Templeton, Aline – PAST PRAYING FOR

[LJ Roberts]

PAST PRAYING FOR (Mystery/Suspense/England-Cont) – VG+ Templeton, Aline – 3^rd book
Constable, 1996- Hardcover

Reverend Margaret Moon should have listened to her mother’s warning of “be careful what you wish for” when she wishes something would shake up the small town in which she is the newly appointed pastor of St. Mary’s. Women, in small Stretton Noble, are being terrorized and a local derelict killed in an arson fire. The question, in this tense story of a severely neglected child now grown, is who is behind it all.

I am reading this author somewhat back-to-front as I was introduced to her through her book “Cold in the Earth.” That I’ve gone back and found her back list should say it all. The lady knows how to write diverse, identifiable characters. Even her less pleasant characters are ones with whom you can empathize. She also really knows how to create atmosphere and tension. Her dialogue is excellent and there’s something about her writing that always strikes a memory chord for me. In this case, although I’ve not attended church for years, the excerpts of old hymns brought the tunes back to me in full. I highly recommend this author.