Ron’s Comments (group member since Mar 12, 2010)

Ron’s comments from the Ecclesiastical Thrillers group.

Donna wrote: "So, what makes an Ecclesiastical Mystery? Is it enough if some of the action takes place in a church? Does the book have to have a spiritual theme?
Would a story about a Rabbi or a Buddhist monk..."

Ecclesiastical originally described any gathering of people, but much later came to mean pertaining to churches (especially the organization and government of churches). I would think an Ecclesiastical Mystery requires more than a mere clergyman or woman as sleuth; some aspect of the story should to involve church polity or politics. Mysteries set inside convents, monasteries, synods, conclaves, cathedrals, seminaries, sessions, even church choirs would probably qualify, but I'm a tad dubious about Father Brown -- I don't recall any F.B. stories that were actually ecclesiastical.

Ron