A Vow of Silence

Sister Joan Murder Mystery, Book 1

By: Veronica Black

Narrated by: Jennifer Ness

Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

Discover a dramatic new mystery series set in a Cornish convent. Perfect for fans of Black Narcissus, Daphne du Maurier and Margaret Frazer.

The sisters at a lonely Cornish convent share a chilling secret they cannot confess...Sister Sophia is dead. Another disappears. And a mysterious last letter from a dying nun is sent to the prioress. Sister Joan has faced her own demons. Now she is sent to the convent to investigate, as well as teach the local children. There are whispers of virgin sacrifice and suicide, and the mother prioress certainly wears pink nail varnish. And who is the young man hiding in the bracken? 

Meet Sister Joan, a rebel nun who vows to find out the truth.

©2021 Veronica Black (P)2021 W F Howes

Critic Reviews

“Outstanding.” (Publishers Weekly)

Very good mild mannered cozy

This book was highly recommended on the British Mystery Book Facebook page. It is a nicely done cozy, the writing is above average. I found it to be extremely mellow. Nothing in the book disparages the church. Actually, it would be a safe book to listen to with young people in the car. No swearing, no violence etc Since the original review I have continued to read the books in this series. I thought I should come back and encourage people to ignore negative reviews. If anything, this mild mannered books are indeed complimentary to the church. Violence is mentioned, but not described. If you are looking for a change of pace, or need something tranquil at the moment, do give Sister Joan a try. The narrator is outstanding.

Sick. sick

Holy Catholic Bat Man. The Roman Catholic church covers up and buries murder and rape.

Book made me sick. Roman Catholic church buries murder, child slavery, rape and Gnosticism as an every day matter of course. May God forgive the author and publisher.

Not an Emergency Unless You are a Devout Catholic

At first, I was intrigued by the idea of a nun/lady detective, and I listened eagerly to the story. But when it became clear that the real "danger" was not murder, but a challenge to fiercely entrenched beliefs that devalue women in favor of men, I stopped being interested. This is the DaVinci Code all over again, and more evidence that as a species, we will need many centuries before we can grasp the simple concept that divinity is BOTH male and female, and of equal theological standing. I went away feeling no sympathy for the main character, her parochial mindset, or the Church that she represented.

Spoiled a bit by the narration

Overall, I enjoyed the book as it is rather different from the normal whodunnit.

I didn’t much like the narration however. The reader has a very nasal voice, a strange way of enunciating each syllable separately in a long word and doesn’t really do different voices for the different characters.

What I found really, really irritating was the pronunciation at the beginning of the book of the word ‘novitiate’ (which naturally appears often in a book set in a convent). The reader pronounces this ‘novitate’ instead of ‘novishiate’ in the first couple of chapters, although someone must have put her right and she changes it after that. Yes, I know I’m picky but I have a thing about stuff like that!

Beyond that, the story is gently listenable-to but not the most remarkable I’ve ever heard.

A Vow of silence

Good narration. An interesting and unusual mystery story for readers who enjoy a crime fiction without a lot of violence

Utter twaddle!

I have never read a sillier story, totally ridiculous and not in a good way. I cannot understand how it got to be recorded when there are so many good stories out there. Record Margaret Frazer tales and give us something worth listening to! Nuns wearing nail varnish for heaven's sake. Whoever decided to include this should be sacked.

Loved it!!

I can never resist novels set in a religious community. I came across the Sister Joan books via an Amazon recommendation. They seem to be out of print except on Kindle. Second hand copies are all at least £25 and ship from USA, so I tried book 1 on Audible.
It was excellent! Really fresh and modern religious themes. Sister Joan is an amazing heroine. The natrator is excellent.
If only the 8 other books were on Audible. Surely they will be? or will be reissued in paperback? It almost tempts me to acquire Kindle even though I hatr reading on screens. But it is either that or going bankrupt on second hand prices.
But I am addicted now. I MUST have more of this series!!!!

unbelievable

cannot give it a minus rating that it deserves. Totally incredulous. it was absolute rubbish.