Lenten Season Theme And Mystery Are The Focus Of 'A Very Private Grave' By Award Winning Author Of British History Donna Fletcher Crow

    WILMINGTON, NC, March 14, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- For Christians, Lent is the season of preparation before Easter. While many books have been written about Lent, very few thrillers have been written with Lent as an integral part of the storyline. 'A Very Private Grave', Book 1 of the Monastery Murder Mystery Series by award winning author Donna Fletcher Crow, is one of the latter. This combination results in a work Church Libraries Journal called "compelling" and "masterful."

'A Very Private Grave' is a contemporary novel with a thoroughly modern heroine who must learn some age-old truths in order to solve the mystery and save her own life. Felicity Howard, a young American studying in a remote monastery in England, is devastated when she finds her beloved Fr. Dominic bludgeoned to death and Fr. Antony, her church history lecturer, soaked in his blood. She and Fr. Antony must flee a murderer and follow clues across a sacred landscape. The narrative deftly mixes intellectual puzzles, spiritual aspiration, romance and the solving of riddles ancient and modern. It is a double-pronged journey for Felicity: spiritually through Lent and physically through ancient holy sites in northern England.

"I had long wanted to tell the story of these ancient saints in a modern context. When our daughter went off to study theology in a monastery in Yorkshire I knew I had my setting. On my many visits there I became acquainted with their unique life style and spirituality. I hope I have been able to convey some of my love of the beauty and holiness I found there.

"Because I love to work with contrasts introducing a particularly brutal murder offered a way to highlight the peace of the monastery while showing the evil that can lurk in the most unlikely places. Beginning the story on Ash Wednesday was the perfect vehicle to expose this contradiction."

'A Very Private Grave' has received rave reviews from reviewers and readers alike:

"With a bludgeoned body in Chapter 1, and a pair of intrepid amateur sleuths, A Very Private Grave qualifies as a traditional mystery. But this is no mere formulaic whodunit: it is a Knickerbocker Glory of a thriller. At its centre is a sweeping, page-turning quest -- in the steps of St. Cuthbert -- through the atmospherically-depicted North of England, served up with dollops of Church history and lashings of romance. In this novel, Donna Fletcher Crow has created her own niche within the genre of clerical mysteries." - Kate Charles, author of Deep Waters

"A compelling thriller, as well as a masterful mystery, the mental gymnastics will have you breathlessly soaking in British and church history as you puzzle through a satisfying spiritual adventure with romantic, quirky characters. Anglophiles and history buffs will love it." - Church Libraries Journal

"If I could give this book 6 stars ****** I would. I just couldn't put it down, it was fast paced, I learned lots of church and English history, and I liked the characters. I can't wait for the next Monastery Murder to be published." - Linda from Brisbane, Australia on GoodReads

Other books in the five part series include 'A Darkly Hidden Truth', 'An Unholy Communion', 'A Newly Crimsoned Reliquary' and 'An All-Consuming Fire'.

Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 45 books, mostly novels of British history. The award-winning 'Glastonbury' is her best-known work, which received the prestigious First Place, Historical Novel, award from the National Federation of Press Women. Readers and reviewers have raved about 'Glastonbury', calling it "The best of its kind," "richly fascinating," "beautifully researched,", "gloriously evocative," and "panoramic." One Amazon reader said, "WHAT a work! Every reader can be enveloped in the sheer scope and quality, every historian be constantly nodding at the precise detail and accuracy, and every Christian can rejoice in the fullness of scripture. For me it is simply beyond descriptive praise. I would urge all who value truth to treat themselves to a feast."

The Lord Danvers series is an Amazon bestseller in the British Detectives category. Books in the series include 'A Lethal Spectre', 'A Most Inconvenient Death', 'Grave Matters', 'To Dust You Shall Return' and 'A Tincture of Murder'. Donna provides a no-charge download of 'A Tincture of Murder' for those who sign up for her newsletter. More information is available at her website.

The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries is a literary suspense series using literary figures as background: Rudyard Kipling in 'The Flame Ignites', Dorothy L Sayers in 'The Shadow of Reality', Shakespeare in 'A Midsummer Eve's Nightmare', and Jane Austen in both 'A Jane Austen Encounter' and 'A Most Singular Venture'.

The Daughters of Courage, 'Kathryn', 'Elizabeth' and 'Stephanie' is a pioneer family saga based on the stories of Crow's own family and other Idaho pioneers in the Kuna, Nampa and Boise area.

Donna Fletcher Crow's work has received a number of high-level industry honors. These include:

Glastonbury, First Place, Historical Fiction, National Federation of Press Women Award of Merit
The Banks of the Boyne, Silver Angel; First Place Historical Fiction, National Federation Press Women
The Fields of Bannockburn, First Place Historical Fiction, National Federation Press Women
Professional Achievement Award, Northwest Nazarene College
Juvenile Books Award of Merit, Idaho Press Women
Top Idaho Author
Pacesetter Award, Mt. Hermon Writers Conference
Outstanding Historical Fiction, Idaho Press Women, National Federation of Press Women,
Idaho Writer of the Year
Best Inspirational Novel, Finalist Romance Writers of America
Writer of the Year, Mt. Hermon Writers Conference

Donna is available for media interviews and can be reached by email at [email protected]. All of her books are available at online book retailers. More information, including a no-charge download of 'A Tincture of Murder', is available at her website at https://www.donnafletchercrow.com.

Donna and her husband live in Boise, Idaho. They have 4 adult children and 14 grandchildren living on 3 continents. Donna is remembered by Idahoans with long memories as a former Queen of the Snake River Stampede, Miss Rodeo Idaho and runner-up for Miss Rodeo America. She is an enthusiastic gardener.

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