'Death by virtue'

Author: Robert Busuttil

Publisher: Horizons / 2024

Pages: 414

I had earlier reviewed two other books by the same author - Murder at St Jude's and September Rain. This book follows more or less the same template - we are in a country called Malita, which looks remarkably like Malta.

In this book the action takes place around the main church of the locality, San Giovanni, which is very like our St John's Co-Cathedral. In fact, the book cover is a stylised description of St John's, our St John's.

And we have the same head of police, Superintendent Lucio Vella, whose wife is about to give birth. Who is surrounded by a group of trusted aides.

The action begins with the discovery of the skinned body of a man lying on top of one burial monument of a grand master in the dimly-lit crypt of San Giovanni.

The discovery is made by the priest in charge who later hazards a guess as to the identity of the victim - a fellow priest.

Then the investigators who are called in, find the word "mercy" scrawled next to the body.

After that the murders follow fast and furious. And the victims are all priests, including some prominent figures, close not just to the present archbishop but also to the preceding one.

The two bishops are unharmed, so far, but that does not mean they will be spared later.

The priest victims are all of good repute. So why this sudden spate of tragic killings, each more gory than the one before it?

And each with the name of a virtue next to the victim?

It is this last detail that provides a clue to the mystery - each virtue refers to the opposite vice which points at the unsuspected vice of each and every victim.

Buried deep in the past lies a terrible story of abuse that has never been revealed.

But there is someone who knows, who remembers, and who is out to wreak vengeance.