The Father Tom Mysteries Series

After the astonishing news from the Archbishop, Helen and I are looking forward to possibly having a life together as husband and wife.   That is, if the Holy Father grants me permission.   While awaiting word from the Vatican, we're getting to know each other more deeply. Going out on dates, spending time together, talking about what our life together will be like if we're allowed to marry. All of this under Anna's watchful eye, and being very careful to keep things secret.   But then Gladys runs over the President of Myer College's chief of staff. What looks like a tragic accident takes a bizarre turn when drugs are found in his system.   Is the young genius I consider a daughter guilty of murder, or is she being set up by someone from her past?    

My wife died in my arms, the victim of a nameless killer's bullet. I should have died with her. But God had other plans for me.    Fifteen years later, I'm back where it all happened. I just want to forget, but the past won't leave me alone.   Now, I'm asking a woman who I left broken-hearted twenty years before to catch my wife's killer.   I'm Father Tom Greer, a Catholic priest, and I'm playing with fire.   Don't miss this first book in a new murder mystery thriller series in the tradition of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, introducing Father Tom Greer, a 21st Century Father Brown.   Now includes a preview of The Framed Father, Book 2 of The Father Tom Mysteries!    

Detective Helen Parr is recovering from being shot in Leslie Williams' basement and is anxious to get back to work. With the police department in the hands of Acting Chief Detective Dan Conway, Father Tom Greer is determined that his fiance follows her doctor's orders and rests. All that's needed for this to happen is for life to be quiet and peaceful.   But this is Myerton, and this town nestled in the mountains of Western Maryland is far from quiet and peaceful.   First comes the murder of Bethany Grable, owner of The Painted Lotus art gallery and old friend of Father Tom. Dan's convinced she was the victim of a robbery gone wrong. Father Tom, on the other hand, is not so sure.   Then comes the wave of overdose deaths of young students at Myer College. Someone is selling fentanyl at prices college kids can afford. They're all art majors, and all of them happen to have had pieces displayed in Bethany's gallery.   Coincidence? Or is there a connection between the ODs and Bethany Grable's murder? And if so, what is the connection?   Father Tom decides to try to find out for himself who killed his old friend and why. But doing so could put the life of a young man in danger, and irreparably harm his friendship with Dan.   Along the way, Father Tom learns that Helen wasn't the only person wounded in that basement . . .  

When a beloved older priest is found murdered outside the Rectory, Father Tom and Helen try to find the person who wanted him dead. But they find that even saints have secrets . . .and those secrets may have gotten him killed.

I take his head in my hands and force him to look at me. "Nate," I say again, this time more forcefully, "where did all this blood come from?"  This seems to get through, and his unseeing eyes struggle to focus on mine as one whispered word escapes his lips. "Her."   When the body of Ashley Becket is found naked, tied up, and butchered in Nate Rodriguez's bed, Father Tom can't believe the young man's responsible.   Then, it's discovered Ashley was a prostitute . . . and Nate was a frequent customer.   As the rumors fly around Saint Clare's and the gamer group fractures, Father Tom finds himself trying to keep his parish together and repair Nate's relationship with Gladys. He soon discovers that Nate is keeping a huge secret from the woman he loves--a secret that led him to hire Ashley in the first place.   Then, Gladys finds evidence that points away from Nate--and to someone who couldn't possibly be responsible.   Because, after all, Richard Davenport is safely behind bars . . .  

Excitement is building as the opening of the Acutis Society's Fairy Tales and Frights haunted house approaches. The members of Saint Clare's gaming group have worked hard to transform the interior of the Myer Mansion into something both magical and scary to entertain the families of Myerton as Halloween approaches.   But does an actual ghost walk the halls of the 170 year old house?   After Nate writes an article for the Myerton Gazette claiming that that ghost of Victoria Myer haunts the mansion, Father Tom wants a retraction--until the story is picked up by the Baltimore paper and ticket sales go through the roof.    Still, Father Tom knows there's no such thing as ghosts . . . Right?   When he finds Catherine Conway in an upstairs room talking to someone he can't see--a woman asking for a priest to say Masses and prayers for her soul--Father Tom comes to the only conclusion possible.   Victoria Myer still lives in the house. And she's suffering the torments of purgatory.   But when one of the participants in the house is found stabbed to death, Father Tom and Helen must search for an earthly killer before he strikes again.  

After months of waiting, the time has finally arrived. The day after Christmas, Helen and I will marry. We've survived temptation, gossip, and a bullet meant to end the life of the woman I love. But are we going to survive the next four weeks?  

Is stolen money buried somewhere on the Myer College campus? Nate's newspaper article making the claim triggers a frenzied search for the ill-gotten gain. But when a hundred year old skeleton is found, Father Tom and Helen try to solve a mystery hidden in the mists of time.