Murder Most Holy
When a young nun, the daughter of a despised newspaper publisher, is killed by a bomb planted in her dad's car, the state police are called to investigate and Detective Sergeant Jerome (Stan) Stankowski is assigned to the task. Unfortunately for Stan, the Attorney General's office sends it former star prosecutor, the now burned-out and persnickety Parker Noble, to assist. To Stan's dismay, the local officials assume that Parker, a Deputy Attorney General, is in charge of the operation. Intimidated by Parker, Stan tries to take charge, while silently wondering if his days as a detective are numbered.
Trying to regain control of the investigation, Stan utilizes the assistance of one of the dead nun's friends, the flirtatious Buffy Coyle, whose interest in Stan may be greater than her interest in helping the police. Complicating matters for Stan, Buffy has recently been fired from the newspaper by her friend's father.
Confusing investigators is the fact that the nun's visit was a surprise, known only to her family and a neighbor. To add to their troubles, the father suffers a seizure at the scene.
A mayor under attack by the paper, a police chief with a mysterious four-year gap in his resume, a contractor whose development was blocked by the publisher, a gay group angry at the newspaper for "outing" a gay teacher, and a man whose life was ruined by one newspaper photo, all become suspects in the effort to solve the crime.
What the reviewers said about Murder Most Holy
Mystery Scene Magazine
She borrowed her father's car, as daughters will. Only daddy's car had a car bomb. Now the daughter's dead. But who was the intended victim, father or daughter? All fingers appear to point to the father, the despised and outspoken publisher of a hard-hitting newspaper, rather than to the visiting daughter, a young nun. Sifting through the suspects becomes the job of Detective Sergeant Jerome ("Stan") Stankowski of the Special Investigations Unit, and Parker Noble, former prosecutor for the Attorney General's office.
Manno's Midwestern whodunit makes for a steady, engrossing read as the likeable, dogged detective, and the eccentric former prosecutor make the rounds of suspects. The considerable number of suspects manages to camouflage the true villain until Manno adroitly ties up the case with a satisfying, if not unique, conclusion. Manno brings a personal expertise in law, politics, real estate, and the newspaper business to this story's characters and circumstances, as well as charming warmth, wit, and underlying wholesomeness.
— Linda Piwowarczyk
I Love a Mystery
MURDER MOST HOLY is a mystery concerning a car bombing that killed a beloved nun while she was visiting her father, the despicable newspaper editor of the Independent. State Police Detective Sergeant Jerome (Stan) Stankowski, recently jilted by his girlfriend, and Parker Noble, a former star prosecutor now with the Attorney General's office, are paired for the investigation.
Persnickety Parker intimidates Stan as the different approaches between lawyer and police officer is parlayed into a humorous partnership. Stan is attracted to frisky, flirtatious Buffy, a friend of the dead nun, Anna Marie Winborn. Buffy recently worked at the Independent, but disagreed with the ethics of the editor and quit, only to be blackballed and unable to find work. The editor suffers a heart attack as a result of the shock of the car bombing that killed his daughter.
The paper has attacked the mayor, a gay schoolteacher, who committed suicide as a result, a contractor and a car salesman, who lost his family as a result of the paper publishing a photo of him leaving a brothel. The two sleuths also discover the police chief has a shady past and Buffy has turned gumshoe in her attempts to "help" solve the crime, despite her role as suspect. Stan is smitten.
MURDER MOST HOLY is a well-written book and sports a light touch with wit similar to that of Robert Parker. The humorous dialogue and deft handling of the murder meets Agatha Christie's chaste standards. As the TV commercial states, "Try it, you'll like it."
— Carolyn Lanier
Crime Spree Magazine
Detective Sergeant Jerome (Stan) Stankowski is having a rough week; his fiancée has jilted him. So when the phone rings early Sunday morning, on what was to have been the first day of his honeymoon, Stan's first inclination is to leave it unanswered. But he does answer it, and is drawn into a murder case that will both baffle and challenge him. A young nun in this small Midwest community has been inexplicably murdered with a pipe bomb. The first challenge Stan has to face in the investigation is the fact that he's partnered with a crabby former State Prosecutor, Parker Noble. Noble is an egotistical fussbudget, whose primary interests are his next meal, his ageing dog, and making Stan's life miserable (at least that's the way Stan sees it).The next challenge is that there's absolutely no discernible reason for the young woman to have been killed. Her father, Chuck Winborn, on the other hand, is a different story. The publisher of the local newspaper, he's used his ‘bully pulpit' as a battering ram to control events in the community, and has a long list of enemies. Unfortunately, he can't aid the investigation, because upon learning of his daughter's death Winborn suffers a fatal seizure. So Stan and Parker are left to work the case with no assistance, and a motley crew of suspects: the local police chief, the mayor, and a prominent building contractor are only the most obvious candidates. The longer Stan and Parker work the case, the more suspects they find. This entertaining debut novel is reminiscent of Dylan Schaffer's writing. Stan Stankowski is a likeable protagonist, and his relationship with the ever-cranky Parker Noble makes this a better-than-average first novel. I'll be watching for more books by this author.
