Rating: 4.5/5*
Author D.A. Bartley returns with her second novel starring Detective Abish “Abby” Taylor, a former member of the Mormon church and now the sole detective in the small, mountain community of Pleasant View, Utah.
When a late-night car crash occurs and Abby learns who was fatally injured, her world is turned upside-down and she is drawn back into the religious community she left so long ago. The murder victim was an elder member of the Church and a long-time friend of Abby’s family. With her father’s job and senior position in the church at stake, she travels to Colonia Juarez, a former Latter Day Saints (LDS) community in Mexico where she uncovers a plan the elder members of the Church have devised to increase the LDS population through a return to the practice of polygamy. As her investigation continues, more and more secrets are exposed and she begins to learn just how far the Church will go to ensure its future.
I thoroughly enjoyed this detective thriller, not only is the writing fast-paced with several twists, there is the bonus of learning about the history of the Mormon church. I always enjoy novels that have a little something different, something that piques my interest. Learning about the Mormon church and its history of polygamy from an author who grew up in the church was enlightening. I was able to see polygamy from a different perspective, from a more practical viewpoint. Each of the author’s books deals with a specific piece of Mormon history – in Bartley’s first novel, Blessed Be the Wicked, it’s blood atonement. In Death in the Covenant, it’s polygamy and the dwindling population of young men in the Church. Her third novel, which is in development, will be about the Book of Mormon founding story. Highly recommend this author and her novels for something a little different than the usual murder mystery.
