This bundle includes the first five books in the Collins-Burke mystery Series by Anne Emery. In Sign of the Cross, we meet bluesman and lawyer Monty Collins, whose client Father Brennan Burke is the prime suspect in the murder of a young girl. From their first meeting, Monty finds Burke acerbic, arrogant, and evasive about his relationship with the victim. Conflict between lawyer and client simmers all through the ordeal that lies ahead, as evidence piles up and murder charges seem inevitable. With Burke remaining tight-lipped about his past, Monty has no choice but to go behind his back and conduct a probe into the life of his own client.

The subsequent books in the Series see Collins and Burke team up together to solve murders, uncover family histories, and experience more crime-filled adventure — from Halifax to Brooklyn, Rome, and Dublin.

Sign of the Cross was the winner of the Arthur Ellis award for Best First Novel. According to Publishers Weekly, "Fans of traditional whodunits will be well satisfied," with Emery's work, and, about the fourth book in the Series Cecilian Vespers, Booklist wrote that "Emery continues to imbue her stories with a strong sense of place, using real Halifax street names and plenty of affectionate descriptions of the weather and countryside. Series readers will be pleased with the new story and character developments, as will those looking for a fresh setting."

Anne Emery's profile page

Anne Emery is a graduate of Dalhousie Law School. She has worked as a lawyer, legal affairs reporter, and researcher. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with her husband and daughter. Other books in the Collins-Burke mystery Series include Sign of the Cross, winner of the 2006 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel, Obit (2007),  Barrington Street Blues (2008), Cecilian Vespers (2009), and Children in the Morning (2010). The sixth book in the Series, Death at Christy Burke's is coming in Fall 2011.