An Act of Worship — Kate Thompson

In a small Irish town, an environmental activist and a butcher come together to track down a violent criminal

For eco-warrior and journalist Sarah O'Malley, a temporary stint managing her sister's holistic food store is the perfect escape. But her baggage is unavoidable: Haunted by the spirit of her dead lover, Duncan -- who dispenses advice whether she wants it or not -- Sarah becomes enmeshed in the mystery of a dying calf. Her search for answers brings her into contact with Malachy Glynn, the town butcher. The philosophical Malachy is the antithesis of everything Sarah believes in. But as their community descends into a quagmire of deceit and violence, Sarah and Malachy become unlikely allies in a quest for the truth.

A timeless morality tale that exposes the hypocrisy and greed that lurk in all of us, Thompson's novel is also a profound and affecting meditation on the acts of worship and contrition that we call love.