Sumners, Cristina 1951(?)-

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1951; married (divorced); married second husband (a scientist). Education: Vassar College, B.A.; General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church, M.Div.; Oxford University, M.Phil. Attended Princeton University. Religion: Episcopalian.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Taos, NM. Agent—Linda Roghaar Literary Agency, 133 High Point Dr., Amherst, MA 01002.

CAREER:

Author and parish priest. Has taught English and religious studies.

WRITINGS:

"DIVINE MYSTERY" SERIES

Crooked Heart, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Thieves Break In, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Familiar Friend, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Cristina Sumners is an Episcopal priest who has written several ecclesiastically-themed mystery novels. Her debut novel, Crooked Heart, is set in the fictional university town of Harton, New Jersey, which is strongly modeled after Princeton, New Jersey. Kathryn Koerney, the local rector and a seminary professor, agrees to help investigate the disappearance of a homemaker on the request of police chief Tom Holder. Tom is overweight, middle-aged, and stuck in an unrewarding marriage, and he also has a crush on the witty, attractive Kathryn. Although their relationship is initially awkward, the two warm to each other while investigating the case, which involves multiple disappearances, a murder, and a precocious ten-year-old who is a fan of the fictional detective Nancy Drew. The story was praised by critics. Mystery Reader contributor Lesley Dunlap found Tom and Kathryn to be "appealing" characters, noting that "some of the most enjoyable scenes have nothing to do with the mystery." Joanne Wilkinson praised the novel in Booklist for its "smart, engaging writing," and a Publishers Weekly contributor recommended the book to "fans of ecclesiastical cozies [who] will delight in Kathryn."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 2002, Joanne Wilkinson, review of Crooked Heart, p. 64.

Christian Century, October 19, 2004, Betty Smartt Carter, "Mystery Women; Three Clergy Heroines," review of Crooked Heart, p. 24.

Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2002, review of Crooked Heart, pp. 1181-1182.

Publishers Weekly, September 16, 2002, review of Crooked Heart, p. 52.

ONLINE

Mystery Reader,http://www.themysteryreader.com/ (September 21, 2004), Lesley Dunlap, review of Crooked Heart.