Judith S. McCue

Unpardonable Sins

Fiction

“In this suspenseful urban murder mystery, the dirt of western Kansas meets the grit of the north end of Chicago's lakefront. John Reimer, a crumpled Mennonite minister who finds himself rummaging around the underbelly of The Machine, is a refreshing change from the usual hard-bitten sleuth of the more traditional American detective novel. The good reverend has an annoying habit of ruminating on scriptural passages and other theological references that may, or may not, be clues for the reader in solving a couple of particularly gruesome murders. And while Reimer tries to give as good as he gets, he's clearly more suited to philosophical rumination than to Chicago-style street violence. Reimer may be something of a unique character in the Chicago crime business and the identity of the murderer is a surprise to the reader, but the explosive violence of the novel's climax quite took this reader's breath away. Perhaps in the sequel, Reverend Reimer might be tempted to stay on more familiar turf and tackle unpardonable sins within the Mennonite community, assuming such sins exist there. I can’t wait to find out what he decides to do next time.”