When the abbey inherits a piece of land with an old house, Sister John and Sister Hyacinthe are sent to take an inventory of the property. They discover a wounded man hiding in a closet upstairs, and he begs them for sanctuary. The mysteries keep piling up when they find an old suitcase full of money, and there are jars labeled 'sugar' in the pantry that are definitely not full of sugar.

I love Dorothy Gilman's writing, and I've come to have high expectations of her books. This one was really good, but I think not her best work. The mystery was predictable, and the plot was all over the place.

I loved the wacky characters though. Sister John is definitely my favorite. She is full of spunk and courage in the face of danger. She relies on her common sense and her faith in some really difficult situations.

Sister Hyacinthe loves plants and gardening. She is superstitious and worries about ghosts in the old house.

There is a whole storyline with migrant workers who are being discriminated against in the town, and there are some hippies who are camping in the woods, and there is a spiritual guru who randomly shows up to teach everyone how to meditate.

Some of the scenes felt a little preachy, but that is to be expected when the main characters are nuns.