Saint's Gate

by Carla Neggers

Other authorsCarol Monda (Reader)

CD audiobook, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Publication

Recorded Books (2012), Edition: Unabridged Audiobook, 8 CDs, 9 hrs 15 mins

Description

When Emma Sharpe is summoned to a convent on the Maine coast, it's partly for her art crimes work with the FBI, partly because of her past with the religious order. At issue is a mysterious painting depicting scenes of Irish lore and Viking legends, and her family's connection to the work. But when the nun who contacted her is murdered, it seems legend is becoming deadly reality.

User reviews

LibraryThing member BookDivasReads

A missing painting, a Viking Saint, lost treasure, a murdered nun and a former novice turned FBI agent investigating the painting and murder with the help of an undercover FBI agent. Strange combination but these are the basics at the center of Saint's Gate by Carla Neggers.

Emma Sharpe is a former

novitiate with the Sisters of the Joyful Heart. She realized that she was not suited to life as a nun prior to taking her final vows and was ultimately recruited into the FBI working as an investigator in art theft and fraud. She is called by Sister Cecilia to return to the convent to provide an opinion on a painting. Unfortunately when she arrives to inspect the painting it disappears and Sister Cecilia is brutally murdered on the convent grounds. When her FBI boss turns up and an undercover FBI agent she begins to suspect that there is more going on than she may realize. Her investigation takes her to Ireland and back and she still is having difficulty grasping the connection, if any, between her life and that of Colin Donovan, undercover FBI agent.

I wish I could say I enjoyed reading Saint's Gate but regrettably I can't. The action and dialogue were literally all over the place. At times it felt as if I was dropped into the middle of the story without knowing much about the plot or characters. As a romantic suspense story the romance was expected yet appeared forced and there was little suspense to be found. Although I generally enjoy reading Ms. Neggers' books, this one seemed to miss on so many levels (plot, characters, and dialogue).

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LibraryThing member thornton37814

Agent Emma Sharpe has been called back to the convent where she was once a novice by Sister Joan to comment on a painting. Emma's family had been involved in art restoration for years and now Emma investigates art crimes for the FBI. Sister Joan goes to the tower where the painting is located,

surprising a thief. When Sister Joan doesn't return as expected, Emma sets off to find her. She encounters a novice named Cecelia along the way. She finds Sister Joan dead, it becomes a matter for local law enforcement, but naturally, she gets involved. Another FBI agent, Colin Donovan is in the area. Her boss Matt Yankowski comes up from Boston. Colin's friend Father Finian Bracken also plays an important role. All the crimes seem to be related to a period shortly after Sister Linden made the convent known for its art. I found this an enjoyable read. I liked the Maine setting. I enjoyed the characters. The plot was different from a lot of mysteries. While there is a touch of romance, I wouldn't necessarily classify this as a romantic suspense because the lead female character is law enforcement official instead of a governess, secretary, or other household servant. This review is based on an electronic galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review.

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LibraryThing member rhonda1111

4 STARS
Emma Sharpe is a different Heroin. She is a FBI Agent with a special unit. Her family is known as art detectives, finding stolen art and returning it to right owners. Em ma worked for her family in the Irish office with her grandfather. Before that she was getting ready to be a Nun. I like

Emma she is smart, cares about others and determined to find out who killed the nun and why did the nun really call Emma to come to the Convent and look at a picture.
Colin Donovan is on vaction from his undercover job for the FBI. When his friend Father Bracken asks him to look into the murder of Sister Joan. Who's body was found by FBI agent Emma.
The mystery is who killed the Sister Joan and why did she call Emma? Why did she not tell any of the other sisters especially Mother Lindon. Is a painting missing?
I was involved in the story waiting to see who the killer was. What was missing. I am glad their is going to be another book with Emma and
Colin. I want to read it too.
Their seems to be a lot of connections to the Maine coast small towns and Ireland. Father Bracken is on a exchange for a year to Maine while the Father he replaced is over to Ireland for a year. Sharpes has an office in Ireland and main office in Maine. Colin has been on a case to Ireland. Few others had been their too.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.

