Perfect for fans of G. M. Malliet and M. C. Beaton, The Shadow of Death is divine entertainment from a talented debut writer.A charming and clever traditional mystery debut set at a bucolic Welsh convent, The Shadow of Death introduces Sister Agatha, a mystery-loving nun who finds herself in the midst of a real-life murder case.The sisters of Gwenafwy Abbey have cherished their contemplative … Gwenafwy Abbey have cherished their contemplative life—days spent in prayer, reflection, tending the Convent’s vegetable gardens and making their award-winning organic cheese, Heavenly Gouda. Life seems perfect, except for Sister Agatha, a die-hard mystery fan who despairs of ever finding any real life inspiration for her own novel. That is, until the Abbey’s sexton is found dead under an avalanche of gouda. Despite the reservations of the local constable, Sister Agatha is convinced it’s murder and the game is afoot.
Armed only with the notes she’s scribbled during her favorite podcast, How to Write a Mystery Novel, as well as a lessons learned from crime heroes ranging from Hercule Poirot to Stephanie Plum, Sister Agatha leads the nuns of Gwenafwy Abbey (and her unwitting sidekick, Father Selwyn) as they begin a race against time to resolve the death of Jacob, save the Abbey, exonerate a beloved postulant, and restore the good name of their cheese.
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A fun series. I hope there are more.
I enjoyed this book. It was fast paced, entertaining, and added an element of humor throughout the pages. The nuns of Gwenaffay were all interesting and complex characters with lots of room to grow in future installments. I’m looking forward to seeing where Jane Willan takes this series in future books!
One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Excellent characters, premise, and plotting. Looking forward to the rest of the series–and hoping it will be a very long series!! Beautifully done!
A feisty elderly nun is writing a mystery novel when she finds herself embroiled in a real life murder.
This is the first book in the cozy mystery series, Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Murder series. With great personable characters and a wonderful mystery, this is a great cozy mysteries. I loved the way the heroine has to balance her religious duties with her passion for murder mystery. The story is told from the her point of view allowing insight into her thoughts, motivations and actions. The mystery had several viable suspects, lots of subtle clues, lots of twists and turns, surprises, danger and suspense. I loved the way the characters interacted and the witty and interesting dialogue. It was a fun read. If you enjoy great cozy mysteries you should enjoy this book. Myself, I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Author Jane Wiilan, a pastor with a side job writing cozy mysteries, has cleverly combined a peak into the life of Anglican nuns (in particular Sister Agatha). Like the nuns, their abbey is aging and is in need of restoration. In order to do that, they need to sell more of the abbey’s home made cheese, Heavenly Gouda. Unfortunately, a land developer has his eye on the abbey’s land. While trying to save their beloved home, the nuns deal with a dead body in the cheese aging room, a fire in their cheese processing barn, and other unexplained mayhem. You’ve got to read this book to see how it all turns out: no spoilers here!
I really enjoyed listening to this story because Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn make a great pair of volunteer detectives and are good characters. I liked how Sister Agatha refers to a character in one of Janet Evanovich’s books (one of my favorite author’s). I look forward to listening to the next audiobook in the future.
Though I’m not a big fan of mysteries, I quite enjoyed this book. The characters were fun and quirky, the setting delightful, and the story interesting. the ending was satisfying and tied things up nicely. I think that fans of cozy mysteries would like it very much. Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn make a wonderful team that readers are sure to enjoy in future books from this author.
Engaging characters and a great story to boot! I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
The Shadow of Death by Jane Willan is the first installment in A Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery series. Sister Agatha is an Order of the Sacred Heart nun at Gwenafwy Abbey in Pryderi, North Wales where the sisters make their own gouda cheese known as Heavenly Gouda. Sister Agatha is the librarian for the abbey and, in her spare time, is working on writing a mystery novel. She enters the cheese barn to find Jacob Traherne, the sexton for St. Anselm’s Church, on the floor under a heavy steel shelving unit that had held their gouda. Constable Barnes rules the death an accident, but Sister Agatha has her doubts. This is an opportunity for Sister Agatha to utilize what she has learned from reading mystery novels, her writing classes and her favorite podcast on How to Write a Mystery Novel. With help from her fellow nuns and Father Selwyn (her designated sidekick), Sister Agatha sets out to find Jacob’s killer. But she cannot devote all her time to the case. The abbey is in trouble and they only have a short time to save their home. Plus, there is something fishy about their new postulant, Sister Callwen has been acting secretive lately, and their cheese is getting a bad rap. Join in on the adventure with Sister Agatha in The Shadow of Death.
