A story of living part-time in two diverse worlds, from a man who experienced it himself, New York Times Best-selling author, GP Taylor’s true-to-life PIG IN THE PULPIT is a compelling read.
About PIG IN THE PULPIT
When Peter Barnes became the house-for-duty, priest in charge of the ancient St Walston’s church, he thought life couldn’t get any better. One of the first ever police officers to be ordained into the Church of England, Peter believed he could easily juggle being a part-time copper, and parish priest. All that he held dear would be thrown into incredible turmoil. The mysterious disappearance in 1966 of a former priest would cast a ghostly shadow over his life.
The worlds of police officer and priest soon collide and those long dead, reach out from the grave. Hauntings, funerals and a moribund congregation, clash with burglaries, thefts and murder on his rural police beat. Superiors in the police suspicious of his faith and a congregation hiding a long-held secret, bring challenges at every turn.
Set in the mid 1990’s PIG IN THE PULPIT is a true-to-life tale. It is a crime story with a difference.
Set in the mid 1990’s PIG IN THE PULPIT is a true-to-life tale. It is a crime story with a difference.
Taylor describes PIG IN THE PULPIT as bringing together stories from both sides of his life as a priest and police officer as, “Chesterton’s Father Brown meets Conan Doyle’s Holmes.”
During a conversation with Taylor, he explained, “All of the snippets are based on events that happened. In fact, most of the book—other than the murder—were part of my police service.”
For those who like happily-ever-after stories, Taylor indicated the book does not paint the life of a British policeman and Church of England priest with happy, cheerful colors. “PIG IN THE PULPIT is a Christian book with a small ‘c’” he said. “It tries to show what life is like in the Church. A Bishop told me he went to one church and said ‘I hear you are very religious here, but I don’t know how Christian you are …’”
I have read other of Taylor’s books and enjoy his style of writing. As with all his books, the challenge for me were the descriptions of British culture, of daily life, and the casual terminology. Once I was familiar with the lingo, reading the book picked up speed.
With the subplots of crime, marital issues, a few strange characters, and some language, this is clearly a book for adults. Nor does Taylor tie every subplot with a big bow, ending some of the storylines with real-to-life sadness.
Set aside time to read PIG IN THE PULPIT; as mentioned before, it is a compelling read.
Taylor describes PIG IN THE PULPIT as bringing together stories from both sides of his life as a priest and police officer as, “Chesterton’s Father Brown meets Conan Doyle’s Holmes.”
During a conversation with Taylor, he explained, “All of the snippets are based on events that happened. In fact, most of the book—other than the murder—were part of my police service.”
For those who like happily-ever-after stories, Taylor indicated the book does not paint the life of a British policeman and Church of England priest with happy, cheerful colors. “PIG IN THE PULPIT is a Christian book with a small ‘c’” he said. “It tries to show what life is like in the Church. A Bishop told me he went to one church and said ‘I hear you are very religious here, but I don’t know how Christian you are …’”
I have read other of Taylor’s books and enjoy his style of writing. As with all his books, the challenge for me were the descriptions of British culture, of daily life, and the casual terminology. Once I was familiar with the lingo, reading the book picked up speed.
With the subplots of crime, marital issues, a few strange characters, and some language, this is clearly a book for adults. Nor does Taylor tie every subplot with a big bow, ending some of the storylines with real-to-life sadness. Set aside time to read PIG IN THE PULPIT; as mentioned before, it is a compelling read.
About GP Taylor
GP Taylor is a New York Times best-selling author whose books have been translated into over 50 languages and adapted as films. In the mid-nineties, he was a serving police officer on the North Yorkshire Moors, when he was ordained as a priest. For some time, he did both jobs until a serious assault put an end to his police career. Following this, he went on to serve as a priest in Whitby and Ravenscar on the Yorkshire Coast.
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