 
 
From the publisher:
New Orleans, four months after the events of THE QUEEN…
Søren has been suspended from the Jesuits for a minimum of one year after confessing to fathering a child. To say he’s struggling with his newfound freedom is an understatement.
Kingsley is about to be a father again and is convinced something very bad is about to happen. Nerves? Or is he right that the time has come for the Sinners to pay for their sins?
And if things couldn’t get worse, a handsome private detective shows up and tells Mistress Nora that a priest has just committed suicide, and she was the last person he tried to call. He would like to know why…
She doesn’t know, but Nora and her new detective friend will turn over the city to find out, meeting liars, vampires, and witches along the way. When she finds what she’s looking for, she may wish she’d never stepped foot in New Orleans.
Review:
The Priest begins with an investigation into the death of a priest. His last phone call was to a Mistress Nora. Why would he call Nora, someone hes’ never met? Nora sets out to solve the mystery in spite of the risks to herself and everything she holds dear.
I don’t usually read romantic suspense but Reisz is one of those authors I will read, regardless of what she writes. Part of a series, it really helps to read the previous installments before taking on this book, as it deepens the readers’s understanding of the relationships and side characters who play such an important role in this book.
Reiz’s books are a masterclass in showing, not telling, and is one of the primary reasons I read them. She goes deep into her characters and shows you who they are. As a writer, she virtually disappears from her story. I’ve only read a few writers who can do this and when I find them, I stick to them. It makes her writing so mesmerizing, you don’t realize what is happening to you until you’re half-way through the book and wondering where the time has gone. And Reisz’s characters are not entirely, purely good. They are complex, make wrong decisions, and have sometimes terrible motivations but you can’t help but want them to succeed nonetheless. Nora is very much such a character and it is both terrifying and delightful to see her make her way through this mystery.
The Priest also makes great use of the city of New Orleans as its own character. A fascinating city, full of contrasts, secrets and the overtones of the supernatural, Reisz capitalizes on all these associations to add another layer to the story. One person I hope to read more about it Cyrus, her fellow investigator, who seems to have an almost reverential relationship towards his wife, which reveals so much about his own psyche. Nora’s relationship with Søren is also fascinating in its own right and you never know if things are going to go sideways with them or the other side characters. The Priest is erotic, chilling and always emotional. You can never assume anything. Excellent read!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Where to buy: