It happens in the church

I’m reading one at present, but there are several I can mention.

A Cathedral Courtship
Kitty is accompanying her Aunt Celia on a tour of the great churches of England. Jack is an architecture student who contrives his study visits to largely correspond with their schedule.

Invitation to Live
Barbara’s grandmother directs her, in her will, to visit Trinity Cathedral in Chicago for Sunday services on the week she graduates from college. She meets Dean Harcourt (who appears in other Douglas stories) and receives a challenge.

Green Light is another featuring the dean.

The one I’ve started is also by Kate Douglas Wiggin.

The Old Peabody Pew appears to have been published as a special Christmas time offering. (Yes, that’s been a marketing ploy for more than a century.). Each page is decorated with tall candlesticks decorated with holly vine. (Yes, I know that’s botanically incorrect, but what can I say?)
The first chapter is all about the Dorcas Society at the Tory Hill Meeting-House saving the church structure from the elements and going further with upgrades.

I had to look up Dorcas Society.

Here’s what I found. The club was created to make and provide clothing for the poor.
In Wikipedia :
The Dorcas Society of Maine was founded in 1897 by Kate Douglas Wiggin as the Dorcas Society of Hollis & Buxton, Maine. The Dorcas Society of Maine is still active and provides academic scholarships and charitable contributions within its community.

I will tell you more about the book as I move into it.

Autobiography of a Cathedral has found it’s way onto my soon TBR pile.
The author styles himself as merely the editor of the work.
I’m the only holder of this book on LT.

>4 2wonderY: The next two chapters introduce us to the main characters, Nancy Wentworth and Justin Peabody. Justin has failed for years, but is just pulling even. He returns to his hometown to finally ask Nancy to improve him.
Most of the book does occur in the church.
The side characters are quirky and opinionated. Worth a read. Links on the home page to online copies.

These sound wonderful!

The Lord Peter Wimsey mystery Nine Tailors is centered on a church including its bell tower, churchyard and vicarage. The title refers to the church bell being tolled nine times for a man’s death. There is a bit more than I every wanted to know about church bells.
It’s a beautiful church.
“And there, mounting to the steep pitch of the roof, his eyes were held entranced with wonder and delight. Incredibly aloof, flinging back the light in a dusky shimmer of bright hair and gilded outspread wings, soared the ranked angels, cherubim and seraphim, choir over choir, from corbel and hammer-beam floating face to face uplifted.”

Excerpt From
The Nine Tailors
Dorothy L. Sayers
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-nine-tailors/id543810723
This material may be protected by copyright.

>8 BonnieJune54: That is one of my very favorite Wimsey novels. I must read it again, as I have been made aware that Sayers worked in many Gothic horror references, especially from M.R. James. I've only recently read his stories, so missed those the first three times I read The Nine Tailors.

>3 2wonderY: I read both and really liked them. Green Light is for sure in the list of books I always recommend others

>10 alisonmarks: Wow! Talk about a newbie! You found this obscure group quickly. Welcome!

I love those Dorothy L. Sayers mysteries, especially Gaudy Night. Both of the TV series are available on YouTube as well, I think.

Has anyone tried the Grantchester novels?

>9 MrsLee:
Apparently she was very fond of the Gothic. She also includes extracts from Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu at the start of several of her chapters.

>13 pgmcc: Oops! You were the friend I was thinking of, but I had the wrong author. :)

>8 BonnieJune54: I agree with @MrsLee, The Nine Tailors is my favorite Wimsey story. And there's a very good BBC production from the 1970s with Ian Carmichael. I see that actor's face whenever I reread Wimsey books.

>15 fuzzi: You can watch the series on YouTube, Fuzzi, but the picture is not very good so I am thinking of buying the DVDs.