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LibraryThing member RtB

Reviewed by Shyla
review copy provided by Nancy Berland Public Relations

It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a mystery novel as much as I did Saint’s Gate. Chocked full of well fleshed out characters, action and an interesting plot, this tale had me intrigued from the very first page. Ms

Neggers did a bang up job of creating a setting that took on a life of its own. I was immersed in the small Maine town, its inhabitants and their secrets. Her usage of art and religion was a refreshing choice! The two interlaced, and mingled to create a unique journey I thoroughly enjoyed.

The heroine Emma is a smart, intelligent, and independent FBI agent with a surprising past. She was once on a path to become a nun. Her connection to Sisters of the Joyful heart is what brings her back to the convent via Sister Joan who suspects something strange is afoot. When Sister Joan is murdered right under her nose many things are brought into question; including Emma’s loyalty to her job.

Our hero Colin is in town for rest, and relaxation. But as we know, there’s no rest for the wicked. With his rugged good looks, love for the outdoor, and mysterious career Colin is an irresistible package, that’s dangerous to the heart. When he’s placed on to the case and asked to look after Emma they both discover an attraction that refused to be denied. Not used to letting anyone in, they struggle to fight the bond forming as they chase down leads.

I’d recommend this to anyone who loves a good, thriller, or mystery. But if you’re looking for heat this one may not be the one for you. The attraction between Emma and Colin is obvious, but the sexual encounters are closed door.

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LibraryThing member julie.billing

Neggers does it again. Saints Gate had a good mix of good characters and an interesting story line. Usually I don't necessarily know who did it, though in this case I picked it up relatively early. A good read - only took me awhile because I've been so tired I just can't keep going!!

LibraryThing member Conkie

Good plot. Was really easy to get all the "sisters" mixed-up. The relationship development between H/H is appropriate due to character's background.

LibraryThing member bookofsecrets

This will be a "quickie" review. :-)

I've wanted to read a book by Carla Neggers for a long time, and the setting of SAINT'S GATE drew me in. Most of the story takes place in and around Heron's Cove located in southern Maine, and specifically the crime occurs in a secluded-ish convent overlooking

the sea. The author's descriptions of this area were rich and detailed, which an armchair traveler like me appreciates.

I enjoyed the information the author presented on modern-day convent life, Catholic saints and their presence in art throughout history, and the Vikings' influence in early Ireland. It was a very interesting lesson, and it's clear this book was well-researched.

On the downside, as a romantic suspense novel, I didn't think the story was that suspenseful or romantic. The mystery itself was good. I enjoyed putting all the pieces together to figure out the killer, but the plot wasn't all that gripping. While I liked Emma's character, I didn't care for the hero at all. For most of the book, Colin was a wooden character who lacked emotion, and was kind of rude to Emma after he found out her connection with the convent. Grow up, Colin! I just didn't understand his reaction. I'm hoping that he grows as a character and their relationship develops more in the next book.

I said this would be a quick review, so I'll wrap it up. Will I read the next book in the series, HERON'S COVE? Yes, I think so.

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LibraryThing member BrokeBookBank

Won this in a First Read Giveaway for the second book, Heron's Cove, which included a copy of this book.

I liked it. It was enjoyable, well written and well researched. I don't know much about Ireland, Maine, nuns or saints. The information was given nicely to the reader to follow along. I didn't

become lost or bogged down in details. All the information exchanged worked in the story. I think some of the things that stood out as odd to me is just me being uninformed and not familiar with this setting. I did adjust well and it wasn't confusing. I didn't get lost.

I like the characters but they weren't delved into very deeply. This is after all the first book in the series. There were some things that didn't sit right with right with me, but that very maybe cultural differences. Like just having everyone pop over to a strange person's house and yet the stranger is nice, polite, doesn't question and just accepts their lame ass reasons for being there? Don't buy it. Then there is the romance between Emma and Colin. Emma talks mostly about physical attraction noticing how Colin moves and trying to figure him out. Colin is all about going to bed with her, then gets weirded out by the fact that she was a novice, then it doesn't bother him. I don't get why the cool, calm, calculated Emma all of a sudden seduced Colin. I don't see the connection between the two of them, even though the author tried to show their similarities well enough and throw physical attraction sparks in the mix. Maybe that's a cultural difference too. I just don't see the "oh my god look at his hips" becoming full blown love 100 pages later. One thing that wasn't a cultural difference and that makes me question the authors knowledge of murderers. The fact that the murder was also all of a sudden a sadistic torturer though he never did it before and never showed the signs. I do believe the fiance could have been duped by him, it happens enough in real life. I just think making the murder a true villain by adding in the torture was a misstep.It was out of place, it doesn't fit with how real people work and really just come off as a sloppy trick to make the reader hate him more and build more suspense. Nothing indicated sadistic tendencies. I don't think the psychology of this murdered was well done.

