The Catholic Archdiocese of New York wants to tear down an old parochial school and sell the site for an apartment building. Sloan Guaranty Trust is financing the deal, so when the leader of a group protestng it is killed, John Putnam Thatcher investigates. On the whole, I am more sympathetic o the protest than Thatcher or Lathen. ( )

When a Sloan client's plans to build a housing development on the site of a Catholic school are thwarted by a militant parents' group and murder and mayhem result, John Putnam Thatcher must find the murderer amid explosive passions. Contains a really funny bomb threat scene at the Sloan. ( )

The cardinal has made the decision to close St. Bernadette's Parochial School. They can't find enough teachers, enrollment is down, and costs are up. They have an offer to purchase from a real estate developer, and the church can't afford to turn it down.

However, the parents in the neighborhood are not ready to let the school close its doors without a fight. They organize a Parents League and file a lawsuit. Negotiations begin, but neither side is willing to give in. The Sloan Guarantee Trust is handling the multimillion mortgage, so John Putnam Thatcher is stuck in the discussions. Things are at a stalemate, when the president in the league - and the accusing party in the lawsuit - is found murdered in the church.

Soon things are really out of control. Protesters flock to the little neighborhood, tempers flare, and the violence mounts. Thatcher better figure out what's going on before riots start breaking out.

I was so excited to find this one at the used bookstore. I totally love this series, and even though there are lots of little ways in which this books gives away its age (references to the Dow Jones losing a whopping 30 points in one day!), the conflicts are still real. And although each book opens with a few paragraphs about Wall Street, it doesn't take an economist to appreciate these little gems. Definitely worth reading, but extremely hard to find! ( )