“HIS RIGHT HAND,” by Mette Ivie Harrison, SoHoCrime, $26.95, 345 pages (f)
Utah author Mette Ivie Harrison weaves a complicated, intriguing and uncomfortable mystery set in Draper, Utah, in “His Right Hand.”
Linda Wallheim’s husband, Kurt, is the bishop of their ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of his counselors, Carl Ashby, is found dead in one of the ward building’s classrooms late on a Friday night.
Through the ensuing investigation, it comes out that Carl was born female and had been named Carla Thompson before having surgeries and hormone shots to appear as a man.
The story is told from Linda’s perspective as she tries to help her family, including Kurt, who is having a time understanding who Carl was; Carl’s family, including his wife, Emma, and their two adopted children; and others in the ward who are caught up in the ripples of the investigation — both the official police one and the one Linda undertakes on her own.
Linda can at times be too impatient, nosy and headstrong for her own good as she tries to figure out who the murderer is.
It’s a tangled mystery with several viable suspects, each with motives and personal entanglements that can make things complicated.
Linda is also dealing with some family issues of her own as one of her sons announces he is gay; she confronts being an empty nester; and she remembers the issues surrounding her first marriage, subsequent divorce, period of inactivity and unbelief, and the strain all of it put on her relationships with her family.
She also 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.
“His Right Hand” is an uncomfortable story because of Harrison’s focus on perspectives or actions that are eccentric or push the envelope as they play off of extremes and stereotypes.
Harrison, who is LDS, also shares perspectives on some LDS Church history, temples and cultural customs that aren’t always easy to read in a novel.
There is occasional mild language as well as general references to violence and sexual situations.
If you go ...
What: Mette Ivie Harrison book signing
When: Thursday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m.
Where: The King's English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, Salt Lake City
Web: kingsenglish.com
Note: Places in the signing line are reserved for those who purchase a copy of the featured book from The King's English.
Email: rappleye@deseretnews.com Twitter: CTRappleye