The Way of the Guilty
Review: Cooper Lee calls upon her Bible Study group for help in clearing her sister's name when a dead man is found in the trunk of her rental car in The Way of the Guilty, the third mystery in the Hope Street Church series by Jennifer Stanley.
After participating in the solution to a couple of mysteries, Cooper's life seems to be settling down. She thinks she's falling in love with Nathan, the "computer geek with big feet", one of the members of her church group, which has made her feel welcome in the community. But a familiar face from the past suddenly shows up, Edward Crosby, casting doubt on her feelings for Nathan. But there's little time to dwell on this when Ashley, her sister, franticly calls her after finding the body of Miguel Ramos, a Mexican boy who worked for her husband at his used car lot, in the body of a car she rented. His job application lists no next of kin, and there's no information about where he's from. With little to go on, Cooper thinks the overworked police department might not put too much effort into identifying his killer, and decides to enlist the aid of her group to help come up with some answers.
The mysteries in this series are quite delightful, filled with an appealing, if eclectic cast of characters. The various church group members each has a special talent and role to play, with Cooper — the newest member — often acting as director by default. The Way of the Guilty adds another character, the mysterious Crosby. Was it a coincidence that he just happened to be nearby when she needed help on the road, dealing with a blown out tire? And why is he eager to be involved in the search for Miguel's killer? And why does Cooper feel a rush whenever he's around? The murder mystery is well plotted and interesting and it's a pleasure to read, but the characters and their (often inspirational) relationships are what really stand out here and make the book — and the others in the series — so noteworthy.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Way of the Guilty.
Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of The Way of the Guilty for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author … Path of the Wicked Minotaur Books (Mass Market Paperback), April 2010 ISBN-13: 9780312376833; ISBN-10: 0312376839
Location(s) referenced in The Way of the Guilty: Richmond, Virginia
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The Way of the Guilty by Jennifer Stanley — A Hope Street Church Mystery
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Format: Mass Market Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-37684-0
Publication Date: August 2010
List Price: $7.99
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