Synopses & Reviews
Father Anselm returns in the most provocative novel yet by the CWA Gold Dagger-winning author of the bestselling The Sixth Lamentation
Hailed by A. N. Wilson as one of the few crime novels I can think of where the ethical twists are every bit as thrilling as the narrative ones,” The Discourtesy of Death plunges us back into the fascinating and morally complex world of Father Anselm.
An anonymous letter sent to Larkwoods 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 paralyzed woman, once an acclaimed dancer, had died quickly and painlessly, spared a drawn out illness; a life marked by agonizing 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 Peters son. A boy who is still learning to live without his mother.
And so Anselm begins his most delicate investigation yet, unaware that Jennys adoring father is also thinking of Timothys 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 its for the best; that he has set out to execute Peter Henderson.
Death, dying and killing, however, were never so complicated.
Review
Praise for The Sixth Lamentation:
“Its indeed rare to find such a masterful blending of sharp suspense and literary resonance as we see in The Sixth Lamentation. Brodrick has produced a truly compelling novel.” —Jeffery Deaver
“Engrossing . . . An intricate mystery of both the mind and the soul.” —USA Today
“A cats cradle of a mystery with the interwoven stories pulled as tight as a piano wire.” —Martha Grimes
Synopsis
An anonymous letter accuses a prominent academic, Peter Henderson, of a grotesque murder: the calculated killing of Jenny, his disabled partner, believed by everyone to have died peacefully two years ago.
Time has moved on. Grief and loss were tempered by a comforting thought: Jenny was spared a long and painful illness. Knowing the truth behind the soothing lie, Father Anselm--former barrister, current clergyman--must move cautiously to expose the killer and the killing without harming young Timothy, Jenny and Peter's son. But Jenny's father is looking out for his grandson, and he is capable of anything if he thinks it's for the best. He has set out to execute Peter Henderson.
Death, dying, and killing have never been so complicated.
About the Author
William Brodrick was a Franciscan friar before leaving the order to become a lawyer. He won the Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger Award in 2009, and is the author of four novels featuring Father Anselm, in addition to
The Discourtesy of Death.