Ritual Murder ~ Paperback ~ S.T. Haymon

A blasphemous inscription spray-pointed on its ancient, hallowed walls was the first sign that something was amiss at Angleby Cathedral. Then came the body in Little St. Ulf's tomb: a murdered and mutilated choirboy, his wounds forming the Star of David, in grotesque parody of Little St. Ulf's himself, a child murdered 840 years before. Already the malignant strains of anti-Semitism are stirring in the tiny town of Angleby. "Ritual murder!" trumpets the rabble, into the media maw. Pressed by explosive circumstance, Detective Inspector Ben Jurnet first looks to the victim for answers: a quiet boy with a paper route and secrets to burn. Even the cathedral's august Dean seems more concerned with the holy sanctuary than with the devil's work below. And the choirmaster himself does not believe in the reality of evil. But within these sacred precincts, evil has indeed found purchase. And Jurnet must act quickly--before murder stains the cathedral again ...Winner of the CWA Silver Dagger Award in 1982, Ritual Murder is S T Haymon at her best. 'Shrewdly psychological, elegantly layered, yet unflagging in suspense and wit: a quiet triumph.' Kirkus Reviews 'Ritual Murder is a brilliantly crafted novel.' Washington Post Book World 'The author doesn't put a foot wrong ...Solidly put together and elegantly written, at the same time it achieves -- without pomposity -- a degree of seriousness beyond most examples of the genre.' Times Literary SupplementAuthor Biography"One of the purest lyric voices in the mystery field" New York Times Book Review Sylvia Theresa Haymon was born in Norwich, and is best known for her eight crime fiction novels featuring the character Inspector Ben Jurnet. Haymon also wrote two non-fiction books for children, as well as two memoirs of her childhood in East Anglia. The Ben Jurnet series enjoyed success in both the UK and the US during Haymon's lifetime: Ritual Murder (1982) won the prestigious CWA Silver Dagger Award from the Crime Writers' Association. Stately Homicide (1984), a skilful variation on the country house mystery, was praised by the New York Times as a 'brilliantly crafted novel of detection...stylish serious fiction', and favourably compared to the work of Dorothy L. Sayers.