Beyond Absolution: A mystery set in 1920s Ireland by Cora Harrison

When a young boy says that the priest in the confessional didn't speak to him, they check to see what's going on.  He's dead but it's not from natural causes...

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published August 1st.

Reverend Mother Aquina has known this priest and his brother from childhood.  Father Dominic often stepped over the line and held masses that the republicans could attend.  He visited picket lines.  Even the bishop had tried to reprimand him but it hadn't worked.  Now he's dead.  Did the republicans kill him?  After all the church is attended by members of the other side.  Reverend Mother thinks not.  She does suspect a local business owner who was there and not a member of the church.  When she begins to ask questions about him, she finds out he's not what he seemed to be...

With two warring factions involved with the characters of the story, it gets complex and becomes hard to weed out true facts.  Some things are assumptions, some are just blaming the other side, and some are highly suspicious.

Before the story is through, they've found wrongdoers all around and the murderer is no one you'd ever suspect.  You can feel the tension and the stress of the time.  This was an interesting read.