'Peaceful' is the most common entry in the visitors' book of fifteenth-century St Michael's Church, with its glorious angel roof and its medieval Doom painting. But outside the church, and under the surface, peaceful is scarcely the word for the tiny Norfolk village of Walston.
The Rector's new bride, Becca Thorncroft, is receiving phone calls so unpleasant that her very sanity is at stake, and the newest residents of Walston, Gillian English and Lou Sutherland, are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Then sudden, gruesome death shatters even the outward peace of Walston.
Fortunately for Father Stephen Thorncroft, his friends Lucy Kingsley and David Middleton-Brown are on hand to sort through the tangled relationships and dark motivations of the villagers, uncovering more than they bargain for. But it is not until a little girl goes missing that the final, deadly pieces fall into place in their search for the 'evil angels among them'.
"Quick-witted... nice, tight plot."
(New York Times Book Review)
"A special treat for readers who treasure the books of Agatha Christie and P.D. James, as deeply satisfying as afternoon tea by the fireplace, with a wise and witty storyteller for companionship." (Houston Chronicle)
"All is answered with Charles' consummate skill. This is another satisfying and first-rate novel from her pen." (Pen & Dagger)
"Kate Charles conveys with her usual elegance of style and form the vicissitudes of life in an English village and her wonderful understanding of the human heart."
(Kate's Mystery Books Newsletter)
"Kate Charles writes with insight and authority ... The novel manages to resonate emotionally while exploring controversial themes with sensitivity and authenticity." (Mostly Murder)
"Don't try to hurry this one, or to second guess the villain's name: it's worth a whole evening, and a second read, my award for the care-and-delight of readers."
(Rockland Courier-Gazette)
