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In the follow-up to the controversial and critically acclaimed mystery The Bishop's Wife, Mormon housewife Linda Wallheim finds herself ruffling feathers in Draper, Utah, as she assists a murder investigation that is being derailed by transphobia within the LDS community.
In Draper, Utah, a tight-knit Mormon community is thrown into upheaval when their ward's second counselor-one of the bishop's right-hand men-is found dead in an elaborately staged murder on church property. Carl Ashby was known as a devout Mormon, a pillar of the community, and a loving husband and father. Who would want him dead?
Linda Wallheim, the wife of the ward's bishop, can't rest as long as the ward is suffering. She is particularly worried about Carl's grieving family. But the entire case is turned upside down by the autopsy report, which reveals Carl Ashby was a biological female. In the Mormon church, where gender is considered part of a person's soul, some people regard transgenderism as one of the worst possible sins. Church officials seem to be more upset by Carl's gender than by his murder, and more concerned with hushing up the story than solving the crime.
Linda realizes that if the police are to catch the killer, they are going to need an ally on the inside-and she is the only one who can help. Carl was living a life of secrecy for twenty years. What else was he hiding-and can Linda ferret out the key to his death before the rumors tear her community apart? Praise for His Right Hand
An ABA IndieNext Selection for December 2015
"Absorbing . . . Besides the fact that I cannot resist a good mystery, Mette Ivie Harrison's books had an added allure . . . [They] are rich with real-life details that often get lost in stereotypes."
-Karen Grigsby Bates, NPR's All Things Considered
"A fast moving crime story, but also far more than that. Deep social and moral issues dealt with, and made real with compassion and honesty. I couldn't put it down!"
-Anne Perry
"For all of its thoughtful exploration of LGBT people and issues, His Right Hand is also a good mystery. Yet it's the issues the book raises that will make readers hungry for more of Linda and her close-knit community."
-Paula Woods, Los Angeles Times
"A heartfelt story that opens outsiders to a fascinating world."
-The Boston Globe
"You wouldn't expect a book about the crime-solving wife of a staid Mormon leader to be so edgy and engrossing. It has all the outward signs of being a conventional 'cozy' mystery that plays it safe. But Linda Wallheim, the bishop's wife, is quite the independent thinker who is full of surprises-and Harrison delivers a provocative tale that doesn't shy away from timely social issues."
-Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
"[The] Linda Wallheim novels are worth reading, and not only for their uncompromising plot lines and compelling conclusions. They should raise important and necessary questions about Mormonism itself in every thinking Mormon's mind."
-Association for Mormon Letters
"Intriguing . . . [Harrison] puts in the forefront many issues, such as gender and sexual orientation, to which characters react in various ways, many of which feel authentic and show that no one has a perfect life."
-The Deseret News
"His Right Hand is a fascinating novel that explores the LDS world and how it reacts when a treasured member of the church is not what he appears to be. Watching Linda juggle her duties as a bishop's wife, adjust to life as an empty-nester and solve a murder keeps readers turning the pages of this riveting mystery penned by a member of the LDS church."
-Bookreporter
"A mesmerising look into the very fibre of Mormon life . . . Harrison's writing is spectacularly subdued, quietly eloquent."
-Fresh Fiction
"A masterpiece of socially relevant genre fiction. Her voice is one of the most unique in the genre, and I cannot wait to see what subject she will
In Draper, Utah, a tight-knit Mormon community is thrown into upheaval when their ward's second counselor-one of the bishop's right-hand men-is found dead in an elaborately staged murder on church property. Carl Ashby was known as a devout Mormon, a pillar of the community, and a loving husband and father. Who would want him dead?
Linda Wallheim, the wife of the ward's bishop, can't rest as long as the ward is suffering. She is particularly worried about Carl's grieving family. But the entire case is turned upside down by the autopsy report, which reveals Carl Ashby was a biological female. In the Mormon church, where gender is considered part of a person's soul, some people regard transgenderism as one of the worst possible sins. Church officials seem to be more upset by Carl's gender than by his murder, and more concerned with hushing up the story than solving the crime.
Linda realizes that if the police are to catch the killer, they are going to need an ally on the inside-and she is the only one who can help. Carl was living a life of secrecy for twenty years. What else was he hiding-and can Linda ferret out the key to his death before the rumors tear her community apart? Praise for His Right Hand
An ABA IndieNext Selection for December 2015
"Absorbing . . . Besides the fact that I cannot resist a good mystery, Mette Ivie Harrison's books had an added allure . . . [They] are rich with real-life details that often get lost in stereotypes."
-Karen Grigsby Bates, NPR's All Things Considered
"A fast moving crime story, but also far more than that. Deep social and moral issues dealt with, and made real with compassion and honesty. I couldn't put it down!"
-Anne Perry
"For all of its thoughtful exploration of LGBT people and issues, His Right Hand is also a good mystery. Yet it's the issues the book raises that will make readers hungry for more of Linda and her close-knit community."
-Paula Woods, Los Angeles Times
"A heartfelt story that opens outsiders to a fascinating world."
-The Boston Globe
"You wouldn't expect a book about the crime-solving wife of a staid Mormon leader to be so edgy and engrossing. It has all the outward signs of being a conventional 'cozy' mystery that plays it safe. But Linda Wallheim, the bishop's wife, is quite the independent thinker who is full of surprises-and Harrison delivers a provocative tale that doesn't shy away from timely social issues."
-Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
"[The] Linda Wallheim novels are worth reading, and not only for their uncompromising plot lines and compelling conclusions. They should raise important and necessary questions about Mormonism itself in every thinking Mormon's mind."
-Association for Mormon Letters
"Intriguing . . . [Harrison] puts in the forefront many issues, such as gender and sexual orientation, to which characters react in various ways, many of which feel authentic and show that no one has a perfect life."
-The Deseret News
"His Right Hand is a fascinating novel that explores the LDS world and how it reacts when a treasured member of the church is not what he appears to be. Watching Linda juggle her duties as a bishop's wife, adjust to life as an empty-nester and solve a murder keeps readers turning the pages of this riveting mystery penned by a member of the LDS church."
-Bookreporter
"A mesmerising look into the very fibre of Mormon life . . . Harrison's writing is spectacularly subdued, quietly eloquent."
-Fresh Fiction
"A masterpiece of socially relevant genre fiction. Her voice is one of the most unique in the genre, and I cannot wait to see what subject she will