num_pages: 320
description: “If you've never read any of [Lovesey’s] 20-plus books, this wickedly clever, beautifully written story of a murderous clergyman who earns our sympathy while dramatically whittling down his flock should make you an instant convert.” — Chicago TribuneAfter years spent saving souls, Otis Joy, the rector of St. Bartholomew’s Church in Foxford, Wiltshire, has found a new ending lives. His young French wife? Anaphylactic shock, what a shame. The bishop? Fell into a quarry. Tragic. It’s not Joy’s fault, really—not that he’s concerned about repentance or absolution these days. He just doesn’t want his other little secret—embezzling church funds to finance a fancy yacht—to be discovered. But when the husband of the new church secretary, Rachel Jansen, turns up dead, it isn’t long before the village starts to gossip and the local constable gets involved. As it turns out, God isn’t the only one who’s always watching.
language: English
title: The Reaper
titlecomplete: The Reaper
genres: Fiction, Religion, Mystery, British Literature, Novels, Crime
ratings_count: 574
awards: awardedAt: 978336000000
name: Barry Award
category: Best British Crime Novel, awardedAt: 1009872000000
name: Dilys Award
publisher: Soho Crime