• Sign of the Cross: A Collins-Burke Mystery, Book 1

  • By: Anne Emery
  • Narrated by: Christian Rummel
  • Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (280 ratings)

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Sign of the Cross: A Collins-Burke Mystery, Book 1  By  cover art

Sign of the Cross: A Collins-Burke Mystery, Book 1

By: Anne Emery
Narrated by: Christian Rummel
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Publisher's summary

Monty Collins is a sharp-tongued public defender who just wants to represent an upstanding character for a change. A priest with something to hide isn't quite what he had hoped for, but when the literate, arrogant, and tight-lipped Father Brennan Burke is implicated in the strange murder of a young woman, Monty doesn't just take the case - the case takes him. When Burke won't come clean, Monty is forced to play private detective, traveling into his client's past.

Things look good for the case until another body is found, marked with the same telltale sign as the first. Burke keeps mum, alternate suspects are ruled out, and the trial looks like it might be lost before deliberation. As if it couldn't get any worse, Monty's wisecracking ex-wife enters the picture, and she seems to know more about Burke than Monty does. Evidence and coincidence pile up, leading to a revelation neither Monty nor the listener see coming.

©2006 Anne Emery (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Halifax writer Emery will keep your already hot blood boiling thanks to this compelling legal drama." (Hour)
"A smart, elegantly written courtroom drama that will, I hope, be the first of many." (Calgary Herald)

What listeners say about Sign of the Cross: A Collins-Burke Mystery, Book 1

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Hybrid Mystery

First, what this is not: The title does not signal any kind of Dan Brown clone--no holy grail stuff. Also, when this novel was written (and where) a priest involved in scandal did not immediately mean a sex abuse story line - so don't pass on this for that reason. Also, this is not a faith-based novel; the series (though not this instalment) draws a little on the tradition of priest sleuth, but no affection for Catholic faith is necessary to like the priest character. Neither is this edge-of-seat stuff: There is no graphic violence and no explicit sex - any violence or sex necessary for the plot are obliquely described.

This is a combination mystery-legal-detective procedural with elements of a traditional village cozy transplanted to an identifiable Canadian city, Halifax. The novel starts slowly but picks up after first quarter. It is somewhat predictable - but the mystery is secondary to character and setting (and establishment of story lines feeding the series).

The narration is good but does not have good regional infections; however, generalized accents are much better than bad regional ones. Two quibbles with the narration: There are more priests with thick Irish brogues in the novel than in Halifax itself. And I hope the narrator gets a dictionary for some common theology terms mispronounced-- Other vocal feats seem very well done.

I'll never get to Edinburgh with Rebus or Baltimore with Tess Monaghan, so I was glad to download this while in Halifax. The cityscape isn't as strong as in the classic detective/ city combinations, but adds interest. The Canadian legal context is laid out to be easily comprehensible to a non Canadian.

I'll definitely be listening to the entire series.

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41 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Tight little mystery/legal thriller

I was very surprised with how enjoyable this little mystery was. I had never heard of the author or the series. Read it based on the reviews of two Audible readers I follow. Well, thank you! I just finished it and already downloaded the second in the series!

Monty Collins is a sharp tongued lawyer with an estranged wife who has an even sharper tongue. They defend a priest accused of murder and for a while neither you nor his attorney are quite sure whether Father Burke is guilty or not. The character development is very good, making even the mystery secondary to the players. But the mystery is quite good. You are given enough of the pieces to solve it -- and Anne Emery wraps the whole thing very nicely, making it just surprising enough.

Have a bit of patience at the beginning. There are phrases to the effect of "little did I know how wrong I was," or "I would come to regret those words soon enough" (not direct quotes, but this kind of unnecessary foreboding) a tad too often. However, once the story gets going, Ms. Emery's writing seems to get better as well. I had a hard time putting it down towards the end.

I thought Christian Rummel's narration was great. Yes, some of the Irish priests were a bit much -- but what could he do? They are meant to have Irish accents and he had to separate them from each other, so some do go a bit over the top. He made up for that minor fault with everything else -- even managing to make Monty's wife sound sharp tongued but likable (something that I have found is often hard for male narrators reading a woman's voice).

Like I said, I've already downloaded the second in the series (I am so happy when I find a new author who has a SERIES out already!). It's a testament to the character development that I am looking forward to finding out what happens to THEM as much as to the next mystery!

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

WOW! Quite a surprise!

I fell upon Anne Emery when searching for a good audible book. I read her latest and enjoyed it so much I started back to Book 1. I enjoyed this book even more. Apart from being enthralled by the intricacies of this modern 'whodunit' I was quite fascinated by the development of the relationship between Father Burke and Monty Collins.
This is a solid mystery situated in Halifax, NS and it relies heavily on the Nova Scotian culture. Emery creates and develops strong secondary characters which makes the book that more interesting. Christian Rummel is excellent as he portrays all the people - men, women, Irish, American, Canadian as well as young boys and girls.
Certainly worth the credit.
Now on to the next Emery book is the series.

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10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Audible Reviewers I Follow Led Me to this Series

After several hits and misses, I have discovered about a half-dozen Audible reviewers that I trust for enhancing my choices on the next mystery / legal / police procedural series to try. I am not sure I would have been drawn to Anne Emery's series without all of them raving about this audio-book. I owe these reviewers a great debt because this mystery story surprises you with its warmth and originality.

With this book you get a solid mystery, smart attorney, modern family life, lovely music, theology, eccentric characters, wit, Nova Scotia, and my favorite - Father Brennan Burke. I don't want to reveal much, because it is too much fun to discover as you listen. Instead, if you enjoy a thoughtful, sophisticated mystery series, trust my reviewers -- they know what they are talking about. Try this audio-book next.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book in every way!

