The Christening Day Murder

By: Lee Harris

Narrated by: Dee Macaluso

Former nun Christine Bennett is looking forward to the christening of her friend Maddie's baby. But when she goes to the church basement of the town that was flooded out 30 years before, Christine stumbles upon the skeletal remains of a body - the grim result of a 30-year-old murder.

Trying to sort out the sordid puzzle from the past, Christine manages to unravel the dark secrets of the once close-knit community, and also reveals a killer who's not afraid to kill again....

©1993 Lee Harris (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Quality Mystery, Interesting Setting

This is the third Christine Bennett mystery, and the one I like best so far. I actually read this in print a long time ago and had forgotten most of it except the setting. The body is found in the basement of a church that had been submerged for 30 years. Dry weather leads to the church's reemergence. Chris's investigation recreates the long dead town and I found it very interesting. I also did not figure out the mystery. There are a few things to know about this series. The book feel very dated (looks like this one was written in 1993). The mysteries always seem to be about crimes that took place a long time ago so we find our clues in boxes of dusty old files and the minds of older people who haven't moved in many years. I don't necessarily need my mysteries to be super believable but some folks might find the coincidence of two places that someone hadn't lived in 30 years hanging on to a person possessions to be a bit much. I didn't mind. I like the narrator's voice for ex-nun Christine, but her male voices, particularly Chris's boyfriend Jack, sounded too much like a stuffed up little boy. But high marks for the mystery and the setting.

It's okay

This is an interesting series with a unique heroine. The mystery is well plotted and the characters are interesting. There are some times when Christine missed obvious clues. What intrigues me about the book is the relationship between Christine and Jack. I find their relationship and Christine's behavior unrealistic. She leaves the convent and jumps into the modern world of dating without guilt. All Catholics suffer from guilt. It's who we are. I would still recommend the series to anyone who likes cozy mysteries with a little romance.

Christening Day Cold Case

The third in the series finds Christine Bennett returning to the town she grew up in for the christening of the baby of her best friend. Thirty years ago, the town was flooded, but now it has resurfaced and the little church that was once home to both Christine and her best friend, Maddie, is the place that Maddie’s baby will also be christened. To everyone’s surprise, Christine finds a body, buried under water, all these years, in the basement of the church. What was to be a joyous event turns into a cold case investigation, with Chris Bennett insisting on justice for the unknown victim. But tight lips and secrets are around every corner in this tiny town. This is my favorite so far in the series. I could not, for the life of me, figure out who the killer was. And I like Christine more with every story, ex-nun, sleuth, girlfriend, teacher . . . disciple of the Lord . . . imperfect and flawed, just like me.