The first one I read was book 5, the Christmas Night Murder. I loved that one, and this one as well. Although, this book does have a couple of chapters that are just conversations over the phone. Still, where it sometimes seemed to lack in pace, it more than made up for it in the climax at the end.
Christine Bennett is a former nun, living her life in New York. When she was a nun, she'd spent her sixteen years at St. Stephens convent. Not even half a year out of it, she finds herself becoming an amateur detective when Greenwillow -- a home for the mentally disabled -- wishes to be allowed to move closer into town. Quite a few of the townsfolk are not happy about this, and several are quite vocal about it. Their objection/fear? One of the patients at Greenwillow, James Talley, is believed to have murdered his mother with the help of his brother, Robert. Virginia McAlpin -- the director of Greenwillow -- stops her to seek a private conversation, which leads to her being invited to speak on behalf of Greenwillow moving to Oakwood; and that leads to her being chosen by the city counsel to seek out information about the real murderer of Mrs. Talley.
Honestly, I was not immediately a huge fan of this book. It wasn't one that really grew on me either, but rather one where something clicks about about a part of the mystery, and you find yourself loving it. In parts, this book is a little deep and a little creepy, depending on how you look at certain things. Lee Harris reels you in with a curious premise and then leads you to an ending worthy of a five star rating -- at least for books 1 and 5 in this series. I somewhat regret reading book 5 before book 1, but there didn't seem to be any spoilers in it, so no big deal.
5 out of 5 stars.
Christine Bennett is a former nun, living her life in New York. When she was a nun, she'd spent her sixteen years at St. Stephens convent. Not even half a year out of it, she finds herself becoming an amateur detective when Greenwillow -- a home for the mentally disabled -- wishes to be allowed to move closer into town. Quite a few of the townsfolk are not happy about this, and several are quite vocal about it. Their objection/fear? One of the patients at Greenwillow, James Talley, is believed to have murdered his mother with the help of his brother, Robert. Virginia McAlpin -- the director of Greenwillow -- stops her to seek a private conversation, which leads to her being invited to speak on behalf of Greenwillow moving to Oakwood; and that leads to her being chosen by the city counsel to seek out information about the real murderer of Mrs. Talley.
Honestly, I was not immediately a huge fan of this book. It wasn't one that really grew on me either, but rather one where something clicks about about a part of the mystery, and you find yourself loving it. In parts, this book is a little deep and a little creepy, depending on how you look at certain things. Lee Harris reels you in with a curious premise and then leads you to an ending worthy of a five star rating -- at least for books 1 and 5 in this series. I somewhat regret reading book 5 before book 1, but there didn't seem to be any spoilers in it, so no big deal.
5 out of 5 stars.
July 29, 2019
This book is the first book in the series about Christine Bennett. Like the Christmas Night Murder, she has more recently left being a nun and she has moved into a home that was left to her by her aunt. She had gotten a job as a teacher and was preparing to teach poetry that fall. She gets sucked into a fifty year old mystery revolving around a pair of twins. The twins are savants (mentally disabled), meaning they really don't understand very much. They had spent the majority of their lives in a jail-like institution because it was believed that they had murdered their mother. In more recent times, the home that James had been living in wanted to move into a new town. However, the townspeople weren't very fond of the idea because James is one of the people thought to have killed his mother. The lady that runs the place asks Christine to go to this city council meeting to speak out on behalf of the facility. Well, Christine agrees, goes to the meeting, and speaks, and winds up getting herself appointed to solve a fifty year old murder. Well, she goes about talking to as many people connected to the case that she find. To do this, she gets the old police reports and records pertaining to the case. In doing this, she also meets Jack who in future books would be her husband. He does help her get the records and works with her to solve the case. Like the Christmas Murder, this is a very slow paced book, but is still very interesting. I found it to be a very intriguing mystery that keeps you wondering how she's gonna manage to solve a mystery that is fifty years cold. I would recommend it to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2023
So, I've mentioned a few times in my reviews that I have a policy where—regardless of who wrote a book and what the context is—I will stop reading as soon as I hit an uncensored "N-word."
That didn't happen here, but very early on, I hit a long string of the "R-word" (the one referring to a person with an intellectual disability) that really didn't let up, and it made me rather uncomfortable reading SO MUCH of that word that I just couldn't enjoy the book. I get that it was 1992, but I don't adjust my expectations accordingly; even in 1992, I'm pretty sure that was bad enough that it wouldn't have been in the NEWSPAPERS like it has in a headline the main character reads.
(Don't quote me on that; she's reading a decades-old paper, sure, so it would've been even less policed by the "politically correct" patrols, but the point is the "contemporary" use in the book is still far too high for my tolerances.)
Skipped to the end, anyway, and I don't know. I lost all the context, so I don't know if it's a "good" ending. Well, part of it definitely isn't, but eh. Nothing to make me change my mind and finish the book properly.
