Jake Lavarone seemed to spend his last days in a peaceful repose. Attended by the best medical professionals with his loving family always by his side, Jake appeared to be going out in the best way possible. Yet it is whispered that his decline might not have been natural after all. His death calls attention to a long silence over an incident from the Great Depression that both protects and entraps his family.
Father Brendan Byrne, a determined academic sleuth, makes his way into the family secrets. In his unobtrusive, delicate manner, he gathers a wealth of clues and motives, which range from counterfeit ration coupons and a neglected, neurotic granddaughter to a spoiled scion and a favorite son who has suddenly vanished. Father Byrne must untangle the deeds of the guilty without stirring the suspicions of the innocent.
Woven Silence is an academic mystery pitched to lovers of books with decent characters caught up in morally complex events.
Barbara Green's powerful mystery is heavily influenced by the Genesis story of Joseph, tracing the inexplicable disappearance of a son from his family, animosity and guilt amongst kin, parental favoritism and the beginnings of a resolution to take on the sins of the past. This modern-day retelling takes place around Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union with the eclectic city and the University of California forming the backdrop.
About the Author: Barbara Green, O.P. earned a Ph.D. in Near Eastern religions from the Graduate Theological Union. She teaches biblical studies and Christian spirituality at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, a member school of the Graduate Theological Union. She has published numerous scholarly articles and books. Woven Silence is her third mystery featuring Dominican priest and academic Brendan Byrne; the others are Odd School Ties and Near Kin.
Adapted from PR Newschannel