Book Description:
First light, Ascension morning. From the top of the tower at the College of the Transfiguration, voices rise in song.
Felicity’s delight turns to horror when a black-robed body hurtles over the precipice and lands at her feet, the strange emblem of a double-headed snake clutched in his hand.
Matters grow murkier as Felicity and Antony, leading a youth pilgrimage through rural Wales, encounter the same sinister symbol as they travel. Lurking figures follow them through the land of dragons and old Celtic saints. Then a body is found face-down in a well …
An Idyllic pilgrimage through Wales becomes a life-and-death struggle between good and evil.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading An Unholy Communion, Book 3 in The Monastery Murders series. I’ve read Book 1, A Very Private Grave, and it was good to journey with Felicity and Father Antony again. Felicity is an American who studies at an English monastery where Father Antony is a lecturer. This book differs to the typical Christian fiction book because it explores the historic Anglo-Catholic roots and traditions of the Anglican Church in England. The Monastery Murder series have plots that are connected to the early church in Britain, going back as far as the early centuries AD when the saints lived and the Christian faith spread through the known world from Rome.
Antony and Felicity are engaged to be married, and become embroiled in a modern day murder mystery when a dead body falls out of a church bell tower during the Ascension morning service and lands at Felicity’s feet. The man is holding a piece of paper with a distinctive snake emblem on it. Felicity reaches for the paper and it ignites, reducing to ashes for no apparent reason. Antony and Felicity embark on a youth pilgrimage walking tour through Wales, following in the steps of Saint David. They are accompanied by a quirky group who add colour and flavour to the story. A series of unusual events occur that suggest a supernatural force may be at work. I recommend this book to those interested in reading a supernatural murder mystery that explores early British church history.
