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Father Anslem Books In Order

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Publication Order of Father Anselm Mysteries Books

The Sixth Lamentation (1999)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Gardens of the Dead (2006)Description / Buy at Amazon
A Whispered Name (2008)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Day of the Lie (2012)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Discourtesy of Death (2013)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Silent Ones (2015)Description / Buy at Amazon

Father Anselm is the main character in a series of novels written by Will Brodrick. In the series, Anslem is a lawyer turned monk based in Larkwood Priory, England. The character debuted in 1999 after the publication of The Sixth Lamentation, the first novel in the series, since then, the character has featured in over five books.

The Sixth Lamentation

The Sixth Lamentation is the first book in Father Anselm series by William Brodnick. The Book of Lamentations in the Christian Old Testament comprises of five different poems that correspond to the five chapters in the book. Even though traditionally associated with prophet Jeremiah, there are many various authors of this book even though scholars share different views over this.

The Sixth Lamentation is a title that Brodnick uses to draw the reader’s attention to a yet another calamity that has befallen the hard-pressed children of Israel, God’s chosen people

In the debut novel, the author introduces Father Anselm; a lawyer converted monk, a man with sleuthing skills. Anselm is approached by a man who needs his advice on what he should do if the world turns against him. Anselm offers a church and monastic response, but he never takes into consideration the consequences that would occur later. The particular man Eduard Schwermann turns out to be a suspected Nazi war criminal. For Anselm, getting “rid” of this man will prove to be more difficult than anyone can imagine.

Alternating the story of Anselm in his efforts on behalf of his client, in pursuit of justice and truth is another closely related story of a young lady and her granny, Agnes. The grandmother is one of the few Jewish people who survived and managed to escape the extermination efforts against the Jewish race in Europe during the Second World War.

Lucy, the granddaughter, is the one entrusted with most of Agnes story- as much as her granny understands of it that is, the of the story seems lost in time or buried with those who were mercilessly killed by the Nazi. Even what Lucy’s dad thinks that he knows about his mother is not right, and it would hurt him much if he learned the truth.

The Sixth Lamentation story will take you back and forth from falsehood to truth, confusion to clarity, from misunderstanding to understanding, delusion to painful awakening and from illusion to revelation. The story follows two major narrative threads, the first one concerning the Father Anselm and the suspected war criminal who seeks refuge at Anselm’s Priory. The second thread follows a terminally ill Agnes who reveals to her granddaughter, Lucy of the secrets of the wartime exploits. She was once a member of an underground group that aided safe passage of Jewish children from France until the brotherhood was exposed and betrayed by Eduard Schwermann. The two distinct but parallel investigations into the dark events of the past intertwine and collide with interesting consequences.

The Sixth Lamentation is a remarkable series opener, and the author cleverly handles the complicated plot which is also full of complex moral ambiguities.

The Gardens of the Dead

Just like its predecessor, The Gardens of the Dead focuses Anselm again, a lawyer turned monk who once again finds himself in the midst of mystery surrounding family, the long arms of deception and the healing power of revenge.

Elizabeth Glendinning dies of heart attack while making an urgent call to the cops which leaves her friends and family puzzled. What was Elizabeth doing in East London at the time of her death and what did she want to inform the cops during her last call? After her burial, her son, her son Nicholas, Father Anselm, Inspector Cartwright and Elizabeth’s former colleague all receive packages related to a case from years earlier- Regina versus Riley.

The package also includes some strange newspaper clippings related to the accidental drowning of John Bradshaw, the son of one of the chief witness in the case. Why was Elizabeth so involved in the case? Moreover, what does she wants them to do with the information she sent to them?

The focus of this story lies in the events that happened many years ago when Anselm had won a somewhat challenging case by asking the chief witness; the question justified in every aspect of winning the case, but it turns out to have been a deadly and critically the wrong one. The exonerated man wreaks war in some lives, but finally, his net ultimately entraps those who have cleverly defended him in court.

Anselm own life transforms entirely as he becomes aware of consequences of his performance in court. His inner voice would not let him let, thus forcing him to abandon his job as a lawyer and became a monk. As Anselm starts investigating from clues by Elizabeth, he soon discovers the complexity of truth and its deadly power.

Suspenseful and psychologically complex, The Gardens of the Dead is a revelation of the inner working of the legal system of England through a rewarding main plot, narrated from the lives of characters who become heroes in their struggle against evils and the possibility of salvation.

Whispered Name

Whispered Name is the third novel in Father Anselm series by William Brodnick. A senior man and his middle-aged daughter make their way to the monastery in search of a man who can shed some light on a decades-old puzzle regarding the man’s long-dead brother who was court-martialed during the First World War.

Unfortunately, the monk who could offer them help is long gone. This opens up a case where the monks discover that the pious monk was amongst those who condemned the old man’s brother to death. However, no one in the community knows whether Fr. Herbert ever served in the Great War or sat any court-martial. If he indeed served in the military, why did he not share with his fellow monks? Was the executed man innocent as his family claimed? As Anselm investigates, he discovers layers of events, deaths, and lives that have intertwined together and continue to reveal the more shocking truth.

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