Rating: 
Summary: A fine start
Review: Blake's book was a fine read, a good story, and it contained some unexpected twists. I look forward to the next one. And the editor did an excellent job making it the enjoyable read it was.
Rating:
Summary: An Episcopalian Rates Rev. Lily Connor
Review: From the standpoint of an "insider," this was a fine book. I have known many "tentmaker" priests and deacons and have been an Episcopalian for 30 years. The mystery is exciting, but equally as good is the internal politics of the parish and diocese, and the wrestlings with faith of all the characters.
Rating:
Summary: An Episcopalian Rates Rev. Lily Connor
Review: From the standpoint of an "insider," this was a fine book. I have known many "tentmaker" priests and deacons and have been an Episcopalian for 30 years. The mystery is exciting, but equally as good is the internal politics of the parish and diocese, and the wrestlings with faith of all the characters.
Rating:
Summary: An Episcopalian Rates Rev. Lily Connor
Review: From the standpoint of an "insider," this was a fine book. I have known many "tentmaker" priests and deacons and have been an Episcopalian for 30 years. The mystery is exciting, but equally as good is the internal politics of the parish and diocese, and the wrestlings with faith of all the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing amateur sleuth tale
Review: Her current assignment frustrates Episcopal Church priest Lily Connor. Lily has temporarily filled in as an interim priest-in-charge several times while a congregation searches for a new religious leader. However, her current assignment providing priestly services to the wealthy parishioners of Boston's St. Mary of the Garden Episcopal Church leaves her head spinning. No one seems to properly behave, especially towards her. At first, Lily thought it was her own grieving, watching and finally burying her father just a week before accepting this job. Then she felt perhaps the members grieve the loss of a beloved priest, Father Barnes. Lily begins to question whether she should have agreed when Brother Charlie Cooper and Bishop Spenser asked her to take this assignment. Adding to her concern, the weekly cleaning person hints at sinister activity as she claims that Father Barnes never died from a diabetes-induced heart attack as officially reported. Father Barnes' work area shows no personal items even though he served as the churches' priest for a decade. Finally, no one will clean out Father Barnes' personal area. These anomalies along with other strange behavior lead Lily to investigate, hoping to help her parishioners with whatever ails them. She is unaware of the danger she will soon face. THE TENTMAKER is a fabulous amateur sleuth tale that centers on individuals questioning their beliefs. Lily struggles to reconcile her confidence in her faith with the death watch she previously endured. Church politics is also examined from an insider's perspective. Though the story line is entertaining, this novel clearly focuses on Lily, an intrepid, complex character who hopefully will take her "tentmaking" skills to future parishes and mysteries. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Another female sleuth - but with a priestly difference
Review: I found the book very interesting, and a fairly good mystery, but some of the clues weren't all that clear. However, I was a little surprised by the parish where our heroine was working. As an espiscopalian, who has served on a vestry, I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more about the "life" of the church: study groups, services, choir practices, more personalities of the parish family. From the desciption of the parish, its not surprising that things were so secretive. In most churches, there is a lot of give and take, people working within the local community, hearing confessions, planning services, planning events, confirmation classes, adult classes, etc. Everything just seemed so dark. Also, having the bishop and the cathedral so close is the exception, and not the rule for most parishes. However, I will look forward to seeing more books featuring our new heroine.
Rating:
Summary: eloquent, graceful pros with 3 dimensional characters
Review: I have read many mysteries, but this one stands out from them all. It was a smart and engaging story line, and quite cleverly pieced together. The characters were realistic and I could thoroughly relate to aspects of all of them. As far as "furthering a theology that is pro-liberal and pro-homosexual," it should be commended that Blake dare address such important political prejudices, as those ones that plague our world today. And not only, but Blake is an exquisite writer; her pros are poetic, yet controlled, coherent and pleasing to the ears. I can't wait for the next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good first novel
Review: I picked up this novel after i read "Earth has no Sorrow" the 2nd in a series, The Tentmaker does a fine job of introducing the basic character's in Lily's life with a bit of background on her and how she became a priest in Boston.
The plot is not as strong as the next two novels, which I enjoyed very much.
The novel is full of human foibles and very real emotions regarding people struggling with religious issues. These books do not bog the reader down with theological issues, but uses them deftly in the course of the novel. Good points for the situations.
I think Ms. Blake has made a fine beginning.
Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't really CARE about the characters
Review: I read many, many mysteries, but I almost stopped half-way through this book. I don't know why, but I couldn't care about the characters or even the plot. I thought it quite limp.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I read this book for my book club as part of a series of three mysteries featuring Episcopal women priests. This was by far the weakest of the three books.
I found most of the characters to be one-dimensional. Their motivation was often confusing or contrived. There were far too many plot threads -- poorly organized -- and not a lot of suspense.
As an Episcopalian living in Boston, I found the controversy over the theological issues raised not very credible considering that the book was set in Boston and Cambridge, a notoriously liberal area. In recent years, the Episcopal church has been in the vanguard in its acceptance of homosexuality and the ordination of women, most especially in New England. If this novel had been about the Catholic church or a fundamentalist Evangelical church in the South, the issues raised would have been more believable.
If you want to read a mystery featuring an Episcopal woman priest I'd recommend Phil Rickman's "Midwinter of the Spirit".
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