The St. Patrick's Day Murder

Christine Bennett #4

by Lee Harris

An off-duty police officer is shot and ex-nun Chris Bennett and her police-detective boyfriend find this motiveless murder puzzling. Praying for a break, Chris pursues a killer along strange paths: a pilgrimage that takes her from a suburban convent to a Brooklyn fruit market, and deep into the sacrosanct world of the NYPD--and ultimately back to the deadly place where it all began.


From the Paperback edition.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 31, 1994

About the author

A 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.

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former nun Chris Bennett and her detective boyfriend Jack Brooks investigate the murder of one of Jack's best friends.

Harris gives us a nicely twisted plot, a host of characters, and plenty of suspects. Plus a surprise ending.

A well-written cozy mystery.

[Cameron Trost · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting NYC Irish cop drama. Unfortunately, it wasn't written as a mystery the reader could get involved in.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of her better books. Characters were created out of thin air as necessary. By the end of the book, there were so many cops floating around, who we hadn't actually met, it was impossible to keep the, all straight.

Jack and Chris get engaged in this book, and even that was anti-climatic.

[Roz Curney-Sherod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 4 in the Christine Bennett series and quite interesting. I sort of read these books out of order and according to the holidays we were celebrating. This series is based on our annual holidays but includes other days that are celebrated as such, i.e. Birthdays, anniversaries and some Jewish holidays. Our main character/heroine is ex-nun Christine Bennett and revolves around her assimilation into a world where she makes her own choices and decisions. Chris spent 15 years as a nun living in a convent when she lost both her parents. Chris recently started dating (for the first time) Jack Brooks and is asked by him to investigate the shooting of one of his best friends off-duty police officer Scott. His other best friend Ray is being charged/investigated for the murder. The investigation takes her from NYC thru Brooklyn and back again. Jack is also a Lieutenant for the NYPD and attending law school at night. This is the book where they get engaged. Good story kept me engrossed and involved alot of secondary characters but they were not hard to keep them straight.

[Joel Fotinos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent edition in the Christine Bennett series -- not my favorite of the series, but all of them, including this one, are worth reading. This one is a bit slower than usual, and fairly easy to figure out quickly, but this book does move the story of Chris and Jack forward. As I always suggest, start with the first book in a mystery series so you can see the development between the main characters that continue throughout the series.

[Margaret Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in this series of the former nun-turned private investigator, murder solver. One of the best ones. Involving the murder of multiple cops. Again I didn't solve it. Again her attention to detail in and around New York makes reading these fun for me. Saint Patrick's Day in New York--marred by the shooting of an Irish-American New York cop. Read it.

[Pam Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicated mystery. Great detective

I enjoy Christine Bennett. She is a great character. The mysteries she is in are complicated and interesting. She does a lot of driving around talking to people, which is I guess what detectives do. I read over some of the parts pretty fast.

[Ashlie Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It wasn't my favorite in the series, because the dynamic of the characters was a bit different. It still gets 5 stars, because I love the series. Even though this one is a bit different it was still a nice read.

[Hugh Heinsohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lee Harris is an excellent writer. Tight, but not spare, style. Not quite a cozy and manages to deftly balance a reasonable dose if personal subplots with the main whodunnit. A model of well done detective fiction.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery itself was interesting, but the lead is a woman of the 1990's (computers and cell phones are in use) but she has left nuns in the 1960s, ugh.

[Julie Syracuse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining mystery.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun read. This one had lots of characters in it so it made for an interesting mystery. I'm enjoying this series.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these little cozy mysteries.

[Claudine Suor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started this the day before St. Patrick's Day, thought it was appropriate. A pretty fast read, I enjoyed it.

[Regine · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book that isn’t that long, the plot is too involved, resulting in some sketchy characters. An odd balance of awkward and pleasantly human moments.

[Nadine Augustyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally found a heroine who is smart, goes by the rules and gets the job done. Christine Bennett is an ex-nun who is newley engaged to Jack, a New York City policeman. She attends the St. Patrick's Day parade with several other wives and watches her fiance parade along with his friends. After the parade, Scotty McVeigh, one of the police buddies is gunned down as he gets into his car. Ray Hansen, another policeman is suspected of the murder. Jack and Chris are asked by Scotty's wife, Jean, to help find out who did this and to clear Ray's name. The book is well written and the plot is very good. Chris is smart and gets the answers she needs not by harassing or being overly nosy but by observing and asking questions. I will definitely read more of this series.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#4 in the Christine Bennett series. Chris Bennett, a former nun, is an engaging protagonist. Still religious, she manages to bring pieces of convent lore into the story, while she also manages to engage in joyous off-screen sex with her fiancé, an NYPD detective. A light hearted read that is thoroughly enjoyable.

Christine Bennett series - Model police officer Scotty Mceigh was one of new York's finest, until someone pumped a pair of bullets into his body on St. Patrick's Day. Former nun Christine Bennett and her police-detective boyfriend find this motiveless murder puzzling. Could there be a connection between McVeigh's murder and the other unsolved murders of off-duty cops?

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say? I like that Christine Bennet (former nun turned parttime investigator) is smart and deliberate and doesn't play the damsel in distress.

[Linda Arnsdorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all good ST Patrick's Day Murder, it starts with a parade. This is one of my favorite Lee Harris books.
It is before Chris marries Jack and they are becoming a couple.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

complex threads of clues to multiple murders

[Elliedakota · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too many random characters - too difficult to keep all of the names straight.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Former nun Chris Bennett and her significant other Jack investigate the murder of a cop friend of Jack's.

[Pam Bales · Rating 3 out of 5]

#4 in Christine Bennet murder mystery series

[Pearl Meaker]

Didn't finish as it's not my preferred sort of book.

[Jeanne]

I like all these books. Thought this was going to be a witness protection gone wrong book, but was wrong.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just Ok.

[Julia Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

my least favorite but focuses on the husband

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Lee Harris!