The Body Under The Bridge by Paul McCusker

 
The Body Under The Bridge by Paul McCusker is a church mystery far different from other church mysteries I've read in the past. In this one, Father Gilbert of Saint Mark's has a disturbing dream. In the dream, a man hangs himself. Then, in real life the same situation occurs involving Colin Doyle. His wife comes home to find her husband hanging. It is impossible to drag him down from the rope. In the dream, there is also the foot of a body found. Someone must have drowned the body or brought the body to its present place dead already. The body is two hundred years old. These mysterious incidents will connect. There is a feud of two families from the past. Anyway, the novel took me back and forth in history to the present while following a "bog body."

The mention of an old relic held by Mary Aston is interesting. It is a cross and a sword engraved with flowers. It belonged to the Woodrich family. Paul McCusker gives the history of the Woodrich family and the relic. Still, I couldn't follow the family history well. Perhaps, it bored me with so much detail. I did want to see what the relic looked like. A black and white photo would have been enough. I looked on the internet. I could not find a picture of it. 

There is also the mention of Astral Projection. If I'm understanding it correctly, this is the spirit projecting itself to another place and changing to a fleshly form? Never having heard of this term I could not decide whether I believed it could happen. I do like the fact that a new theory or idea is presented in Christian fiction causing the reader to question their personal feelings.

With dreams, I had the chance to question my feelings again. I am aware of Bible figures like Joseph and Daniel who had dreams sent to them by God. I've always taken my dreams for granted. Never thinking about whether I should journal them or try hard to remember them. I've always thought of dreams as just play things that bothered me or made me happy.

Suicide, to me, is the most important issue in the book.  I had a glimpse again of how painful suicide is to a family or community. In this case, the man did not seem depressed. Nothing seemed wrong.  I suppose this fact might release friends and family from feeling guilty. Now they need not belabor themselves with the fact of  'I should have known.' Whatever way its looked at suicide is traumatic for all involved including the person who leaves us. This book keeps suicide at the forefront of my mind. It is a subject that should not end up pushed under the rug.

Overall I liked the mystery. I hope the author will continue the series. I am a pushover for church fiction especially where there are monks and fathers and/or nuns and also where there are scriptural references to prayer, etc.
 kregel.com/fiction/the-body-under-the-bridge/
paulmccusker.com/