Shrouded: A Crispin Leads Mystery

by Meredith Lee, Dixie Lee Evatt, Sue Meredith Cleveland

Overview

Insecure American graduate student Crispin Leads has come to the Vatican to study burial rituals and catch up with her oldest friend, Sister Lew, historian for the Shroud of Turin. Within hours of Crispin's arrival she witnesses a murder and is drawn into an investigation of multiple homicides. When Lew disappears, Crispin is accused of being involved. Although she doesn't trust him, Crispin accepts the help of a young priest, Roberto Rossini. The pair stay one step ahead of the police and a determined assassin as they try to unravel the mystery.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780692887608
Publisher:	39 Stars
Publication date:	09/16/2017
Series:	Crispin Leads Mystery , #1
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.53(d)

About the Author

Meredith Lee owes her half-East Coast, half-southern soul to Texas-based writers Dixie Lee Evatt and Sue Meredith Cleveland. They are often asked how they write as a team, so they answered the question in their article, COMPUTER KEYS FOR FOUR HANDS: TEAMING UP TO WRITE. Find it in the June newsletter of the Heart of Texas Chapter of Sisters in Crime. https: //sinc-heartoftexas.com

DIXIE LEE EVATT, Writer and Word-Wrangler A former political writer for the Austin American-Statesman, Dixie later taught writing at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University. While there she published a book, along with colleagues, on the communication practices of small organizations, Thinking Big. Staying Small. When she teamed up with Sue Cleveland to write fiction, they sold a screenplay treatment to a Hollywood producer. Although the movie was never made, they used the seed money to found ThirtyNineStars, their publishing company. They also produced a second screenplay based on the life of a Waco schoolteacher who was imprisoned in World War I because of his German heritage and his work with early radio broadcasting. That screenplay, Wireless, was a finalist for the Chesterfield Writer's Film Project in 2003.

SUE MEREDITH CLEVELAND, Author and Artist Sue is an award-winning artist who has worked in multiple media including oil, watercolor, and fiber. Her earliest publications include articles advocating childbirth education and humanizing hospital care. Shrouded, a mystery Sue collaborated on with Dixie Evatt, was a finalist in the 2017 Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Contest. One Slip Over the Line, Sue's work-in-progress Young Adult novel, was a 2015 finalist in the Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Award. Sue's essays, literary memoir pieces, and short stories have been featured in award-winning literary journals, magazines, and blogs. Wireless, a screenplay she collaborated on with Dixie Evatt, was a semi-finalist for the 2003 Chesterfield Writer's Film Project. Sue has written two pre-published Middle Grade novels: A Shadow Over Silver and Blue Water Over Dark Secrets.

Editorial Reviews

"Shrouded is a masterfully written mystery novel, powered by well-developed characters and a sophisticated plot. Who stole the Shroud of Turin, and what do they want with it? And who kidnapped our favorite nun, Sister Mary Llewellyn? Crispin, our anxiety-ridden but determined young sleuth, is on the case."

--David Aretha, award-winning author

"Crispin Leads is a heroine I can get behind: bold, brilliant, empathetic and intelligent. Traversing Turin and the Vatican Shrouded's heroine will leave you breathless. It's the mystery, not a man, that Crispin is out to solve."

--Bethany Hegedus is an award-winning novelist and Creative Director of The Writing Barn

"Shrouded is the contemporary thriller The DaVinci Code wanted to be."

-Bill Johnson, author of A Story is a Promise and The Spirit of Storytelling

In SHROUDED, debut amateur sleuth Crispin Leads finds herself on a pulse quickening, brainteasing adventure in the style of The DaVinci Code. Crispin must go undercover, steal secret computer information, and stop an international conspiracy by combining travel, history, and cutting edge science. Move over Dan Brown!

--Manning Wolfe - Texas Lady Lawyer Series

"I could not put Shrouded down. It had all the right things I want in a mystery novel, adventure, intrigue, and a driven, interesting female protagonist."

-- Katherine Moore- Editor and Ghostwriter

"Shrouded is a really fabulous international jet-setting story with smart writing and a compelling plot. I enjoyed it thoroughly..."

-- Sam Bond, award-winning author

Shrouded is a finalist in the 2017 Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Contest

From the Publisher

Fascination with the Shroud of Turin has sparked scientific, literary, cinematic and religious intrigue. With so many disciplines focusing on the subject, some might consider its story appeal to be worn thin. But Meredith Lee (pen name for writers Dixie Lee Evatt and Sue Meredith Cleveland) has crafted an exceptionally engaging mystery with the Shroud at its center.
Crispin Leads is a young NYU graduate student newly arrived in Rome, where she has been awarded a Vatican grant to pursue research on a topic unrelated to the Shroud. Within hours of her arrival, she’s befriended by Roberto Rossini, who she later learns is a priest. Shortly thereafter, a murder occurs in the Vatican offices where Crispin is to meet with a Bishop to discuss her research. While waiting, Crispin hears screaming from down the hall where a corpse is soon discovered, making her a witness, of sorts.
Coincidently, Crispin is reunited with a childhood friend, a nun working in the Office for Documentation of Holy Relics – Holy Shroud of Turin. It’s not long before another murder occurs, which leads Crispin and Roberto to discover connections between the deaths and the Shroud.
The plot delivers numerous twists and surprises as the well-paced narrative moves from Rome to Turin, from Spain to Paris. The author richly describes each locale, including specific landmarks and foods unique to the regions.
Even better, the characters are well-developed and engaging. Crispin is a vulnerable, intelligent young woman, while Roberto provides a calming presence. He also has a secret surrounding him that, despite his cleric collar, raises questions about his motives. A handful of other characters further propel the story and ratchet up the intrigue.
Shrouded ends with a prologue to what the author notes is “the next installment” in the “Crispin Leads Mystery Series.” This is good news indeed. Crispin is a likeable character, one that readers will want to get to know further as they watch her methodical—and absorbing—deduction skills in action.”
--BlueInk Review (starred review)

Blueink Review