I loved the description of The Shadow of Death and was eager to read it. The Shadow of Death starts out by sharing too much information. We are introduced to the abbey, the nuns, their gouda, the town, and so much more. It was an overload of details in the first sixteen percent of the book. I did enjoy the authors descriptions of the buildings and North Wales (makes me want to catch a flight to Wales). Ms. Willan is a descriptive writer who can get overly detailed at times (needs to find a balance). There are several storylines going on in The Shadow of Death. Unfortunately, they all do not tie together into a cohesive book. The author jumps around from one item to another. It makes for a choppy story. Sister Agatha reminds me of Mrs. Fletcher. I like that she is a librarian who loves mysteries and wants to write her own mystery novels. Sister Agatha has read hundreds of mystery novels and the names of numerous fictional sleuths are scattered throughout the book (they are her inspiration along with a pod cast). It was interesting to find out about the inner workings of a modern-day convent. These nuns have cell phones, computers, fancy sneakers, indulge in wine, and get to explore their dreams after age sixty. I was curious how they paid for all of these items when they were having trouble paying their bills. I thought the murder mystery was straightforward, and I could quickly identify the killer. I was more curious about Sister Callwen (she was being secretive). The pacing of The Shadow of Death was slow, the case details kept being repeated, and the book was too long (I did not think it would ever end). I wish the author had not put so much into this first book. The Shadow of Death was not the right fit for me. I do suggest that you obtain a sample to see if The Shadow of Death is the right cozy mystery for you. Everyone has different reading tastes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this debut cozy by Jane Willan. Sister Agatha, a nun and mystery lover at Gwenafwy Abbey in northern Wales, takes great pride in the fact that she shares a name with the queen of crime, Agatha Christie. When nuns at the abbey turn 60 the other sisters encourage her to reach for the stars and achieve whatever dream she may have, and for Sister Agatha it’s to write her own mystery novel. After Jacob, the church sexton, is found dead in the cheese barn where Gwenafwy Abbey’s Heavenly Gouda is produced, her education and all that she’s learned from fictional detectives comes in handy. Sister Agatha is convinced that Jacob did not die accidentally and that he was in fact murdered. She enlists the help of her lifelong friend Father Selwyn, and together they try to discover who caused young Jacob’s demise. There are other sub-plots woven throughout the story – a fugitive turned postulant, missing items from the church, the attempted sabotage of the Abbey’s Heavenly Gouda cheese business, and a bishop who wants to close the doors on the Abbey. The Shadow of Death is a quick-paced page turner, and I certainly hope there will be more books in this series. Very well done, Jane Willan – 5 stars!
The Shadow Of Death is the first book in the Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn series.
I think this is a wonderful new series. It brought to my mind the Father Dowling series that I enjoyed watching on TV and also reading.
Sister Agatha is one of only ten nuns left at Gwenafwy Abbey, fewer women becoming nuns have had huge aimpact at the Abbey. Sister Agatha’s main role at the Abbey is as its librarian and now that she has taken a course on writing mystery novels has been working on her first book in her spare time.
The convent, in need of a source of income has started making Gouda cheese and have aptly named it Heavenly Gouda and are looking forward to the annual Cheese Festival at Gwydion Castle. They are hoping to win an award they are hoping their sales will reach heavenwards. Sister Agatha heads for the cheese barn to confront Sister Callwen about a disturbing voice mail that she had heard, but upon entering instead of finding Sister Callwen, she finds Jacob Traherne, Sexton at St. Anselm, face down and bleeding having been crushed by the heavy metal shelving and many rounds of Gouda cheese. Constable Barnes rules it an accident, but Sister Agatha believes otherwise. Her belief is reinforced when there is a fire, confined to the roof of the barn. The Sisters hope that they will be able to salvage enough cheese to at least have decent sales and showing at the festival.
Sister Agatha, knowing having read enough mysteries, know she needs a “sidekick” and enlists the help of Father Selwyn, vicar of St. Anselm, to solve the mystery of who killed Jacob. They also need to learn who is trying to sabotage their cheesemaking operation.
This book has a very enjoyable cast of characters. I particularly liked Sister Agatha, as she knows she no detective and is often referring back to podcasts, that she listens to, by retired Chief Constable McFarland and asking herself what would he do. Another interesting character is Sister Gwenydd, a young lady who shows up at the Abbey and wants to become a nun. Her past is a mystery, but she is an excellent cook and the Sisters love to eat, so they welcome her, hoping she will find her calling with the Abbey.
This is a wonderful start to this new series, with a well-plotted and told story. For me, it was a book that was hard to put down and am looking forward to learning more about the Sister of Gwenafwy Abbey and, of course, Father Selwyn, too.
I’m anxiously awaiting book 2, The Hour Of Death, due out in October 2018.