Book description
A witty and poignant chiller about the evil of gossip and the sin of
indifference. Father Christopher Pardoe is a good priest. He cares about
his parishioners. He is also a human being-and is thus saddled with
man's inherent weaknesses. Is it a bit odd, then, how much time the good
Father has been spending at the house of a certain young, single mother
called Julie Norris? And why, during each of his visits, are Julie's
bedroom curtains always closed? Julie looks to be pregnant again. Just
who could that father be? As nasty rumours begin to scorch the parish
phone lines, Father Pardoe is suspended from St. Catherine's, and Cosmo
Horrocks, the West Yorkshire Chronicle's shameless, muckraking
journalist, exploits the story in a big way. Nothing goes over better
than a juicy sex-and-the-church scandal, except, perhaps, murder. Do
Father Pardoe and Julie protest too much? Why did Julie's parents throw
her out and disown her? Is she really as bad as they say? And what,
exactly, does Cosmo Horrocks hear in that London-to-Leeds dining car
that makes him tingle with excitement? A tale of chastity besmirched?
This story could make his year. But will it lead to tragedy? And, if so,
whose? When Inspector Mike Oddie and Sergeant Charlie Peace are called
in to investigate a murder, they are saddened and surprised by the raw
emotions-the hate, the fear-they find in the outwardly peaceful town of
Shipley. There may be only one killer, but there are many others who
must share the town's guilt and, perhaps, one day start the process of
healing. Rich with eccentric characters, crisp dialogue, stylish prose,
and perceptive insights into human nature, Unholy Dying is vintage
Barnard, acknowledged master of suspense. 'He plots a mystery as well as
any writer alive' Time Robert Barnard is a well-established crime
writer. He has won the prestigious Nero Wolfe Award as well as the
Anthony, Agatha and Macavity Awards, has been nominated eight times for
the Edgar Award and was the winner of the 2003 CWA Cartier Diamond
Dagger Award for a lifetime of achievement. He has also written crime
novels under the pseudonym of Bernard Bastable. He lives with his wife
in Leeds and has had over 45 titles published in the UK and US.
