A professor, a nun, Sherlock Holmes’s creator a two police detectives go to a séance — sounds like a joke is coming. But what we get is an excellent addition to the Cal Donovan series. We get to visit the past and present as murdered nuns seem to know have connection to previous deaths. Cal and Eli(sabetta) ‘s relationship grows stronger and they put their formidable skills to work as the aid the detectives.

What a great book! I really enjoyed reading this. It was definitely a page turner that kept me up all night! I think you will like it too! Thanks for the great book!

349 pages

4 stars

A cracking police procedural. The detectives get the call of three dead nuns - murdered in their sleep at a local convent in Boston. The really odd thing is that their rosary beads are missing.

A story in the newspaper states that a medium’s spirit guide says the culprit is a local priest with a red nose.

It takes very little time for the police to hone in on the priest. Is he really the killer? When he is found dead in his room, the case gets closed. But there are doubts.

The medium connections takes the story in an interesting and exciting way to a discussion of the history of a family of Boston mediums, and surprisingly, a brief history of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He was a true believer of spiritualism. The book discusses the influence he had on the Boston family of mediums.

This is a real page turner. The twists and turns in the story are many, and interesting. I really liked this book and will recommend it.

The characters are well fleshed out. The writing is exceptional. The tension builds at a continuing pace.

I want to thank NetGalley and Book Whisperer - Lascaux Media for forwarding to me a copy of this good book. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

This is an even higher octane thriller in the Cal Donovan series! Thank you to Book Whisperer/NetGalley for the DRC of this book. I have read the previous books in the series and was thrilled to see how Cal has personally grown through his past experiences. This book has a little more of a personal slant considering that Elisabetta has left the Vatican and is now working regularly alongside Cal. When three Nuns are murdered, both Cal and Elisabetta become involved tangentially due to their connection to the Church. This story mostly takes place in Boston bouncing from Cal in the present to Arthur Conan Doyle in the past. Cal takes a backseat to the detectives investigating the murder of the Nuns, and their disdain for the help offered by Cal and Elisabetta is evident. But as more information comes to light, the danger to both becomes present. There is less Catholic history and little archaeology in this book, but the church presence is strong and its flaws are not hidden. I found this edition to be very exciting considering the personal aspects for Cal and Elisabetta, and for the search for motive in the murders, for the mystical connection to our lost ones. There is a lot going on over multiple levels, coming together in a race to save the final Nun. This book is another hit out of the park for Cooper!