Perhaps that's why
quality Christian writers like G. K. Chesterton (Fr.
Brown), Dorothy L. Sayers (Lord Peter Whimsey) and
Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael) are drawn into the
whodunit-writing trade.
Now another Christian
writer, Bill Kassel, can join their esteemed company
with Holy Innocents. Kassel is a much-published local
writer who was the former director of public affairs
for Hillsdale College.
The novel gets off to
a pretty conventional start: Characters in the sleepy
Midwestern town that provides a backdrop get a rude
awakening when confronted with a horrific crime. No
surprise here; it's the beginning of almost every
detective novel ever written.
But, in Holy
Innocents, the crime that starts the story&emdash;a
baby killed by partial-birth abortion&emdash;is not
defined as criminal in our society. This simple fact
takes the reader's attention away from courtrooms and
police reports and rivets it instead on matters of the
soul. And, with the center of its action a Catholic
Church, there is no doubt the reader's focus will stay
there throughout the novel.
Having opened with the
biggest issue of the day, Holy Innocents takes up
other hot-button issues: ecumenism, school choice,
feminism, infertility, "traditional" vs. "progressive"
Catholics, mental illness, character assassination,
and the ethics of the modern media.
Since detective novels
are a type of modern morality play, the genre lends
itself to stereotypical characters. But Bill Kassel is
not Agatha Christie, who liked playing with intricate
plots more than with complex personalities. Although
some of his characters look as if they might be
predictable&emdash;the feminist, the skeptical
policeman, the ultraconservative priest&emdash;each
confounds expectations. For me, the best part was
learning to like the liberal, feminist-leaning nun
whom I disliked intensely at the beginning of the
novel. Her greatest virtue, compassion, leads her
where her prejudices normally wouldn't let her go.
The power of virtue is
one of the great features of Holy Innocents. Habits of
virtue help the main characters in their struggles
against the problem of evil. Just as love helps Sr.
Elaine stay on (and lead others along) the path that
leads to life, habits of right-relating lead Baptist
pastor Matt to reach out to a Catholic priest
precariously near despair. The detective hero, Alan
Kemp, a recent convert to Catholicism, lets faith help
him solve the crime. The novel's only drawback is that
it's not long enough. We never learn as much as we
want to about Kemp: Did his intriguing military
background and failed marriage move him toward
Catholicism? What role will his job as music director
for a Catholic parish play in future novels?
One also wants to
learn more about colorful characters like Aunt Min,
the African American matriarch who keeps her clan
loyal to the Church. Or about Pastor Matt: will he
return to the Church his father abandoned?
I haven't wanted so
much to read more since I finished A Morbid Taste For
Bones or Strong Poison. Ellis Peters and Dorothy
Sayers, make room for Bill Kassel.
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