A satisfying second offering: "The Case of the Sin City Sister" by Lynne Hinton

Evangeline Divine is back to the rescue in her second mystery book "The Case of the Sin City Sister". Sister Eve is continuing to question her calling in life, whether she should remain at the monastery where she's served for so many years, or whether she should permanently leave to join forces with her father at his detective agency. But when her sister goes missing in Las Vegas, there's no question about her next steps. Soon she and family friend Daniel (her father's former police partner) are off to Sin City to find her sister.

Lynne Hinton's second book in the "Divine Private Detective Agency" mysteries is a satisfying follow-up to the first book "Sister Eve, Private Eye". Readers will continue to grow in their understanding of who Eve is as a person as we see her continue to work through God's will in her life, and untangle the sometimes messy relationships she has with her father and sister. I just can't help but like Eve with her candid honesty, her motorbike riding ways, and her tender heart that loves people and animals alike. Like the first book in the series, the pacing in this book is steady, with no truly perilous situations except near the end, but with entertaining sleuthing skills being used from start to finish. In the midst of the sleuthing, Hinton explores some deeper issues as well, such as when the characters are questioning why we as humans do the things we do to avoid reality, like when people visit Sin City and pretend they are something they are not. I did find it strange that Eve was rooting for her sister to leave her current marriage in a way (which would require her to divorce and then remarry), something not consistent with the views a nun would have. However, perhaps the author is showing that Eve the nun is still human, with very human longings, whether they are right or wrong.

I can tell you this: If I had a difficult to solve mystery present in my own life, I'd definitely want Sister Eve on the job. Not only would she be sure to find out the truth, but I would certainly be entertained by her antics along the way! I award this second novel in the series 4 out of 5 stars.

Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Thomas Nelson, and the Booklook program, for the purposes of this unbiased review.

about the author...

Lynne Hinton is the New York Times best-selling author of Friendship Cake and Pie Town. She received an undergraduate degree from UNC Greensboro and a Masters of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. She has served as a hospice chaplain and church pastor. Lynne is a regular columnist with The Charlotte Observer. She lives with her husband in Albuquerque, NM.

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  The Case of the Sin City Sister (A Divine Private Detective Agency Mystery Book 2)