Nun Too Soon by Alice Loweecey, a Mysterious Review.

Review: With her husband returning to the police force as a detective, Giulia Falcone Driscoll is running their private investigation agency almost single-handedly; two administrative assistants take care of the office work allowing her to do the field work. Their new client is a handful, though, a man accused of killing his girlfriend, who is going to trial in just two weeks. That's the time she has to prove him innocent — or confirm his guilt — in Nun Too Soon, the first mystery in this reboot of the series, which originally featured ex-nun Giulia Falcone working for her soon to be husband, Frank Driscoll.

The press have dubbed Roger Fitch "The Silk Tie Killer", as it was with one of his ties that Loriela Gil was murdered … in a locked room with just the two of them in it. Fitch claims they fell asleep after a night of "role playing" involving the same silk ties and when he woke up the next morning, he found her dead. A broken patio door and footprints on the other side of the balcony suggest someone else may be the culprit. Still, though highly probable that Fitch is the killer, the court has allowed him to be free on bail pending trial. The case is simply too intriguing for Giulia not to take on, and while she has absolutely no respect for her obnoxious client, she's committed to keeping an open mind during the investigation.

The storyline is an interesting one, and definitely has potential to draw readers in, but loses a lot of energy by the midpoint of the book. Indeed, the resolution to the crime can probably best be described as a missed opportunity. Part of the problem here may be Giulia herself, a bit of a one-note character, who conducts her investigation to get to the truth, not necessarily to protect her client. It isn't clear from a practical standpoint why Fitch or his attorney doesn't fire her early on when it becomes clear that her findings are not exactly in their best interest. The secondary characters are well drawn, the supporting cast (especially Giulia's office staff) engaging, and the narrative moves along briskly, all positives for a light(er) mystery. A nice start to this sequel of an older series, but not an altogether strong one.

Second To Nun
Henery Press (Trade Paperback), September 2015
ISBN-13: 9781941962930; ISBN-10: 1941962939

Nun Too Soon

A Giulia Driscoll Mystery by Alice Loweecey