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A Linda Wallheim Mystery
by Mette Ivie Harrison
In Draper, Utah, a tight-knit Mormon community is thrown into upheaval when their ward's second counselor - one of the bishop's right-hand men - is found dead in an elaborately staged murder on church property. Carl Ashby was known as a devout Mormon, a pillar of the community, and a loving husband and father. Who would want him dead?
Linda Wallheim, the wife of the ward's bishop, can't rest as long as the ward is suffering. She is particularly worried about Carl's grieving family. But the entire case is turned upside down by the autopsy report, which reveals Carl Ashby was a biological female. In the Mormon church, where gender is considered part of a person's soul, some people regard transgenderism as one of the worst possible transgressions of faith. Church officials seem to be more upset by Carl's gender than by his murder, and more concerned with hushing up the story than solving the crime.
Linda realizes that if the police are to catch the killer, they are going to need an ally on the inside - and she is the only one who can help. Carl was living a life of secrecy for twenty years. What else was he hiding - and can Linda ferret out the key to his death before the rumors tear her community apart?
"Starred Review. Outstanding... The suspect pool may be small, Harrison once again dramatizes the agonizing plight of those who firmly believe church doctrine and yet by their nature have a fundamental conflict with it." - Publishers Weekly
"Linda is an extremely likable and refreshingly imperfect series lead - an ideal guide to aspects of Mormon life that may be unknown to many readers. She's also curious, smart, and impulsive - essential traits for any successful amateur sleuth!" - Booklist
"Harrison provides a fascinating look into the Mormon church from the point of view of a woman who sometimes struggles with its strict rules. Linda's insider's perspective is almost as engrossing as the mystery itself. Recommended for mystery lovers." - Library Journal
"Does a wonderful job of parting the curtain on many of the Mormon Church's mysteries." - Kirkus
"A fast moving crime story, but also far more than that. Deep social and moral issues dealt with, and made real with compassion and honesty. I couldn't put it down!" - Anne Perry
This information about His Right Hand was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Mette Ivie Harrison is the author of numerous books for young adults. She holds a PhD in German literature from Princeton University and is a nationally ranked triathlete. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, she lives in Utah with her husband and five children. The Bishop's Wife was her crime fiction debut.
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