reviewed by Christy Isinger
I am always in the mood for a mystery. I always seem to get pulled into mystery novels no matter their setting or character, but I was greatly intrigued when I heard that John Dejarlais’ newest novel would be a mystery based on the death of a priest. Bleeder is the first mystery novel written by John Desjarlais, a Catholic, and published by the Catholic publishing company Imagio Catholic Fiction. I was fascinated with the prospect of reading a novel with a Catholic theme, namely a priest who is purported to have the signs of the stigmata; a novel which would be free of anti-Catholic bias and the sensationalism that usually accompanies the mysterious phenomena. I also thought that a novel centered on the stigmata would have any number of intriguing storylines that would make for a good mystery.
The story centers on Reed Stubblefield, who seeks rest and recovery from a gunshot wound while visiting a sleepy Illinois town. He finds that the town has become almost a pilgrimage site because of the alleged healing power of the local parish priest, Fr. Ray Boudreau. Reed encounters the priest in what he believes coincidental circumstances several times, but does not seek out healing for his physical pain. The priest befriends Reed and they usually discuss their mutual interest in philosophy, mainly Aristotle. Reed is at first skeptical towards the priest and the believed healings that have occurred, yet never confronts or discusses these miraculous events with him, nor his rumored stigmata. Many in the town are skeptical of the priest’s gifts, while others have become so enamored of him that they have begun pressing for his canonization. When Fr. Boudreau dies during the Good Friday service, many believe it to be a mystical death until foul play is discovered. Reed becomes a prime suspect due to his friendship with the priest as well as his possession of pain medication that was found to have been the poison that killed the priest. Reed must go on to find the real killer behind Fr. Ray’s death in order to prove his innocence.
Because of the controversial way Fr. Ray and his gifts are viewed by those who live in the town, many are seen as suspects. The older parish priest, the zealot followers who seek canonization, the skeptical doctor who is losing business to Ray’s healing powers; even new-age healers, along with Reed, are among the main suspects. As Reed searches for the truth behind the death of the priest he methodically comes across each person who appears to have a motive and then just as easily discovers a reason why they could not have killed Fr. Boudreau. This all feels very predictable to the reader, almost as if the story is just going through the motions with each new suspect. The result is a slow-paced murder mystery that develops neither tension nor suspense. The ending is wrapped up quickly with little explanation and seems as predictable as the ending of a CSI: episode.
Overall, the character of Reed Stubblefield was fairly likeable and relatable, especially in the descriptions of both his physical pain and the emotional pain of losing his wife to leukemia. I thought it appropriate that he was neither Catholic nor hostile to the faith, but clearly looking for the truth. However, his actual opinions of Catholicism or faith in general are never directly challenged and his spirituality is left unchanged at the end of the book. I was not looking for a storybook conversion, nor wanted one, but some challenge to Reed’s own thinking in regards to faith would have been an intriguing development of character. The character of Fr. Ray is very underdeveloped. As the victim of a murder, hardly anything is discovered after his death about his life, childhood, relationships or vocation. The opportunity to delve into an obviously holy man’s spirituality, the discovery of his gift for healing, and even how he became a priest would have been very interesting to find in a murder mystery.
The mystery genre is one of the most difficult to write, as the power of creativity is constrained by the need to present a plausible solution while at the same time keeping the reader guessing. A good mystery requires sophisticated style, well-developed characters, and imaginative plots to keep the reader emotionally involved, eager to read along to the end of the book and revel in its solution. Bleeder is Desjarlais’ first mystery and unfortunately reads as just that: a rookie effort.
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