The Rector

Thompson's engaging, high-energy Christian murder mystery is narrated by Martha McRae, a woman living in a small Mississippi town who seeks to solve the mystery of the sudden death of pastor David Baddour. Throughout the novel, readers are introduced to the cast of characters who inhabit the small Delta town in the 1950s. The book gleefully mixes all the elements of a small-town murder mystery-gossip, foul play, backstabbing-and, as more is revealed about Pastor Baddour and the other townspeople, more mysteries, hypocrisies, and dangers add to the intrigue. Thompson's tale looks intimately at what it means to function in a community-how a population can reveal and obscure the truth. The Rector works as a suspenseful murder mystery, Thompson also incorporates a spiritual and religious undertone to the story. This Christian Murder Mystery successfully intertwines faith in its plot twists with surprising results. This small-town tale, set in the 1950s, delves into religion, spirituality, and murder; and is exceedingly clever and cunning.The small community of Solo, Mississippi, is rocked after the murder of a prominent religious figure. Law officials consider the case closed, much to the dismay of widow Martha McRae. She questions how the young rector could die so unexpectedly. After sharing her suspicion with her bible study leader, Betty Crain, a chain of events is set off in the small southern community. Gossip soon abounds with murmurings of foul play, murder, and loss of faith. In the case of whodunit, Martha soon finds that asking questions has put her own life in peril, as she comes face to face with evil. "Michael Thompson offers a tantalizing murder mystery filled with chilling explorations of hypocrisy, true faith, and small-town secrets. It's about sin and redemption. It's about the search for truth, in both the physical and spiritual realms. And it's all wrapped up in a puzzle that keeps even skeptics on their toes. The writing is compelling with a plot that grows ever thicker and offers even ardent mystery fans delightfully unexpected twists and turns. The intrigue is well developed with well-placed clues and cliffhangers. The characters are multidimensional and fascinating. The faith themes are so masterfully woven in that those who aren't religious should simply find the novel to be top-notch suspense." Diane Gardner, ForeWord's Clarion Review.And this unusual review, from someone unknown to the author: Skeptic to Super Fan November 19, 2016 Joseph Manning"I was skeptical at first (a Christian murder mystery ) but in short, this blew me away. I'm not sure the author would want me saying this, but I got so swept away by the story that I wasn't thinking about the religious aspect of it. It took me thinking through the allegories to know/get the deeper meaning. It's as if I was experiencing two stories at once. I read a lot of murder mysteries, and that's extremely rare, if not unheard of. Anyway, Christian or not, murder mystery fan or just a fiction lover, I highly recommend this one!" The Editor-in-Chief of Southern Writers Magazine even weighed in. "Michael Thompson is an author who takes you by the hand and leads you down unexpected paths. His ability to create believable characters instantly draws you into their world. You will find yourself rooting for goodness to prevail as you follow the twists he so brilliantly weaves in this story." Susan ReichertAt Shepherd King Publishing, we love this reviewer quote: "Quick paced, well written with a wonderful cast of characters, a good plot, a really scary bad guy, and all the trappings of a good murder mystery (even some humor). The Rector will keep you entertained from start to finish and the biblical references aren't in the least "preachy" and only help to enrich the story. Well done Mr. Thompson! Five Stars." Terry Lynn, book reviewer and author of Married to the Military.