Faith, by Jennifer Haigh

Sheila McGann’s older half-brother, Fr. Art Breen, is accused of molesting an eight-year old boy.  Sheila has been avoiding her family for years, but her ties to her brother bring her home to Boston.  We witness the reactions of Sheila, Fr. Art, their brother Mike, and neighbors and friends as the story unfolds.  Sheila is a less-than-faithful Catholic, but this no bitter attack on the Church.  We explore the family’s history, and Sheila comes to terms with her past and her feelings for both of her brothers, her mother and her father.

This is a sympathetic exploration of the mix of emotions unleashed in such a circumstance.  I recommend it for that time when you look  for something with more meat to it than the latest murder mystery.

Speaking of murder mysteries, Leighton Gage’s Buried Strangers is a fine read.  Set in Brasil, it is the second in the series (the first being Blood of the Wicked) featuring Mario Silva, Chief Inspector for Criminal Matters of the Federal Police.  A secret cemetery and a missing family lead us into a world of bribed police and death that moves along at a nice pace and has enough twists and turns keep us guessing.  The characters in this novel are well-drawn and the tone is light enough in spite of the subject matter that, if you need a break from dark and dreary , I recommend you give this a try.