The Last Suppers by Diane Mott Davidson

I suppose that I could stop saying, "I've read this one before, but it was a long, long time ago." I'll probably mention it when I get to one that I have not read previously. Every time I finish reading one of the books in the five or six or seven series that I am reading or rereading I want to immediately get the next one, so I am trying to ration them - the better to compare them - I keep telling myself.

We've got more Episcopalians here. I had forgotten (if it had ever penetrated my awareness) that Goldy was an Episcopalian. Actually, it seems to me that in the first book or two (which I have reread fairly recently) she was not attending church at all. This one is a very "churchy" book. It opens on the day of Goldy and Tom's wedding which is interrupted, of course, by a murder. The murder victim being the priest who was supposed to perform the ceremony - definitely a bit of a downer, but not as much of a downer as the kidnapping of the groom. I remembered from earlier reading that Tom was kidnapped just as they were about to be married, but most of the particulars had escaped me.

An odd little bit, Goldy keeps hearing voices, those of the dead priest and the missing Tom, giving her hints toward solving the mystery. Just a little weirdness which is not characteristic in this series. Typically, Goldy figures it all out only seconds before the murderer figures out that she has figured it out and comes after her.

This Episcopalian thing is interesting. I grew up knowing that Baptists were a fairly contentious lot, but I had never expected it of Episcopalians. These are a rough bunch, and the congregation of Clare Fergusson's church isn't much better. In the Kate Shugak books by Dana Stabenow there are threads of Native American mysticism, but the only churchy book was the one about the murderous cult. Donna Leon's Brunetti family is very Italian. They take pride in the churches of Venice, but it would never occur to them to attend a service in one of them. The Hannah Swenson stories by Joanne Fluke - pure fluff, but are Swedes Episcopalians? If they are, they haven't made much of an impression on me so far. I guess that would be something to read this weekend while I am working on my last paper for the curriculum history class. The other series I am working my way through is translated from Swedish, and the writer is a man - so I don't think it can be included in my "study" at all, but I don't think Kurt Wallander attends church.