Mark Schweizer’s Liturgical Mystery series is fun, funny, and even a little bit goofy. This particular book seems like an ideal choice for October, but the whole series is fun at any time.
There are several threads in these books. First, Hayden Konig is a church organist who buys Raymond Chandler’s old typewriter and believes (against all the evidence) that he is channeling the great mystery writer through it. He writes hard-boiled detective novels filled with silly puns and over-the-top characters, which he shares with the choir one chapter at a time, tucking the manuscript into their music folders. We get to read them as part of the novel.
Second, Hayden’s romance with Meg blossoms in the books, and his relationships with the other people in the town grow, too. You will come to love all these characters. The books are filled with erudite discussions of music and the experience of being a church musician, as well as interesting events and insights about the relationships among the people, their communities, and the outside world.
Hayden is also the chief of police in his town, and he is called upon to solve mysteries, including murders, which are just as complex and only slightly less filled with eccentrics than the ones he writes. InThe Countertenor Wore Garlic, the action centers around Hallowe’en — Hayden’s upcoming Hallowe’en recital, the tourists coming in to admire the turning leaves, and of course the vampires and zombies.
Hayden always solved mysteries with wisdom, kindness, and verve. Enjoy this one, number 9 in the series, and then go back and enjoy them all.