Series:

Sister Mary Helen Mysteries

10 primary works • 11 total works

Book 1

Cover of A Novena for Murder
Sister Mary Helen, aged seventy-five, had resisted retirement. She feared she'd find only prayer, peace and a little pinochle. But she had no sooner arrived at Mount St Francis College for Women when she was greeted by an earthquake, a hysterical secretary and a fatally bludgeoned history professor. Police inspectors Kate Murphy and Dennis Gallagher promptly make a very human error when they arrest an innocent. Perhaps by divine inspiration, Sister Mary Helen knows a mistake has been made and turns her own talents into a hunt for the guilty. Nothing is sacred when it comes to catching a killer with a habit for murder.

Book 2

Cover of Advent of Dying

Advent of Dying

by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie

Published 1 November 1987

Book 3

Cover of The Missing Madonna

Book 4

Cover of Murder in Ordinary Time

Book 5

Cover of Murder Makes a Pilgrimage

Book 6

Cover of Death Goes on Retreat

Book 8

Cover of Death Takes Up a Collection

Book 9

Cover of Requiem at the Refuge
In Sister Mary Helen's new outing as an inadvertent detective, the elderly nun must make do without her even more elderly sidekick, Sister Eileen. Eileen has gone back to Ireland to be with her dying sister, so Mary Helen has no one with whom to share her fears when the head of St. Francis College dies suddenly and is replaced by the coldly efficient Sister Patricia. Surely, Mary Helen feels, she will be swept aside as too old in the clean sweep Patricia is famous for in the order.To her rescue comes the much younger Sister Anne, who runs the refuge, a shelter for homeless women. Although Anne doubts whether Mary Helen can deal with the kind of women who seek refuge there, kindness leads her to ask the nun to volunteer at the centre. And Anne quickly learns that the women's blue language, gritty lifestyles and casual moral standards don't daunt the doughty old woman. Even though Mary Helen is saddened when a young woman who frequented the centre is found murdered in an alley behind the building, her sympathy does not deter her from pursuing the clues she uncovers.The homicide detectives assigned to the case, Kate Murphy and Dennis Gallagher, have dealt with Mary Helen before.
They are very firm about warning her to tend to her sisterly duties and let them do the investigating. Sister Mary Helen has been warned, but that doesn't mean she has been stopped.

Book 10

Cover of The Corporal Works of Murder
Who was the mystery victim? Sister Mary Helen is once more in the middle of a murder case. Not that she wants to be. No one would envy the old nun, who finds herself holding a dying young woman, shot in the street almost directly outside the Refuge for homeless women where Mary volunteers. And even while she grieves over the loss of life, Mary Helen spots something odd about the victim. Although she is wearing ragged clothing, her skin is unblemished and healthy looking. Her perfect teeth are white and unstained. She doesn't look like a woman whose life has been spent in poverty and on the streets. With the weapons of her logical mind and her determination, will Sister Mary Helen solve the case and prove to be the bane of Inspector Gallagher's life?

Book 11

Cover of Murder at the Monk's Table
The Monk's Table is a pub in the village of Ballyclarin, Ireland, home to the Oyster Festival, where Sister Mary Helen and Sister Eileen are in attendance. The two do their best to take in all the events, from art contests to games of whist. But just as in San Francisco, Sister Mary Helen can't help but be in the wrong place at the right time. She's not had more than one piece of rhubarb pie before she stumbles across a dead body in the ladies' room. She and Sister Eileen are warned to stay out of the case; the Irish police will handle it. But aside from prayerful devotion, murder is Sister Mary Helen's speciality and it won't be long before the Irish are glad these Yank nuns dropped in on the festivities. Sister O'Marie ventures into a new setting with great confidence and imagination. The result is a stunning mystery boasting a colourful cast of characters, not the least of which is Sister Mary Helen, our delightful sleuthing cleric.

Cover of Death of an Angel

Death of an Angel

by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie

Published 15 December 1996