Mark's mother, Mary Agnes, has recently died and Shannon thinks that her grandmother's ashes should be buried next to her husband, who had died in the Fishersville flood of 1955. They have searched the graveyard quite thoroughly and have been unable to find Jim Smith's grave. Mother Grey is sympathetic to their plight and offers to help them in their search.

Mark is reluctant to pursue the search. He was only a small boy of six in 1955, and his memories of Fishersville and his father, although vague, are frightening. He feels something evil happened which caused his mother to abruptly leave Fishersville, never to return, even though his father died supposedly trying to rescue people stranded by the flood.

Grave Misgivings is the sixth entry in a series of cozies featuring Episcopal priest, Lavinia Grey. Writing cozies is a difficult task. The protagonist is not connected with law enforcement and therefore does not usually have a legitimate reason to be investigating crimes. This leaves the author with the dilemma of creating some area of expertise that is useful to the police or a romantic entanglement with a member of the local constabulary.

Because of her clerical status, Mother Lavinia has a reason for frequenting graveyards. In addition, because hers is a caring profession, it is natural for her to befriend Mark and Shannon. Furthermore, since Fishersville is a small town, it is logical that Mother Lavinia would know people who would be helpful to their investigation.

Unfortunately, there are a plethora of fortuitous coincidences that aid Mother Grey in her search. She takes her guests to a diner to feed them. An elderly lady, a stranger to Mother Grey, just happens to be there. Not only that, but she approaches their table because she thinks Shannon reminds her of someone. Naturally this lady has vital information which helps the trio immensely.

In several situations, the author makes statements which defy logic. A character is introduced as another elderly lady (a friend of their fountain of information). This lady claims she can't remember much about the flood because she was too young at the time. Since Mark , who is now in his mid-forties, was six in 1955 she must be roughly the same age – not exactly elderly to my way of thinking. In a different scene, Mother Grey and Shannon are gagged, tied up and locked in a walk-in freezer. Shannon is soaking wet at the time, having been out in the rain without rain gear. Yet Shannon manages, with some help from Mother Grey, to get their gags off and bonds untied. One would expect someone who is wet and cold to have their fine motor skills somewhat impeded.

The author makes a valid point in indicating that people's values have changed considerably since 1955. Things that caused folks great shame in 1955 would hardly raise an eyebrow today. Yet both viewpoints are probably equally valid.

The story itself is an interesting one if the reader can overlook the inconsistencies. Tracking down the history of Mark Smith's family and discovering what really happened during the flood make for an entertaining tale, with plenty of action.

--Andy Plonka