Sister Agatha is one of the two extern nuns in a cloistered order in the Our Lady of Hope Monastery in the New Mexico desert. As an extern, it is her role to be the link between the order and the outside world. On most days, that means picking up supplies in the "Anti-Chrysler," the order's aging, ailing station wagon, providing support to the priest who is the chaplain to the order and dealing with the business of the monastery's scriptorium. Her not-exactly quiet life is shattered, however, when the order's chaplain, Father Anselm, comes to the monastery to celebrate mass with the nuns but dies suddenly and mysteriously while consecrating the host. The local constabulary, in the person of Sheriff Tom Green, is convinced it was murder and that it was an inside job - that he used to date Sister Agatha many years ago before she took the veil only serves to make her job as extern all the more complicated. Determined to protect the cloistered sisters, yet fearful that the sheriff might well be right about one of them being somehow involved, Sister Agatha must use the skills from her former life and unravel the many puzzles surrounding Father Anselm's death. As the mystery deepens and time is running out, it soon becomes clear that the answer lies closer to Sister Agatha than she could have ever believed.

Bad Faith: A Sister Agatha Mystery

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Thurlo, Aimée

Thurlo, David

Mystery

Minotaur Books

Sister Agatha is one of two extern nuns in the cloistered order at the Our Lady of Hope Monastery near the small desert town of Bernalillo, New Mexico. An investigative journalist before entering the monastery, now, as an extern it is Sister Agatha's role to be the link between her cloistered sisters and the outside world. It is the skills from both her past and current lives that she must bring to the task assigned to her by the Archbishop of her diocese. At a former monastery, closed and sold by the diocese and now operating as a hotel and business retreat, there are a series of mysterious goings on. Several valuable pieces of southwestern folk art owned by the diocese and left on loan in the retreat have been stolen and replaced by replicas. After an art expert was called in to verify the remaining collection, he too disappeared without a trace. And then, there is the ghost - the restless spirit rumored to wander the halls of the resort. At the request of the Archbishop, Sister Agatha's must now discreetly investigate the doings at the former monastery and make sure that an unwanted scandal is not about to engulf the diocese. But she soon learns that something even more sinister than a ghost is loose in the retreat and it is up to Sister Agatha to unravel the puzzle before the consequences turn deadly.

Thief in Retreat: A Sister Agatha Mystery (Sister Agatha Mysteries)

Sister Agatha is an extern nun in the cloistered order at the Our Lady of Hope Monastery near a small New Mexican desert town. As such, Sister Agatha is the link between her cloistered sisters and the outside world. Usually this means running errands in the monastery's slowly dying car (dubbed the Anti-Chrystler) or their motorcycle, with Pax, the order's German Shepard, in the side car. But sometimes it means something a bit more -- like now when the diocese is upset by reports of a young girl whose parents claim is receiving visitations from the Virgin Mary and providing insight into future events. Wanting neither to ignore a real miracle, nor give credence to what might be merely an attempt to defraud the faithful, they ask Sister Agatha to investigate. But her inquires are soon complicated when the girl herself disappears, apparently having been kidnapped, and Sister Agatha will need more than faith to bring her home.

Prey for a Miracle (A Sister Agatha Mystery)

Literature & Fiction

Contemporary

Our Lady of Hope Monastery can't catch a break. Situated in rural New Mexico, the cloistered monastery squeaks by on donations and various craft and skilled jobs suited to their cloistered, contemplative life. But when a stolen SUV crashes through their outside walls, they are faced with financial demands that far exceed their means. So when a major donor offers a great deal of money for what seems a simple task, they are quick to accept. The very ill John Gutierrez is looking for his estranged niece, believed to be in the area, and having heard of Sister Agatha, the extern nun, and her investigative skills, he turns to them for help. All Sister Agatha has to do is track down the woman, and the monastery's financial worries will be over. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Sister Agatha's investigation quickly lands her in the midst of a deadly situation, and it's up to her to uncover the truth before it all takes a deadly turn for everyone involved.

False Witness (A Sister Agatha Mystery)

United States

"Thief in Retreat is a thoroughly absorbing, sharply drawn story with a protagonist who is courageous, intelligent, and endearing. Sister Agatha, with her restored Harley Davidson motorcycle and ex-police dog, Pax are a dynamite team that's hard to beat… I eagerly await Sister Agatha's next adventure." – Earlene Fowler, author of Delectable Mountains "Aimee and David Thurlo's nimble plotting leaves readers turning pages while Our Lady of Hope Monastery's compelling characters draw you into their richly textured world. Sister Agatha is a blessing and you'll believe in Prey for a Miracle!" --Julia Spencer-Fleming, Edgar finalist and author of To Darkness and to Death 
Our Lady of Hope is an aging monastery run by a cloistered order in rural New Mexico. Perennially cash-strapped for needed repairs and maintenance, when the local diocese offers to pay for a new water well it is, well, a godsend. But there’s a catch – in return, they want the monastery to house a novice nun from a different order who needs a place to stay locally while she teaches at the Catholic school and an order to take responsibility for her while she’s there. And Sister Josephine – Sister Jo as she likes to be called – is a handful. Loud, boisterous, free with her opinions, inappropriate, impulsive and snores loud enough to wake the dead, the young nun doesn’t fit in well with the contemplative order and the older nuns of Our Lady of Hope.
If the teeth-grinding of the older nuns and the repetitive deep sighs of the Reverand Mother weren’t enough, there’s also the increasingly dangerous sounding threats that arrive at the monestary. Since Sister Agatha has been involved in her fair share of investigations, there’s no lack of people who might harbor a grudge against her. But is she really the target? And is Sister Jo – who arrived right before the threats began – somehow entangled in this increasingly dangerous web?

The Prodigal Nun: A Sister Agatha Mystery

Sister Agatha of the Our Lady of Hope monastery in Bernalillo, New Mexico has become reknowned―and occasionally infamous― for her crime solving skills. Now she must bring her skills to bear on her most important case yet―her friend and ally Sheriff Tom Green is a suspect in the brutal murder of his rival in the upcoming election.

Bad Samaritan: A Sister Agatha Mystery (Sister Agatha Mysteries, 6)

A Pueblo Indian architect finds an old murder, new intrigue, and a chance for love when she begins restoration of the landmark Mendoza hacienda

Second Shadow

Forge

Former FBI agent Ella Clah, now a Special Investigator with the Navajo Tribal Police, investigates a series of murders targeting the Navajo's "living treasures," individuals who possess and teach the tribe's cultural and religious wisdom. By the author of Blackening Song.

Death Walker (Ella Clah Novels)

The murder of a powerful Senator's daughter, somehow linked to rising tensions between Navajo and white workers at the local mine, leads Ella and the tribe's medical examiner into deadly danger as they pursue the criminals responsible.

Bad Medicine: An Ella Clah Novel (Ella Clah Novels)

Forge Books

Navajo Police Special Investigator Ella Clah is on the run. Justine, Ella's cousin and fellow officer, disappeared after the two women argued publicly over Justine's new boyfriend. Human bones are discovered at the spot where the younger woman had told her family she and Ella were to meet late one night. Suddenly Ella Clah, cop, is Ella Clah, murder suspect. Stunned by Justine's death, Ella has no time to mourn. Her former allies in the Navajo Police Department and the FBI are hot on her trail, using techniques she taught them to hunt her down. Ella has to find the real killers--and fast--before the Dineh act on a growing belief that Ella's mother, brother, and young daughter have become evil.

Red Mesa

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Thurlo, Aimée. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Thurlo, Aimée