REVIEW: EVIL INTENT, Kate Charles

I wrote my progress report on this 12 CD reading of the novel almost a month ago. It is read very well by Annie Aldington, and I must confess that I will miss listening to her as I drive to and from work.

I had not read any Kate Charles novels before and originally wondered whether I was going to like the novel, so far from my usual reading was it. In fact in my report I wrote "Things had better look up soon. I can feel things moving towards the first climax but there is a limit to how much of the day to day routine of church life that I can stand."

Well, I adapted to the setting and began to enjoy it. Here is the blurb again, because I really can't do much better:

Life in the clergy is quiet, respectful, peaceful or so Callie Anson believes when she begins her new job as curate to the Reverend Brian Stanford at All Saints Church in Paddington. Little does she realise how wrong she could be.

After the traumatic end of her relationship with fiancé Adam, the last thing Callie needs is any more emotional turmoil. But it seems she is not destined for a quiet life just yet. Knowing that women in the clergy are still disapproved of in certain quarters, Callie is prepared to face some criticism. But the deep-seated hatred shown by some of her respected male colleagues takes her by surprise, particularly the spiteful attack made by Father Jonah Adimola, a hard-line conservative Nigerian priest. Luckily, however, her good friend and mentor Frances Cherry is on hand to jump to her defence. But when Father Adimola is found strangled to death the next day and Frances is suspected of the crime, Callie must call upon her faith to steer her through the troubling and violent times ahead and help prove her friend's innocence. With DI Neville Stewart heading the investigation, it is not long before the ecclesiastical façade is chipped away to reveal the ugly truth of the hidden secrets of the clergy.

There's a lot in this story about relationships, the need to feel connection with another. As the mystery unfolded I enjoyed the exploration of emotional entanglements. I'd read or listen to another.

My rating: 4.2