Missing persons …

I GREATLY enjoyed Betty Smartt Carter's "Mvstery women" (Oct. 19), to which you thoughtfully added an interesting list of "God's detectives." However, missing were my favorites, David Middleton-Brown and Lucy Kingsley, the amateur sleuths of Kate Charles's mysteries. I hope they were inadvertently overlooked and not left out because they are lay ministers rather than ordained clergy. Charles is an English laywoman, American-born, who has written A Drink of Deadly Wine, The Snares of Death, Appointed to Die, A Dead Man Out of Mind, Evil Angels Among Them and Unruly Passion, among others. All are good mysteries and, in a casual but often insightful way, they all deal with timely issues in English church life.

Sue Veal,

Lubbock, Tex.

Betty Smartt Carter's review of three novels featuring clergy-women as detectives was quite interesting. However, I am surprised that your sidebar summary made no mention of the clerical detective from another religious tradition, Rabbi David Small from the Harry Kemelman series.

Robin Morris

Amherst, Mass.

COPYRIGHT 2004 The Christian Century Foundation
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning