Book Review: 'An Unholy Communion' by Donna Fletcher Crow

✰✰✰½ As the third book in the Monastery Murders series begins, Felicity is looking forward to Ascension morning. Running late to the tower at the College of Transfiguration, Felicity can hear the heavenly sound of voices singing. Tragically, as she looks up at the tower, a figure in black plummets to earth and lands before her. As Felicity steps away, the hand of the dead man releases a simple scrap of paper with a strange emblem on it. The police are quick to dismiss the incident as a suicide. However, neither Felicity's fiancé, Father Antony, nor the dead man's widow believes it.

Hoping for a little peace and quiet, Father Antony encourages Felicity to accompany him as he leads a youth pilgrimage through Wales. Unfortunately, evil influences and sightings of the strange emblem seem to be around every corner. The group encounters a series of sinister, almost paranormal, events aimed at defeating their progress. As the group makes their way to St. David's, the paranormal events become even more sinister and seem to threaten their very lives. However, along the way, the group learns to work together and with the power of prayer they struggle to overcome the forces of evil. Meanwhile, as Felicity and Father Antony tend to the pilgrims, they must try to solve the mystery of one man's death before any one else gets hurt.

The Bottom Line: Fans of crime fiction featuring clerical sleuths will want to check this series out. Also, those who enjoy mysteries set in the English countryside may want to give this one a try. An Unholy Communion is chock full of historical information making this book an interesting read. The themes of teamwork, friendship, and good overcoming evil make this book a worthwhile read. Although I have not read the first two books in the series, I was able to pick up this installment and read it without feeling like I was missing anything. While this isn't a quick weekend read, I did enjoy the author's ability to make the English countryside come alive. I felt as if I was on the pilgrimage myself, especially after I checked out  Donna Fletcher Crow's photos on her website. Finally, this book includes a glossary for those of us not familiar with British history and terminology.

Details: An Unholy Communion (The Monastery Murders) by Donna Fletcher Crow. Paperback published by Lion Fiction in 2013. 384 p. ISBN: 978-178264-004-2 Note: I received a copy from Kregel in exchange for an honest review. This was made possible by the Early Reviewer program at LibraryThing.