That didn't happen here, but very early on, I hit a long string of the "R-word" (the one referring to a person with an intellectual disability) that really didn't let up, and it made me rather uncomfortable reading SO MUCH of that word that I just couldn't enjoy the book. I get that it was 1992, but I don't adjust my expectations accordingly; even in 1992, I'm pretty sure that was bad enough that it wouldn't have been in the NEWSPAPERS like it has in a headline the main character reads.
(Don't quote me on that; she's reading a decades-old paper, sure, so it would've been even less policed by the "politically correct" patrols, but the point is the "contemporary" use in the book is still far too high for my tolerances.)
Skipped to the end, anyway, and I don't know. I lost all the context, so I don't know if it's a "good" ending. Well, part of it definitely isn't, but eh. Nothing to make me change my mind and finish the book properly.
November 30, 2022
I am using this book as my cozy which occurs on a holiday. Good Friday may not be a traditional holiday for everyone but the murder was discovered on Easter Sunday so I believe it qualifies. Most of the action takes place in the present though the murder occurred in 1950 which is 40 years in the past in this book. Ex-nun Christine (Kix) Bennett volunteers to investigate the murder as the group home one of the twins is in happens to be the place where her cousin lives. They want to move to the area where she lives but the homeowner's group does not want a "murderer" living there. James and Robert were never convicted of any crime - they were sent to mental health facilities. She realizes that the twins need each other to be one person and when she is able to re-unite them, she gets an important clue to who did it. I enjoyed reading this book.
June 18, 2017
Really enjoyed this mystery. Good start to the series, as it explains why and how she basically grew up in the convent. SHe was fifteen years old when she arrived there. After inheriting her aunt meg,s house, she needs to make a start on her own.
August 13, 2018
Sometimes cozy mysteries are easy to read and then forget. I can not say the same for this one...
I read this one several days ago and still think about the characters.
This one I will remember for a long time.
I read this one several days ago and still think about the characters.
This one I will remember for a long time.
May 14, 2019
30 year old nun leaves convent after 15 years, solves a "cold case" and starts to date the cop. Her debut novel, I believe. I might try one of her later books sometime. I nice palette cleanser after lengthy and detailed non-fiction piece, and a quick "listen" on audio.
March 9, 2020
I like the cold-case aspect of this, which unfortunately led to the biggest bummer: the murderer not getting introduced until the last 20 pages or so, with no way for the reader to solve the case. So, really enjoyable until the bummer of an ending.
April 23, 2021
I really liked a 3 book series by this author so hunted down an earlier series and it's very likeable as well. I'll keep going, I think...like Elly Griffiths and Charles Todd, excellent filler between new releases.
August 28, 2021
The Good Friday Murder
This is a n interesting cozy mystery story. The plot is unique and held my interest until the very end. The story has good strong characters . I am going to read the next in the series.
This is a n interesting cozy mystery story. The plot is unique and held my interest until the very end. The story has good strong characters . I am going to read the next in the series.
February 21, 2024
This is my first time reading Lee Harris' mystery. I thought it was quite intriguing, thorough, and well-explained, in very emotional and length details.
I enjoyed getting to know Christine Bennett, a passionate former nun, who stops at nothing to seek the powerful truth.
Highly recommended
I enjoyed getting to know Christine Bennett, a passionate former nun, who stops at nothing to seek the powerful truth.
Highly recommended
November 26, 2025
Found this gem in a blind bag of mystery books my husband gifted me for an early Christmas present.
I loved it! its nice to read something as old as this, when people actually wrote and didnt use AI. It was easy to follow and fun.
I loved it! its nice to read something as old as this, when people actually wrote and didnt use AI. It was easy to follow and fun.
June 22, 2017
Totally enjoyed this book
February 11, 2018
End of book kept me guessing about the killer. Was hard to put book down at bedtime.
December 16, 2018
a true murder mystery/cold case/with twists and turns
February 6, 2019
authentic characters, cozy setting, anxious to read more of the series
July 22, 2019
Lots of fun to read. Chris Bennett series is always entertaining.
August 14, 2019
The writing was good . I enjoyed the mystery. Just a touch of romance. No foul words. I especially liked the way the Catholic faith was shown as loving and caring.
October 10, 2019
This book swept me right up into the series! Plus I like a quick read so 200 ish pages is great for an evening or two of reading.
October 14, 2019
Well crafted writing. Spate yet evocative descriptions. Believable characters. Good original plot.
November 27, 2019
Lee Harris is a new author to me and I really enjoyed this little gem. It will be interesting to follow Chris Bennett as she comes out of her shell after being a nun for 15 years.
April 9, 2022
Definitely a series I will continue to follow.
A short read, but a good mystery.
A short read, but a good mystery.
August 17, 2022
Very good.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews