The growth of the Mormon Church has slowed. Young men are abandoning the Church, leaving their female counterparts unmarried and childless. Now, the Church is about to lose one more member…and it may be due to murder.Detective Abish “Abbie” Taylor returned to the mountain town of Pleasant View, Utah, hoping for a quiet life. But that hope dissipates like a dream when she wakes to an unsettling … to an unsettling phone call. Arriving at the scene of a fatal car accident, she discovers that the victim was one of the most beloved leaders of the Church—and an old family friend.
Abbie is skeptical when her father insists the death was not an accident, but in an attempt to patch up their relationship, she takes a few days off from her job as the sole detective in the police department, and heads to Colonia Juárez, a former LDS colony in Mexico. There, she uncovers a plan hearkening back to the Church’s history of polygamy. But Abbie knows too well that bringing secrets to light can be deadly. Is that why her father’s friend died?
Abbie realizes with a jolt that her investigation could cost her father his job and possibly get him excommunicated. Who is the murderous mastermind of this secret plot? Time is running out for Abbie to save her father’s position—and her own life—as dark forces close in, and the outlook for Pleasant View turns decidedly unpleasant.
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“Death in the Covenant” is the second book in the “Abish Taylor mystery” series by D.A. Bartley. I have not read ” Blessed Be the Wicked” book one but it did not affect reading Death in the Covenant as it can be read as a stand-alone.
In the wake of Utah’s stringent laws against plural marriage, the growth of the Mormon Church has slowed. Young men are abandoning the Church, leaving their female counterparts unmarried and childless. Now, the church is about to lose one more member…and it may be due to murder.
Detective Abish “Abbie” Taylor returned to the mountain town of Pleasant View, Utah, hoping for a quiet life. But that hope dissipates like a dream when she wakes to an unsettling phone call. Arriving at the scene of a fatal car accident, she discovers that the victim was one of the most beloved leaders of the Church—and an old family friend.
Abbie is skeptical when her father insists someone murdered his friend, but in an attempt to patch up their relationship, she takes a few days off from her job as the sole detective in the police department, and heads to the Colonia Juárez, a former LDS colony in Mexico. There, she uncovers a plan to “seal” young women to church leaders in temple ceremonies, so the women can give birth and the children can be adopted by Mormon families in the United States. But Abbie knows too well that bringing secrets to light can be deadly. Is that why her father’s friend died?
When she returns to the States, some members of the LDS community certainly don’t seem happy that Abbie knows what she knows. Abbie realizes with a jolt that her investigation could cost her father his job. Who is the murderous mastermind of this secret plot? Is it Port, the young Second Counselor to the President of the Church? Bowen, the charismatic Church spokesperson? Does the “accident” victim’s widow know more than she’s told police? Time is running out for Abbie to save her father’s job—and her own life—as dark forces close in, and the outlook for Pleasant View turns decidedly unpleasant.
Protagonist Abbie, is a strong, educated woman, and the side characters are realistic, like Clarke and Flynn. I felt sorry for her father throughout the story.
I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it over several days. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises. I learned a lot about Mormon history, culture and customs. I am fascinated by religion and am always open to learning about different kinds.
I requested and received an Advanced Reader Copy on the book from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and pinions are my own
D.A. Bartley’s second Abish Taylor mystery, Death in the Covenant, is as terrific a book as the first one, Blessed Be the Wicked. Essential to the plot of both books is Detective Abby Taylor’s fraught relationship with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a world Bartley brings to life with clear-eyed sympathy and unflinching honesty.
The plot is well-conceived and constructed, and the characters are finely drawn, but the real strength here is Bartley’s strong, confident writing. This suspenseful mystery was a pleasure to read, from the first page to the last.
Death in the Covenant by D.A.Bartley tells the tale of Abish, aka Abby, she has returned to Pleasant View, Utah where she works at the police department. She receives a call to a car accident. There she finds that the victim is a family friend and one of the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints.
Abby has lapsed in her religion, but her father, a professor, has not and Abby is determined to find out what happened to her father’s friend who Abby believes was murdered as does her father. In order to prove this, she travels to Mexico to a clan of Mormons there. She finds that young women are getting pregnant to add members to the clan. There is also the fact that the church is thinking about going back to the age-old plan of polygamy.
Can she find out what happened to her father’s friend, what is going on with her father? Can she keep her father safe? You will have to read this book to find out. Great characters and exceptional explanations about the LDS community and what they are about. I learned quite a bit as a matter of fact. I really enjoyed the book! I look forward to reading another Abish Taylor Mystery!
Death in the Covenant by D. A. Bartley
An Abish Taylor Mystery #2
Having read the first book in this series I was eager to read the second.
Abbish “Abbie” Taylor is called to what has been assumed is an auto accident related to alcohol only to quickly realize that is not true at all. With an urgency to find out what really happened to Heber Bentsen, First Counselor to the President of the Mormon church, the hunt is on.
Once again Abbie’s team seems a bit leery of her take on some issues with the good old boy network in place, the fact that she is not necessarily in good standing with the church and…she is female. Though she has moved home to be near family – most of her family is keeping their distance. Abbie is still dealing with issues related to the death of her husband and mother and is in the beginning phases of a “liking” with her older brother’s best friend, Flynn.
In both books of this series historical information related to the Mormon church is presented. Having an interest in the study of religions and having done some research in the past related to this one I found the idea of Covenants – especially in relationship to marriage – fascinating.
What I liked:
* Abbie: She is someone who has moved away from the religion of her childhood, as did I, and uses her life experiences to assist her on the job. She is complex, interesting and I want to know more about her.
* The romance that is growing between Flynn and Abbie
* The way family impacts Abbie and others
* The way religion/belief is woven into the story
* The fact that I was given new insight, history and ideas to contemplate
* The way it made me think about myself as a young woman and what caused me to change my religious beliefs. That said, I could see how some of the young women in this book made the decisions they did although I can only hope I was not as naive as they were in the story.
* That it made me think
What I didn’t like:
* The way people in power manipulated others
* That some put so little value on the lives of others
* Having to look at the idea that some people use their idea of “right” to achieve goals that may or may not be “right”
* The way some of the “bad guys” seem to have gotten away with “it”
I noticed in my review of the first book that I was wondering why two people were searching Abbie’s house and those two people did show up in this book. I am still wondering if perhaps in this series some of the “bad guys” will meet their comeuppance.
Did I like this book? Yes
Would I like to read more in this series? Definitely
Thank you to NetGalley and Croooked Lane Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4-5 Stars