The Chief Mourner of Marne

Back at last (momentarily, while no one needs a clean diaper, food, or entertainment). . . .

I think this story works especially well straight out as a mystery--the clues are all there and yet manage to turn themselves completely inside out at the end. Even more intriguing is the way the concepts of mercy and judgment are turned inside out; the "charity" (or today, "tolerance") of the world shown to be the cheap fraud that it is, useless for those who really need mercy. One doesn't have to accept the Catholic role of the priest to see the power of the Christian belief in both the horror of sin and the depth of God's mercy that can forgive the unforgivable.