A Vow of Silence

When the Prioress of a religious order receives a mysterious letter from an elderly nun, she dispatches Sister Joan to her convent to investigate. She arrives to find the correspondent dead, a novice missing, and a recent accidental death of a third sister. Can she deduce what is happening before another nun disappears?

Books set in the recent past remind me how quickly the expectations for women have changed. This mystery increases that disconnect by placing the main character into a religious order, where her past as an independent woman jars against the religious vows she made. I was whole-heartedly rooting for Sister Joan as she as she tries to decide whether a crime has occurred. And, as the evidence mounts, she struggles to discern show more where the line between obedience and endorsing heresy lies, and whether she’s crossed it. show less

First in the “Sister Joan” mysteries set in a convent in Cornwall in the late 1980’s. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. A slim, 215-page book that only took a short time to read, it still kept me up an hour past my usual bedtime so I could finish it. I liked the main character, and though was able to piece together parts of the mystery, part of it was a surprise. Well-written and quite descriptive of the religious life without being judgmental or preachy. I’m looking for the next books in the series

Short, easy reads; not particularly plausible even for the genre, but reasonably entertaining. Set in contemporary (90s and early aughts) Cornwall, Sister Joan is a character in the tradition of religious sleuths who came to their vocation late after a life in the world. She is not always a sympathetic character, perhaps unintentionally? as she carries out her religious commitment. The explication about the religious life can get a little heavy handed. The books suffer from some sloppy editing here and there. There is a back story of a love affair ended by her choice to enter religious life and an ongoing interaction with a local Detective Sergeant that begins in the second book and runs through the rest of the series. Nowhere near on show more the level of Ellis Peters' Cadfael and Margaret Frazer's Sister Frevisse, and without the benefit of being set in a historical period, but I've read them all and enjoyed them. show less

Recently, I have started meeting up with a few coworkers over lunch for a monthly mystery readers gathering. One of the series that has been making the rounds is Veronica Black's Sister Joan novels, the first of which is A Vow of Silence. Veronica Black is actually the pen name of Maureen Peters (who also wrote under the names Catherine Darby, Elizabeth Law, Judith Rothman, and Sharon Whitby), a fairly prolific author who first began publishing in the late sixties. The first book in the Sister Joan series was released in 1990 with the eleventh and final volume, A Vow of Evil, being published in 2004. Black's Sister Joan novels are probably the most popular of the works written by Peters.

Sister Joan is a nun of the Order of the Daughters show more of Compassion (a fictional Order, although partially based in reality, created by Black), having taken her final vows only two years previously. Even though her vocation was later than most, she is now thirty-five, she is still quite lively, good-humored, and a bit impulsive. At the beginning of A Vow of Silence, Sister Joan is sent by her prioress to the Order's convent in Cornwall to fill the opening left when a young nun unexpectedly dies and to act as the schoolteacher for the local children. But all is not as it seems at the new covenant. The Mother Prioress wears pink nail polish, an enthusiastic and devoted novice has mysteriously left the Order, and some of the traditions and teachings followed are unorthodox at best and verge on being heretical at worst. It's up to Sister Joan to try and figure out what exactly is going on at her new home.

I wanted to like A Vow of Silence, I usually enjoy a bit of religion mixed in with my fiction when it is done intelligently (as it is here), but the book never quite captured me fully. One reason for this I think is due to its length--it is very difficult to fit in all the necessary background information needed when beginning a series in addition to the current mystery plot in such a short book. Sister Joan is a lovely and charming woman, and there is definitely more to her story than is hinted about. But, too much time was spent on these hints without really progressing the story or fully explaining her history, which is a pity. The writing itself seemed rather reserved or even formal, which is appropriate, but it comes across as being stilted in the long run and a wee bit awkward at times. The mystery part of the novel was a little strange since we don't even really know what the mystery actually is until it's mostly been solved; basically all that is know is that there may or may not be something strange going on a the Cornwall convent, and that that may or may not be a good or a bad thing.

I'm not sure if it was because I'm not Catholic, that the book was so short, or that I'm not shocked very easily, but I never really connected with A Vow of Silence which means I didn't really care much about the story. This is really quite a shame because Sister Joan is a very likeable character and the series has the potential to be quite charming. The book wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't great either. If I didn't have so many books on my reading pile I might be tempted to give the next couple of books a try to see where the series goes, especially given how short they are. But ultimately, I probably won't be picking up A Vow of Chastity; while the series probably works for some people, I just don't think this one is for me.

Experiments in Reading show less

Mystery, murder & the Church meet when people dare to think they can keep wrong-doing covered up. I enjoyed the story. Thought it was original. I really liked the candid, soul-searching of the Nun…SMILE*

Circumstances lead Sister Joan to be sent to the Cornwall house of the Order of the Daughters of Compassion. Can she discover the cause of the unrest in the house.
An enjoyable cozy mystery - Originally published 1990

Sister Joan discovers a possible suicide and a novice who has disappeared. Investigation reveals that the Mother Superior has revived a form of Goddess worship and expects to produce a new Messiah.