Mortal Grace

Murder and religion collide in this compulsively readable police procedural by the bestselling author of� Privileged Lives� and�*Deadly Rich * Suffer the children . . . The first body is found in a hamper in the woods. Her feet were tied with a leather belt. There are traces of incense on her dismembered body, candle wax on her skin, and strange crumbs on her lips. As more butchered adolescent corpses turn up�the victims of a serial killer whose signature is the communion wafer left in each one�s mouth�the evidence leads NYPD lieutenant Vince Cardozo into the sacred and moneyed world of Manhattan�s exclusive parishes. Desperate to find the monster who preys on vulnerable runaways, Cardozo uncovers a conspiracy that reaches to the city�s highest levels of power. From Publishers Weekly Midway through Stewart's compelling novel about the squalid side of religion, a wearied Episcopal cardinal asks, "What happened to the days when priests were content to sit in the rectory and drink themselves silly?" Well he might wonder, as the dismembered bodies of street kids are turning up around New York City, buried in hampers with traces of communion wafers lodged in their mouths. An elderly, beloved priest from a moneyed parish seems a prime suspect, much to the dismay of his (also suspect) associate--a female priest of the same parish. Enter Stewart's handsomely tousled police detective Cardozo and his savvy sidekick Ellie Siegel, who turn over assorted rocks to uncover a gaggle of fascinating characters both sad and seamy, finding that even coverups have coverups and that churchgoing is hardly what it used to be. Stewart, who probed the underbelly of N.Y.C. society in Privileged Lives and Deadly Rich (earlier victories for the Cardozo/Siegel team), strips away pious clerical veneers and brutally lays bare their sins. His hero remains an engagingly human figure, cracking wise just often enough to amuse but not irritate; the byplay with his teenage daughter continues to charm. Lurid details here might bother the squeamish, but they'd be missing a nifty read if they let that deter them. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Stewart (Deadly Rich, Dell, 1992) has written a large-scale police procedural/thriller, the third in the Cardozo series. It delves into the netherworld of sexually based crimes practiced by members of the priesthood and kept undercover through the collusion of the religious hierarchy as well as the police and press. Lt. Vince Cardozo, NYPD, is the driving force behind the initial investigation of a seemingly isolated incident. As layer upon layer of past crimes, convoluted relationships, and sexual proclivities of priests throughout New York City are brought to light through the investigative activities of Cardozo and company, the reader is shown the seamy underside of the Catholic Church. The novel keeps the reader enthralled, though the level of detail can be annoying. Overall, this is an interesting and absorbing puzzle that is worth the effort to finish even if it involves some wholesale page skipping. Recommended for larger public libraries with a strong mystery/thriller collection. Erna Chamberlain, SUNY at Binghamton Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.