Alms of the Son (The McAllister Mysteries)

The McAllister MysteriesThese novels were begun in 2006 and have been fashioned into a series which will soon contain six loosely related works. With any luck, the series will extend beyond these initial fictional narratives. I refer to my stories as “philosophical novels” because I have constructed a charming young amateur sleuth who is, in fact, no cleverer than her creator. Rather, Margaret McAllister is every bit as insightful as one would expect a teacher of British Literature in an all-girl Catholic school to be. However, her success in solving crimes, both in minimummmm side and beyond her quaint midwestern institution, rests largely on her intellect…and her chatty friends. It should go without saying that the greatest literary achievements from across the pond are bound to provide even the most distracted young woman with sufficient worldly wisdom to navigate the misdeeds of almost anyone who experiences the misfortune of crossing her path in pursuit of intransigence. Whenever Margaret runs her suspicions up the flagpole of lounge talk, she is buoyed by the real-life expertise of her colleagues. The rotten apples don’t have a chance.In spite of a few thwarted romantic endeavors, a pesky chronic illness, and a disruptive cat, Margaret McAllister brings to light the dastardly deeds of seemingly harmless people who wreak havoc on the lives of old and young alike. She even solves an historic murder involving her hapless sorority sisters…all while laying the foundation for her own marriage to a prosperous local attorney.Ultimately, these novels are what one might refer to as American cozies on account of the wholesome mirth with which Margaret McAllister brushes away the dust and grime of everyday life to reveal patterns of motives and behavior which have long been laid bare through literature. Charlotte Bronte suggested the unlikelihood of charting out a fresh course to shame and destruction. Oh no…it has all been done before. The question is…will anyone bother to look deeply into the nature of deaths that seem either natural or accidental? A more pertinent line of inquiry probably surrounds the dilemma of what one should do…once she stumbles upon an untimely departure that proves to benefit some seemingly pure soul quite elaborately. Indeed, people kill people all the time. They just have to hope that no one as perspicacious as Margaret McAllister and her devoted colleagues is on the case when they do. Read more