Whenever one reads a mystery with a priest sleuth, it's natural to think of Chesterton's Father Brown. Of course, not all such sleuths measure up to Father Brown and the moral and ethical framework Chesterton created.
Father Gabriel does measure up. Fiorella De Maria has created a priest detective who investigates and solves crimes but is concerned even more with his fellow characters and their salvation.
Missing, Presumed Lost is the fifth book (and the fifth one I've read) in the six-book series. I'm assuming - hoping - she will write more.
The plot involves finding the buried skeletal remains of a young girl who disappeared 30 years before. Was it murder? Who buried her? Who knew what happened?
Father Gabriel, whose Benedictine monastery is located in the village where the girl had lived and where her remains were found, is drawn into the mystery. At the same time, the death of a child haunts him because, before he became a priest, he was married, but then his wife and daughter were murdered, a case that was never solved.
De Fiorella has written a number of books besides the Father Gabriel mysteries. She is a skilled writer, and this book is another fine example of her work.
I think Chesterton would have approved.
A definite thumbs up!
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