The order’s mode of transportation, dubbed the anti-Chrysler, a station wagon well into its terminal stage of life, is one indication that the nuns are able to subsist scarcely above the poverty level. Their devotion to God and doing His great works make this austere life a mere inconvenience.

Father Anselm, the priest from a nearby school, is the chaplain for the order. One day while celebrating Mass, Father Anselm collapses and dies. The entire order is horrified at the young priest’s death, but more aghast to learn that the local sheriff, Tom Green, believes the death to be a homicide. The circumstances of the death indicate the perpetrator is someone within the monastery. The Reverend Mother charges Sister Agatha with the dual role of spokesperson with the outside world, especially Sheriff Green, and to also privately ask questions within their community to discover the explanation for Father Anselm’s untimely death.

The merits of Bad Faith can be considered from two different viewpoints, as a mystery story and, as an inside look at the daily activities of a cloistered order of nuns. As a mystery the book is passable. The concept of a murder being committed in a monastery is an unusual, albeit disturbing one. Yet because of the locked room scenario it invokes, the number of suspects is limited. As the personalities of the individuals who live within the confines of the Blessed Adoration are detailed, the obvious suspect emerges early in the game. Why it takes law enforcement and Sister Agatha an additional one hundred pages to figure it out is rather perplexing. The motive behind the crime remains obscure a bit longer, but when it does emerge, it is weak at best.

What is educational about the novel is the description of monastic life. Not merely the spartan existence that the nuns embrace, but the ingenuity that they employ to earn enough money to ensure the continued viability of their order. They miss no opportunity to improve their cash flow, even to the extent of adopting a sophisticated form of begging. You may not agree with their philosophy, but you cannot help but admire their tenacity and inventiveness.

As a mystery, the book was at least one hundred pages too long. The plot, such as it was, moved way too slowly and attempts at levity were a bit heavy handed. Mention of the monastery’s transportation as the anti-Chrysler brought a smile initially but it quickly got old, as did the description of a nun riding a motorcycle with a German shepherd in the side car. Agatha is portrayed as above average in intelligence (Thank you Garrison Keillor), and, of course, familiar with the jobs and rituals of monastic life. Yet it takes her forever to identify the culprit. In Sheriff Green’s case we should be more lenient since he must obtain his information through Agatha or other nuns via the Reverend Mother. His access to key witnesses is also blocked, but with the weight of the law on his side he could be more forceful. The authors’ thinly veiled attempts at providing red herrings are, indeed, just that - thinly veiled and easily recognized as such.

The true merit of the book is the description of the austere life of cloistered nuns. If one is interested in a glimpse of that life, the book is worthy of your attention. If not, best look elsewhere for reading material.

--Andy Plonka