Peter Lovesey — The Reaper

Little, Brown 2000 Hardback 320 The bishop's body lies at the bottom of a quarry. In his car are a suicide note, a copy of 'Men Only' and a Bible underlined at the text, '... Hath devoured thy living with harlots'. His last phone call, the police discover, was to one Madame Swish. Devoured by guilt? Or did someone help the bishop move closer to the Lord? He was last seen alive by Otis Joy, the charming young rector of the Wiltshire village of Foxford. Adored by the ladies in his congregation, who fill his pews and collection plates each Sunday, the Reverend Joy had become less popular with the bishop, who had discovered irregularities in the church accounts. The bishop's demise is only the first of a series of sudden deaths in Foxford. Rich as the devil's food cake at the church fete, The Reaper is a dark, delicious crime story from the award-winning Peter Lovesey. DJ. Good