I do think the characters are well done beginnings. I can see them as people, understand them but there isn't much dept yet. I'm expecting that will come in the second book. I like them well enough, but I can see issues coming up depending on how the next book goes. Any thing that didn't fit can be amended, clarified, or just avoided in the next book. The issues I brought up detracts a star from this book in my eyes, as it could have been better. But it still wasn't a bad book or a bad read.

I like whodunnits, it just gets frustrating when the books follow the same pattern. It gets predictable and boring. The only things I saw coming was the death of the nun in the beginning, but that only made it seem more suspenseful. Then there was fact they would all trek off to Ireland. I did think they would've stayed longer, get more clues, but they got plenty out of that whirlwind trip as it happened. . I didn't come up with who was the murder until the end, which is nicely refreshing. There wasn't much nail biting suspense, it's more of a built up I-want-to-know-who. I didn't feel any danger. This isn't a bad thing, whether or not the author meant for me to feel danger. I think people forget that there can be suspense that doesn't involve worrying about someone else getting murdered. Considering the crimes and the murder I wasn't worried a bit. I just want to follow the case along and find out the culprit.

I was satisfied with a quick, rewarding, interesting read. I didn't predict the outcome early, which is a huge plus in my book. For all my nit picking, the book stands up well on its own. Bringing up my minor concerns is not to dissuade people from reading this book. On the contrary, I think people should read this book and find out for themselves. This is more for my records. If anyone has doubts or worries about reading this book, I hope my review shows that despite any drawback I found, I still enjoyed it. I look forward to reading the next book. If the next book improves, I just might have a new author to follow.

This book may not have blown me out of the water, so to speak, but don't let that dismay you. It's a good book, not all books can be life-changing amazing. Just pick up this quick, fun, enjoyable book that pulls you along for a good whodunnit ride.

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LibraryThing member kmartin802

The first Sharpe and Donovan mystery was an entertaining story with fascinating characters.

The story begins when Emma Sharpe is called to the Convent of the Joyful Heart at the request of Sister Joan. The convent specializes in art restoration and other artistic endeavors. Emma herself was a

novice there for three years before leaving to join her family's business tracking down art thieves and then later joining the FBI to do the same sort of work.

Sister Joan doesn't tell Emma what she wants. She finds a gate she thought open locked and goes to get a key to let Emma in. Before she can return, someone kills her by hitting the back of her head. Emma feels guilty that she didn't accompany Sister Joan on the key hunt and is confused about what Sister Joan wanted to show her.

A novice named Sister Cecelia saw someone in the garden but didn't recognize the person. She does indicate that there was a painting in Sister Joan's studio that is now missing.

Colin Donovan is an FBI agent from nearby Rock Point who is home for some downtime recovering from an undercover assignment - though his family believes he's a desk jockey. Emma's boss contacts him to look after Emma who is actually a desk jockey. Colin would rather be kayaking or camping but he's curious about Emma who provided some key information that helped finish up his last case.

Both Emma and Colin are great characters. They are both independent and smart. Emma has some concerns that her past as an almost-nun will cause her colleagues to look at her differently and Colin does some teasing about it.

The story quickly becomes more complicated as details of the missing painting are discovered with connections to Emma's grandfather. There is also a new priest Finian Bracken who has come from Ireland to fill in for the local priest's sabbatical who has an interesting backstory of his own and who provides clues that help solve the crime.

I enjoyed the growing relationship between Colin and Emma. I liked the Maine and Ireland settings. I liked learning more about Emma's family and their business. The story had nicely building tension as the clues were gathered and the villain was unmasked.

This is the first of a nine book series. I reviewed the third and fourth books back in 2013 and 2014 and had the first two on my TBR mountain since then so that I could catch up. Looks like I have quite a few more to read and am looking forward to it.

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