So I began listening to this yesterday, for about the first hour believing this would be a solid "4" (stars) on everything. Then in about the 2nd or 3rd hour--I realized I was hooked in a big way, and at 2am this morning, still wide awake listening, I understood that this was an Exceptionally Good Book.

Sometimes (in my own mind, at least) I separate out whether a book is going to be a serious novel--requiring a sort of deep and intent listening, or a lighter mystery--which is an easier read. This book, while certainly a mystery, was a "Deep Listen" experience. It has a good mystery, but it is a fascinating exploration of character.

Monty Collins is an attorney in Hailfax who is asked to take on the case of a priest who (at the time) is possibly going to be arrested for a murder. He is somewhat put-off by the priest who is not very forthcoming or friendly to him, but over the course of the book, he & Ftr Brennan Burke get to know each other very well indeed.

This book depends upon development of each of the main characters. At first I sort of felt the author was spending too much time on this--peppering the beginning of the story with events that seemed casual, a bit too much time spent on showing incidents in which the two get to know each other better (such as playing cards together, getting drunk together in a social situation, a lot of interaction between Collins and his ex wife & kids, etc). I can only say that there came a point in the book where I completely understood how integral this all was to the whole.

This book has a good mystery--but it would have been very simple and flat without all the ways the author draws the listener right into the places where things are happening and learning much of the back story. Although this is a story about a priest, I felt nothing but interest in the religious pieces that are seamlessly woven in--and important, since they help the listener know who & how complex this character is.

One last point--I think the narrator was unusually good. In the beginning, I felt he was so-so, but as the plot developed, and the story depended upon understanding the deepest personality traits of the priest, it was his narration that truly brought it all alive. I think it would have been apparent reading the book, but he was a skillful actor in his ability to make me grasp some of the priest's most complicated aspects by his tone of voice, his range of emotions that clearly came across. I highly recommend this book--and will soon be moving on to its sequel.

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7 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Maybe even a 4.5

I really enjoyed this story... Anne Emery put together an amazing cast of characters... They are Imperfect in nature - But not to the extreme. I have to credit the narrator christian Rummel (One of my new favorite narrators) He brings Burke to life with a great Irish accent.
If he had Burke's character and voice, read a menu - I probably would have enjoyed it. The story did intrigue me as well. This is my first Anne Emery book - And after listening to this - I went and got the 4th book in the series because 2 & 3 did not great reviews by others. I enjoyed that one as well and probably would have enjoyed 2 & 3...... 1 & 4 have a little bit of everything in them. Murder - Mystery - Theology & Law

I will probably get more....... John

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

This is a Good Beginning!

If you are as picky about narration as I am, the first minutes of this book may cause you to listen no further. That is because the narrator (who did a really great job otherwise) produced a pretty awful female voice in the first minutes of his effort. But don't quit! He got a lot better and the story was really engaging. . . you'll be solving the who dunit right along with attorney Collins as he tries to sort out the accusations against Father Burke.

This is a good mystery -- tight plot, interesting characters and good writing. I will be looking for more in the series, for sure.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

OK, But Just OK.

First off, Christian Rummel is terrific. While he does Emery's entire ensemble wonderfully, he's particularly effective in creating female characters.

But my problem wasn't in the presentation of these characters… who are quite fully created with resonant personalities… No, the problem I had was that I didn't like any of these people, particularly the lead priest. I know… I know… people are complex. And Father Brennan Burke kept getting complexer and complexer (!).. to a point that went beyond his annoyance to his attorney Monte Collins… To the point where he annoyed me. And Emery surrounded Burke with equally annoying colleagues. Grumble.

I don't like to pay to be annoyed. But maybe it takes a really talented writer to do that, huh? So, I'm not sure if I'll try another Anne Emery novel or not. At this point, probably not.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Surpisingly good

Always great to find a new series to get into. And after book 1 I am certainly looking forward to reading all the other books in the series.
Compliments to the narrator. I loved the Irish accent!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Exciting debut novel and series.

Monty Collins was a legal aid criminal lawyer in Halifax, Nova Scotia, when a friend convinces him to join a private firm and defend criminals there for much more money, of course. But Monty is jaded. Most of his clients are guilty as charged and he has to try to get them off anyway. He’s gotten to the point where he automatically assumes any client he gets is guilty, and he wishes just once to defend an upstanding character. Well, be careful what you wish for. His friend and partner at the law firm introduces him to a priest who works with youth, where one of the assistants is murdered. A former policeman, also a friend of Monty’s, believes that this priest murdered the woman. Monty’s partner does not believe it and wants Monty to dig around and get information in advance so that if the priest is charged, they can defend him. Father Burke is arrogant and keeps things from his lawyer, just like all his guilty clients do, Collins thinks. But ultimately the police don’t have enough to charge him and he isn’t brought up on charges. But things don’t end there. Another woman turns up dead. This time there is a clearer motive connecting her to the priest. She is step-mother to one of his favorite pupils, and because of her negligence, the child is killed in a car accident. Both women had a cross drawn above their hearts and initials carved into the right side of the chest-IBR. Collins believes that the roots of the crime belong in Father Burke’s past and that someone is setting him up. So, before and during the trial, and after his initial conviction, Collins, mostly without Father Burke’s help, continues to search the priest’s life to figure out who hated him enough to set him up. This is an exciting book with lots of court proceedings and red herrings thrown in. I’ll certainly look forward to the next book in this series.

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