Linda Wallheim is the bishop's wife in Draper, Utah, a Mormon community. She leads a busy and exhausting life; she and her husband must remain available to their wards, their flock, 24/7. There are always things to do, people to help, but no more so than when Carrie Helm, a neighbour, disappears, leaving her husband and young daughter. That kind of behaviour is frowned upon and seldom happens in a Mormon community, but Linda feels there is more than meets the eye, so she decides to look further into the matter. But while doing so, she uncovers another mystery that might go back several decades, and the bishop fears she might do more damage than good.

THE BISHOP'S WIFE caught my attention because of the very idea of a mystery novel set in Utah featuring Mormons seemed rather unusual and Ms. Harrison knocks it right out of the ballpark! Right from the beginning, THE BISHOP'S WIFE is a comfortable book to read because Ms. Harrison writes in a flowing, beautiful yet concise style; the tone feels very intimate, as if Linda was addressing the reader personally, as a trustworthy friend. I truly enjoyed how the author subtly inserts all sorts of information about Mormonism, explaining and setting things straight without interfering with the flow of the story or ever sounding preachy; she merely states relevant facts, and I learned a lot in the most pleasant way possible. The characters are very well fleshed out, very convincing, and it was interesting to witness the family dynamics between the characters. I also love how Ms. Harrison presents the facts: Utah and Mormons might be the setting, but the story itself is universal. The events that take place in THE BISHOP'S WIFE could happen anywhere people tend to keep secrets and hide skeletons in the closet; being in a Mormon community only makes uncovering the truth a bit trickier.

THE BISHOP'S WIFE is a most captivating mystery; it is not fast-paced, but by no means is it sluggish: the slower pace is extremely efficient in accentuating the feeling of dread, thus making THE BISHOP'S WIFE quietly chilling as events unfold. Linda uncovers one clue after another, leading to a most horrifying conclusion; there are no graphic descriptions of the horrors that occur but the slight glossing over gruesome details make the crimes committed even more appalling. THE BISHOP'S WIFE is a meticulously crafted suspense with several plot twists that literally gave me goosebumps several times. I do hope that the full title of the novel, THE BISHOP'S WIFE (A Linda Wallheim Novel) , implies that there will be more adventures featuring Bishop Wallheim's wife, because I'm very much looking forward to more books from the very talented Mette Ivie Harrison!