''Turbulent Priests'' is the third novel of the ''Dan Starkey'' series by Northern Irish author,

Colin Bateman Colin Bateman (known mononymously as Bateman) is a novelist, screenwriter and former journalist from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Biography Born on 13 June 1962, Bateman attended Bangor Grammar School leaving at 16 when he was hir ...

, released on 6 December 1999 through

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

. Bateman's usage of

Rathlin Island Rathlin Island (, ; Local Irish dialect: ''Reachraidh'', ; Scots: ''Racherie'') is an island and civil parish off the coast of County Antrim (of which it is part) in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's northernmost point. As of the 2021 ...

(which he renamed "Wrathlin Island" in the novel) as the book's setting led to Bateman being invited to unveil a "Writer's Chair", commemorating writers of all origin and genre.

Plot

The plot of this novel is based on Wrathlin Island, a small island north of mainland Ireland. Dan Starkey has been sent by Cardinal Daley, the

Primate of All Ireland The Primacy of Ireland belongs to the diocesan bishop of the Irish diocese with highest precedence. The Archbishop of Armagh is titled Primate of All Ireland and the Archbishop of Dublin Primate of Ireland, signifying that they are the senior ...

, to investigate reports that the

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

has returned in the shape of a young girl, Christine, about to start school. Starkey has his wife Patricia and

illegitimate child Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...

"Little Stevie" join him as he investigates the tiny dry community and meets considerable resistance from the defensive residents.

Reception

The novel received fairly little coverage though was well received. Writing for ''The Herald'', Allan Laing praised the novels "black-as-two-in-the-morning humour and the high body count", naming these as two Bateman trademarks. In another review for ''The Herald'', Dawn Kofie calls the novel "more than just a straightforward thriller", stating that it "combines the mundane and the bizarre with mordant humour". She goes on to say that "despite its unlikely premise, the book is an engaging, swiftly paced fusion of murder, sex, and

religious fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that are characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguis ...

, loaded with wry one-liners". Isobel Montgomery, reviewing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', stated that "Bateman is an engaging comic writer who has created another snappy adventure for Starkey".

References

External links

* {{Colin Bateman Novels from Northern Ireland Novels set in Northern Ireland Novels by Colin Bateman 1999 British novels British crime novels HarperCollins books