Life may not be getting any easier for curate Callie Anson, but it is definitely getting more interesting. Her relationship with policeman Marco Lombardi grows ever warmer, even though he seems to be keeping her away from his close Italian family. Then her own brother Peter, beloved and engaging as he is, gets a bit too close for comfort when he moves in with Callie.
Professionally, things are challenging as well. Callie has become involved with the problems of a new parishioner. Morag Hamilton is worried about her granddaughter Alex--a lonely and isolated twelve-year-old with a work-obsessed father and a self-absorbed step-mother. If Morag knew how much time Alex spends on the internet, she would have even more cause for worry.
Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Neville Stewart tries to put his personal problems on hold as he deals with Rachel Norton, a pregnant young woman with a missing husband. With the birth of their first baby only a few days away, why would Trevor Norton go out jogging and not return?
Trevor's disappearance may not be what it seems. Just when Neville thinks he's solved it, someone else goes missing: young Alex Hamilton.
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"I’m not going to even tackle the nearly impossible task of synopsizing the plot of Secret Sins. The book has oodles of sub-plots, a third-person narrator with multiple points of view, and an endless string of complicated relationships that need to be sorted out. These are not complaints – they are precisely what make Secret Sins such an engrossing read. Secret Sins is an absolutely delicious story by an author who’s showing off her considerable skill in a most delightful way." - Mystery News, April-May 2007
"Multiple characters and plotlines intertwine in this fast-paced second in a series featuring All Saints' Church curate Callie Anson; her boyfriend, Mark Lombardi; and Detective Inspector Neville Stewart. A man disappears while jogging and is later found murdered, leaving a pregnant wife. A lonely, unhappy 12-year-old girl, Alex Hamilton, the granddaughter of a new parishioner, disappears while going to meet someone she has been corresponding with on the Internet. On the personal side, Mark is unsure how to introduce Callie to his close Italian family because she is not Italian. Callie must also deal with her abrasive mother and her brother, who is temporarily living with her. The professional and personal lives of the many interrelated characters are followed in the compelling story. Numerous full-bodied, well-developed characters--except for Alex's stepmother, who is straight out of Cinderella--add to the appeal in this blend of police procedural and amateur-detective mystery. Fans of Julia Spencer-Fleming will appreciate the backdrop of a female member of the clergy trying to fit in a male-dominated profession." - Sue O'Brien, Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved. This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
"St. Valentine's arrows rain over London in the engaging second installment of Charles' ecclesiastical mysteries (after 2005's Evil Intent) starring newly ordained Anglican cleric Callie Anson, who's mooning over charming cop Mark Lombardi. When not distracted by romance, Callie tends to the needs of parishioner Morag Hamilton, who, in short order, receives bad medical news and learns that her granddaughter has gone missing. The wife of Callie's boss has a bad case of empty-nest syndrome and frets about her son's serious girlfriend. Mark's police buddy Neville Stewart has, after nearly a decade, gotten back together with the love of his life, but she's sending mixed signals. Neville must also solve the murder of a successful young computer whiz, who has left behind a seemingly grief-stricken and very pregnant wife. All the characters are well-drawn, and the multiple story lines make for a page-turner." - Publishers Weekly, 15 Jan. 2007
