Preaching to the Corpse: An Advice Column Mystery

Rebecca Butterman is part psychologist, part advice columnist and the best friend you'd love to have! Isleib brings her and the small town Guilford, Connecticut to life. Deadly Advice introduced the complex, caring character and Preaching to the Corpse brings her back in full force. When Dr. Butterman receives a call in the middle of the night from her minister, saying he's in custody after finding a parishioner dead, she jumps in and uses her analytical skills as a psychologist to find the killer. Isleib keeps us guessing with cleverly planted clues and keeps us wondering what will happen between Dr. Butterman and the very married Detective Meigs who keeps showing up in her life. Think Russ and Claire! I highly recommend this series.

When psychologist /advice columnist Dr. Rebecca Butterman gets a call in the middle of the night from the minister of her church she is not only thrust into a murder mystery (her minister found a parishioner dead in her home) but church politics. The deceased parishioner was a member of a search committee looking for a new assistant pastor and Rebecca takes her place on the committee. Rebecca soon learns how competitive and hostile church politics can be, not to mention dangerous. Rebecca is working with Detective Jack Meigs to solve the case - and fighting her attraction to the married detective. "Preaching to the Corpse" is the wonderfully done second book in Roberta Isleib's Advice Column mystery series (the first is Deadly Advice (An Advice Column Mystery)). Dr. Rebecca Butterman is one of my favorite fictional characters - she is one of the most complex, well-written characters in a mystery series. She is a psychologist who tries to help other people while she is struggling with her own issues. Divorced, she is still puzzled by her relationship with her ex-husband while struggling with her attraction to Detective Meigs. She is also trying to track down her long lost father, much to the dismay of her sister. I liked the fact that Rebecca is aware of her shortcomings, she is a very human and realistic character. The series takes place in Guilford, Connecticut and the town is as much a character in the book as the humans are. The behind the scene activities of church life are nicely done. The mystery elements are also well done - it is nicely plotted with plenty of suspects and the motive for the murder is believable if sad. "Preaching to the Corpse" is a good mystery for those that like mysteries with a bit of grit but not a lot of violence. Well done.

In Preaching to the Corpse, Roberta Isleib has crafted a compelling and satisfying addition to her new series featuring psychologist/advice columnist Dr. Rebecca Butterman. The best fiction is character-driven, and Dr. Butterman is a bright, spirited, enormously likeable, multi-dimensional woman who finds herself caught up in the tangles of a murder investigation. The storyline, about tracking the killer of the matronly head of a church committee, is well-plotted and effectively narrated with mounting tension and a satisfying conclusion. Even more imortant, Ms. Isleib continues to develop the character of Dr. Butterman through interwoven narratives about her professional work and personal life. An excellent psychological suspense mystery. I look forward to the next installment in the series.

Rebecca Butterman stays busy being a psychologist and advice columnist, so she is really not thrilled to be pulled into being the head of her church's search committee to find a new assistant pastor. This happens after the previous head of the committee is found murdered by the senior pastor. Has the pastor or another church member decided to ignore the commandment of "Thou shalt not kill" ? Rebecca may give excellent advice to others, but she has her own issues. She has a failed marriage that still haunts her, as well as an attraction to a married detective. These issues make her an authentic, empathetic heroine. The story is set at Christmas time, but this cozy mystery is a tale that can be enjoyed at any time of the year. PREACHING TO THE CORPSE is the second in a series, but it stands well on its on with adequate background deftly woven into the plot by the author. Of course, the reader will want to go back and read DEADLY ADVICE to get the full character development. I have been a huge fan of Ms. Isleib's books since her Cassie Burdette mysteries. With this new series, she confirms that her superb writing skills continue to both entertain and edify mystery readers. I look forward to future adeventures with Rebecca Butterman and wish Ms. Isleib much continued success.

Roberta Isleib's "Preaching to the Corpse", plunges into suspense when Dr. Rebecca Butterman gets a call in the middle of the night from her minister, Rev. Wesley Sandifer. He's at the police station. Lacy Bailes, a church member, is dead and he's a suspect. Dr. Butterman is a psychologist, but she also moonlights as Dr. Aster, an expert on heartbreak and love for Bloom!, an online magazine. Now she finds herself as Lacy's replacement on the search committee for a new pastor. At first, it was to help out her minister. When the suspicious death was discovered to be a murder, Detective Meigs asks her to his eyes and ears on the committee, which might give him a clue as to who the killer might be. When reading the banter between Rebecca and her friend, Angie, the word witty came to mind. The characters are believable and the mystery well orchestrated. I had no clue who the killer was until the very end!