# A Nun in the Closet

By Dorothy Gilman

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/a-nun-in-the-closet-775cab62/

The abbey comes into an estate in New York, so Sister John and Sister Hyacinthe go to see what they’ve inherited. The tour turns up a bleeding man in an upstairs closet and a suitcase of money down the well. Someone has been making use of the place, and the sisters have to find out who.

## What makes it funny?

Sister John and Sister Hyacinthe go from assessing a piece of real estate to dealing with a gunshot wound. The discoveries keep asking the sisters to make decisions that no one at the abbey could have thought to brief them on.

### The comedy at work

Gilman has fun with what happens when people who live in a cloister encounter people who have never had to explain themselves to a nun. The sisters’ surprise gets a laugh, and so does everyone else’s surprise at the sisters.

### Try this if…

The book suits readers who enjoy a cozy mystery led by amateurs with a perspective of their own. The humor is affectionate toward the nuns even when their inheritance gives them reason to be alarmed.

### Good to know

This is a standalone, so there’s no Mrs. Pollifax reading order to follow. The social concerns that come up around the mystery reflect the 1970s, when Gilman was writing.

## What to expect

- Genre: Mystery
- On the shelf: Amateur sleuth · Cozy mystery
- Kind of humor: Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Warmhearted
- Audience: Adult
- Format: Novel
- Published: 1975

## A few distinguishing details

- Two nuns investigating their abbey’s inheritance
- Money in the well and a wounded man in the closet

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/60301/nun-in-the-closet-by-dorothy-gilman)
- Review: [Carstairs Considers review](https://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2022/03/book-review-nun-in-closet-by-dorothy.html)
- Book information: [Open British National Bibliography](https://obnb.uk/p12643249-a-nun-in-the-cupboard)