A historical mystery set in a remote monastery and featuring supernatural elements, a cheeky thief, and an earnest monk.
In 1911, Gabriel is a monk at the Benedictine Monastery of St. Ambrose in Switzerland who knows very little of the outside world, having been left in their care a decade earlier when he was about 4. His closest friend is fellow teen Percy St.-John, a lay-brother and temporary addition to their monastery, sent there as an attempt to reform his wicked, thieving ways. When a precious, ancient, and mysterious book goes missing, suspicion falls on Percy, who must use his skills to uncover the mystery and uses all the help he can get, including that of Gabriel and Elizabeth, a French pilgrim recently arrived at the monastery with her parents, who hope for a cure for her disability. But who is the real culprit: a monk or one of the many pilgrims currently visiting? Perhaps the answer lies in the occult, since Gabriel knows full well that guardian angels and demons do exist. Told in Gabriel’s first-person narration, this short novel is reminiscent of literary classics, with a healthy dose of supernatural elements, endearing characters, and an intriguing, well-devised mystery at its core. All characters are assumed White. The depiction of Elizabeth’s changing feelings about her disability is positive, but repeated use of the descriptor lame strikes an unfortunate note for contemporary audiences.
A fast-paced and engaging historical mystery.
(glossary) (Paranormal mystery. 14-18)