Book Review: The Monk, DS George Cross Book 5, Tim Sullivan
Book Review: The Monk, DS George Cross Book 5, Tim Sullivan
Blog Tour: May 4, 2023
DI George Cross likes predictable things. Ordinary. Regular. His particular mental makeup craves structure and order, discipline and consistency. That is part of what makes him a good detective: when things do not fit, he notices them. It is also part of what makes him a difficult person to get along with.
A local monk is found dead in a ditch. Cross and his long-suffering partner Josie Ottey note that he was badly beaten before his death. He was still bound to a chair with tape, hanging upside down from that chair. A natural question, of course, was who kill a monk. Cross has a slightly different question: why would someone beat and kill a monk?
The distinction may seem small, but to Cross it was critical. Any number of people could perpetrate a murder, even of a monk. But the beating seemed personal, targeted, focused. What was it about this particular monk that brought out such rage in someone? Why this monk? Was it something about the abbey? Something about his clerical duties? Or was it something else entirely?
As with the other books in this wonderful series, the mysteries of George Cross are at least as interesting as the mysteries he is solving. Cross is an atheist, but the regularity and discipline of the abbey is very appealing to him. He may not share their faith, but he loves their commitment and their quiet and their regularity. He begins spending weekends at the abbey, initially to work on repairing their organ. Even after the crime has been solved, though, he continues to spend time at the abbey. In a world of people who can barely tolerate George Cross (not that he notices or cares), the monks in the abbey accept him for himself. They appreciate his skills, they accept his quirks, and they welcome his presence.
Tim Sullivan impresses me more and more with each novel in this series. George Cross is a unique character, intriguing and extraordinary. His social skills might be lacking, but his compulsion to make everything fit expresses his desire for justice. He may not have empathy, but he manages to bring closure to grieving families all the same.
Our thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things for our copy of The Monk, provided so we could give an honest review. The opinions here are solely those of Scintilla. For other perspectives, check out the other bloggers on this tour.
Book Review: The Monk, DS George Cross Book 5, Tim Sullivan