Interesting aspects of Mormon culture come to light as Detective Abish Taylor returns to her home town after career in New York and being widowed. Her first murder case has entire force on edge as the murder victim is posed in form of a ritual from early Church history, now abandoned.

Detective Abish Taylor has returned to Utah where she grew up. She's trying to put her life back together after the death of her husband and just had to get out of New York. She never intended to return to Utah. After leaving the Mormon faith, her family relationships are difficult....but this is a chance to start over so she's going to do the best she can. She expected her detective position at the Pleasant View PD to be pretty bland, as the crime rate is incredibly low. But then new homeowners find a dead man in their closet. Not just dead.....his throat has been cut. His clothing and body point to this being some sort of Mormon blood atonement ceremony. The local Mormons want this kept quiet to prevent scandal....but Abish knows she needs to solve this case.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. I'm not usually all that interested in books that lean heavily on religion, especially religious factions that control local government or attempt to hide crimes to stop scandal. But...this story is very well written and definitely suspenseful. Despite a few twinges at the Mormon-centric plot, I found myself engrossed in this story of secrets, lies, hypocrisy, and the many demons that can be hidden behind religion. I felt Abbie's frustration every time local Mormon leaders controlled information, slowed her investigation or put pressure on her and others to keep things quiet, even hinting the case didn't need to be solved. With a father who is high up in the Mormon hierarchy and already strained family relationships, Abbie is really between a rock and a hard place. She can stay true to herself and her career by solving this case, no matter what it brings to light. Or, she can placate her father and Mormon leaders and smooth her job, family and local relationships.

Great story! Very well-written. The suspense builds quickly and keeps steady from start to finish. The characters are nicely developed. I loved Abbie as a main character. She is strong, intelligent, somewhat broken, but always true to herself.

I will definitely be reading more of this series! That shocks me, really....as I usually just hate books that intertwine religion so much with the plot....but in this case, it really worked. Making waves in a place where religion forms the local culture is difficult and sometimes dangerous. As a former Catholic, I found myself sympathizing with Abbie. The Catholic church fights to cover up things that maybe should see the light of day....like abuse and other crimes. And, my leaving the Catholic church caused a very harsh family schism in my own life...one that still exists today. There will be no smoothing over the rift in my case, which I have had to learn to live with. I can see this becoming a favorite series for me. I can't wait for the next book!

A word of caution: This book might be a bit offensive for those of Mormon faith. It talks about some of the more violent aspects of Mormon history and shows a local church leadership bent on hiding secrets, even if that means stopping the investigation of a murder. The plot doesn't pull any punches and talks about some aspects of temple and Mormon life that according to a Mormon friend of mine are really not supposed to be talked about. If that would offend you, might be best to pass this one by.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

4.5 stars.

Blessed Be the Wicked by D. A. Bartley is a compelling mystery that incorporates the Mormon faith into the storyline.

Abish "Abbie" Taylor is the only detective in the Pleasant View Police Department. A small town with a dense population of members of the Latter Day Saints, everyone on the police force is shocked by the ritualistic death of a prominent resident. Trying to prevent any negative publicity for the Church, Police Chief Russell Henderson pulls everyone off the case except for Abbie and Officer Jim Clarke. With pressure to solve the case quickly and quietly, Abbie and Jim cross paths with church officials who are not exactly forthcoming when answering questions. Will Abbie and Jim unmask the killer before Henderson and church officials shut down their investigation?

Abbie has been estranged from everyone in her family except for her brother, John, since she left the church and moved out of state. Following the death of her husband, she decided to moved back to Utah in hopes of reconciling with her father and sisters, but her siblings are not receptive to her overtures. Abbie's interactions with her dad are fraught with tension, but they are making progress in working through their issues.

Abbie also experiences tension with the many of her co-workers. However, she has a good working relationship with Jim and his close ties with the residents of the community are extremely helpful during their investigation. Although she is no longer an active member of the church, her knowledge of the Mormon faith is extensive (and rather impressive). Abbie immediately recognizes the significance of the manner in which the victim died, but Chief Henderson seems more concerned with protecting the church's reputation than solving the case. She and Jim must tread lightly as they question prominent leaders of the church who have close ties to the victim. Jim is a devout Mormon and this proves to be a valuable asset throughout the investigation.

With plenty of twists, turns and clever red herrings, Blessed Be the Wicked is an intricately plotted and infinitely fascinating mystery. Abbie is a likable and sympathetic lead character but it would be nice to learn more information about her past. The secondary characters are also appealing but they are not very well-rounded due to a lack of much backstory. D. A. Bartley skillfully weaves different facets of the Mormon faith into the storyline and these glimpses of the Latter Day Saints are quite interesting. The investigation into the victim's death exposes many other secrets that will hopefully be explored in future installments of the Abish Taylor Mystery series. ( )

Abish Taylor has returned to the small Mormon community that she had left behind. The passing of her husband has pushed her into attempting to reconcile things with her father, a Church University Lecturer. She is struggling with being the only female detective, while the only female, in the boys club known as the police force and being a non-practicing Mormon. She is paired with a young returned missionary who is dedicated to the faith. Together they must work together to solve a murder case of a high church member before their chief and other elders shut their case down.

This story is told in the third person. The author has given a substantial basis of background knowledge on the Mormon faith and takes time to explain the traditions and practices that are shown in the book. The characters have a good amount of growth and the interactions seem genuine and realistic. The characters are not the easiest to connect with as we do not see a lot of their personalities outside of the text of solving the crime. The events follow a logical sequence that could possibly be considered a true crime. There is an excellent usage of red herrings and plot twists.

Yes, I would recommend this book. The story is about forgiveness, reconciliation and how far would you go for your faith. It would be a perfect book for a young adult who is struggling with their faith but also anyone who is for a good mystery. ( )

Blessed Be the Wicked by D.A. Bartley is the first installment in An Abish Taylor Mystery series. Abish “Abbie” Taylor is a widow who has moved back to her hometown of Pleasant View, Utah where she is the only detective in the town’s small police force. Abbie is hoping to reconnect with her family who were less than understanding (except her brother, John) when she left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Abbie’s newfound peace is shattered when she is called to an unusual murder scene. The victim is wearing sacred temple clothes and killed according to an abolished punishment ritual called Blood Atonement. Abbie dives into the case with her partner, Officer Jim Clarke, but she is thwarted at every turn. Even her fellow officers attempt to hinder her investigation. Church leaders do not want their secrets coming to light and the police chief is pushing for her to close the case, but Abbie wants justice for the victim. Join Abbie as she follows the clues to catch a deadly killer in Blessed Be the Wicked.

Blessed Be the Wicked is a different type of cozy mystery. It is set in Pleasant View, Utah where many of the citizens are members of the LDS. The author provides readers with the inner workings of the church (the hierarchy, various committees, rituals). It did seem that D.A. Bartley is not a fan of the church or its practices based on the criticism. The details provided on the church slowed down the pace of the story and some of it was just baffling. I did enjoy discovering the history behind the Mormon faith. The author created a complicated mystery with a simple solution. The crime scenes are explained in graphic detail which is unusual for a cozy mystery. The author has a descriptive writing style which allows me to visualize the scenes. I did wonder at the overabundance of detail regarding high end clothing and accessories. At the end of the book, I was left with unanswered questions (which is so frustrating). I was never able to get into Blessed Be the Wicked, and I struggled to finish it. Blessed Be the Wicked was not the right fit for me. ( )