The Abbess of Crewe: A Modern Morality Tale

An election is held at the abbey of Crewe and the new lady abbess takes up her high office with implacable serenity.

“The short dirk in the hands of Muriel Spark has always been a deadly weapon,” said The New York Times, and “never more so than in The Abbess of Crewe.” An elegant little fable about intrigue, corruption, and electronic surveillance, The Abbess of Crewe is set in an English Benedictine convent. Steely and silky Abbess Alexandra (whose aristocratic tastes run to pâté, fine wine...