CLEANSED BY FIRE

Father Frank DeLuca is not your typical Catholic priest, and narrator Jonathan Mumm captures him impeccably. The Texan cleric is a former basketball player who's very much in the community and willing to take on anyone who threatens "his" kids. As churches are being burned, Father Frank gets an important clue to the arsonist; unfortunately, it comes in the confessional, and Father cannot reveal what he's heard. Mumm adroitly presents the church's congregation, the police, and the various creepy types Father Frank encounters as he searches for clues. Most enjoyable is hearing the Popsters youth choir's rousing rendition of "Yakety Yak" as they practice for a fund- raiser. This is a terrific addition to the cozy mystery genre. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2014]