A Church Killing to Defend Itself

The Seville Communion is a novel set in Spain. In fact, the city of Seville is a major character, along with a church, Our Lady of the Tears. The church kills. The story begins with a computer message sent to the pope. I am not sure His Holiness ever receives the messages because his computer is guarded by computer experts who monitor the pope's emails. As you can imagine, many crackpots send the pope messages, so computer experts glean through his messages. But a hacker, who is nicknamed Vespers, does succeed in getting a message through. The message briefly related the story of a "church killing to defend itself."

This is the story. This is the mystery. Our Lady of the Tears is a small seventeenth-century dilapidated church. The powers that be in Seville, bankers, real estate moguls, diocesan bishops, want to demolish the church to make room for more enterprising entities. But the church has historical and emotional meaning. It's a family church with a long established Sevillian lineage. The family consists of a matriarch countess, a beautiful seductress daughter--estranged from her banker husband. Aligned on their side is the old pastor of the church, along with an American nun who is an art preserver.

These are the battle lines between which two people have died suspiciously: the bishop's secretary, and a Sevillian building inspector. Enter our hero, Father Lorenzo Quart. Fr. Quart is sent by the Vatican's version of the secret service. Think of Quart as a troubleshooter. His job is to find out who Vesper is, the status of the church, and to assess the situation. 

This is the story. There are enough twists to surprise the reader. There's sex; Seville itself is seductive. There's violence, besides the initial killings. Father Quart does not turn the other cheek. There's mystery; you won't solve the crime until the author tells you "who done it."

There's even comic relief with three hired "down in their luck misfits." They're darling bunglers. They force the action to climax and bring answers to the forefront.

Readers who enjoy Spain, mysteries, and offbeat characterization will enjoy The Seville Communion. This is my first Arturo Perez-Reverte novel, but it certainly won't be my last.