— Rae Helmsworth
Midwest Book Review
Special Investigation Unit Police Captain Hodges assigns Detective Sergeant Jerome "Stan" Stankowski to head the investigation into the murder of a nun. The victim is twenty-five year old Anna Marie Wilborn, daughter of a loathed newspaper publisher, who was killed in a car bombing in the Midwest town of Forbes Island. To Stan's chagrin, the Attorney General's Office punishes him by assigning fastidious Parker Noble to help. While fussy Parker considers raiding the refrigerator of the deceased, the local law enforcement assumes he is in charge. As Stan asserts authority over the case, he interviews friends and the brother of the late Sister. Unable to talk with her father who is hospitalized having suffered a seizure; Stan assumes he was the target not the nun. One of Anna Marie's friends, Buffy Coyle, recently fired from the newspaper, offers more than just assistance on solving the homicide. She seems to genuinely desire Stan, who is taken aback by her attention after his two week matrimonial debacle with Diane. To make maters worse, there are suspects are everywhere especially within the most respected pillars of the community. This interesting police procedural is fun for two prime reasons. First the victim's dad has enemies everywhere and so readers will agree with Stan's premise that he was the target and that his daughter was unlucky to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Second the interrelationships between Stan, Parker, and Buffy make for a delightful often amusing investigation though at times their exchanges overwhelm the case. Fans will enjoy this lighthearted whodunit and want more inquiries led by this noble threesome.
— Harriet Klausner
Myshelf.com
State Police Detective Jerome, "Stan" Stankowski is assigned to work with Parker Noble, an investigator from the state Attorney General's office to solve the murder of a young nun in the small community of Forbes Island. Sister Anna Marie Winborn was to take her final vows soon and was visiting her family one last time before taking that final step. Anna Marie's father, Charles, was the owner of the local newspaper and a ruthless critic of anyone in the community who did not share his political views or his moral standards. The man had destroyed lives and collected many enemies along the way. General speculation is that the car bomb that had killed his daughter was probably meant for him.
Because of Charles Winborn's prominent standing in the community and his close association with local politicians and police officials, the Attorney General felt that the murder investigation could be best served if conducted by less "involved" parties. Matters are further complicated when Charles Winborn suffers a massive heart attack brought on by the death of his daughter. That leaves only Michael Winborn, Anna Marie's brother to help the police put together facts and happenings of the days leading up to the murder.
Looking everywhere for clues, Stan and Parker eventually encounter Buffy Coyle, one of Anna Marie's old school chums. Buffy is determined to be a part of the investigation and help solve the killing of one of her best friends. Buffy also seems to be somewhat smitten with Detective Stankowski.
Suspects are everywhere. Charles Winborn was a hated man and there are several area residents with plausible motives and means. The car bomb was made with simple materials and quite unsophisticated and so could easily have been fabricated by any of the suspects. Although there are many possible perpetrators, none stands out as the most likely, so all must be thoroughly investigated. And the question always remains, "Who was the intended victim?"
"Stan" Stankowski is a competent, methodical detective following standard police practices and making sure that each clue is wrung dry of all information and then prioritized and catalogued. His grid is taking shape. Parker Noble, on the other hand, is a quirky, cantankerous sort who seems preoccupied with the well-being of the Bassett hound that he left at home and his newfound interest in hazelnut-flavored coffee. As a representative of the Attorney General, Parker is the senior investigator. Detective Stankowski is sometimes frustrated, but normally amused in dealing with the eccentric lawyer.
Buffy Coyle is the self-appointed "gumshoe" in the investigation and, in spite of her impulsiveness and disdain for protocol, she proves to be a valuable member of the team as well as providing occasional comic relief. The team is perfect. It has just the right balance of logic, whimsy, and individuality. The characters provide the perfect blend.
Readers who pride themselves in solving the crime by chapter five will have a real challenge on their hands with this one. There are clues throughout the story, but they're so subtle that the only one who sees them is a crotchety old attorney with a cynical eye for almost everything. There are many suspects to choose from and each carries substantive arguments for their guilt. It's a puzzler, to be sure.
I had the rare opportunity to read the entire manuscript for this book a couple of years ago before the publisher picked it up. It was a very good story then, but Mike Manno has had time to rework the story and he has done a tremendous job of fleshing things out and has turned it into a top notch mystery. Don't miss this one.
— Dennis Collins