Thicker Than Water

This is the first of the series I've read, and I'm rather pleased. There's wit and priestly advice and murder too. The collection of characters is the kind you'd expect in a story about a small parish priest, and there is a character you won't expect like Marcus the pamphleteer. I don't deal in spoilers, but Marcus is a one of the more interesting characters in the story, a story which begins with a series of odd thefts, missing pork chops and homemade jam, that lead to serious crime. The information about the people and the crime are divvied out at a comfortable pace, allowing time for Dowling and the cohort to reveal their thoughts about the crime and the world around them.

in the dreary, cold pre-Easter lull, Murkin develops a case of persnicketiness. Someone has stolen from the church's offering box. great story! of mysterious disappearances.