Death of an Angel (Sister Mary Helen Series #7)

In this seventh outing for Sister Mary Helen and her coconspirator, Sister Eileen, the two nuns take time out from their duties at Mount St. Francis College in San Francisco when a wealthy widow, a benefactor of the college and dear friend, is the second victim of a local rapist-murderer. And if that weren't enough to make the nuns take the crime personally (and infuriate the homicide detective in charge, who has had experience with these feisty elderly nuns before), the policeman husband of a former student (herself a cop) is severely wounded in a confrontation with the criminal.

Between juggling their regular duties, ducking the notice of the detectives on the case, and a well-meaning plan to straighten out the life of a sad young woman employed by the college library, Sister Mary Helen and Sister Eileen have their hands full. But, as criminals, law enforcement types, and their fellow nuns have discovered, there's no stopping the pair if they feel their involvement is called for.

Not all the villains in the engrossing mystery are criminals; there are a couple of mothers who would delight Sigmund Freud. But the many reader-friendly characters, and especially the two elderly nuns, make this a charming as well as exciting read.