The Shadow of Death
A dead body beneath a mountain of prize-winning cheese. An abbey full of secrets. And a nun who has read far too many detective novels to leave matters to the police.
Cozy mysteries · Community · A little mischief
Sermons on Sunday.
Sermons on Sunday.
Murder the rest of the week.
Welcome. I’m Jane Willan, a New England pastor and mystery novelist. My books take you to places where the tea is hot, the neighbors have opinions, and someone knows more than they’re saying. I compose sermons and plot murders, and I try not to let the two overlap.
Come meet Sister Agatha, a Welsh nun with a weakness for mysteries and an inconvenient habit of finding herself in one.
A little gift from JaneA free mystery.
A free mystery.
A cup of tea. What could be better?
The Poisoned Christmas Pudding
A Sister Agatha Short Story
A Christmas pudding, a suspicious mix-up, and a nun who knows better than to leave well enough alone. Join Sister Agatha for a festive mystery at Gwenafwy Abbey.
Get your free Sister Agatha story, plus occasional letters from me featuring books, recipes, a little abbey gossip, and other cozy pleasures.
Send Me My Free MysteryAlready a subscriber? You’re welcome to enjoy the story too. No spam, and you can unsubscribe whenever you wish.
The Sister Agatha mysteries
Meet Sister Agatha — and start at the Abbey.
At Gwenafwy Abbey, the nuns make prize-winning cheese, keep the daily offices, and occasionally encounter a body. Fortunately, Sister Agatha has spent years preparing for just such an emergency by reading detective novels. If you are new to the series, begin with The Shadow of Death. Then settle in for more abbey secrets, village opinions, and murder done the cozy way.
The Hour of Death
Christmas at a Welsh abbey should mean carols, candles, and peace on earth. Instead, a local art society president lies dead in the parish hall. Sister Agatha intends to solve the mystery by Christmas.
Abide With Me
Ten new nuns arrive from Los Angeles, a reporter is found dead on the beach, and a missing key turns up baked into the king’s cake for Epiphany. Sister Agatha does not believe in selfies gone bad.
The Beekeeper’s Last Confession
A box of her late brother’s belongings arrives with a warning about a sleeping dragon and a gold pin with a past. What begins as grief becomes a murder forty years in the keeping. Sister Agatha’s team includes a novice on a pink Vespa and a nun with a ham radio.
A little enthusiasm for my books
Don’t just take my word for it.
I love hearing when a story has made someone laugh, think, or keep turning pages. Here’s what some reviewers have said.
The Hour of Death
“Willan’s loving and witty portrayal of convent life in rural Wales will delight lovers of village mysteries.”
The Shadow of Death
“Sister Agatha is sure to appeal to fans of that other great Agatha.”
— Susan Breen, author of the Maggie Dove mystery series
Widow’s Walk
“A church community discovers the power of compassion, faith, and coming together to heal broken hearts.”
Twelve weekly gifts · Beginning October 1
Christmas at Gwenafwy Abbey
The nuns are decorating, the kitchen smells of cinnamon, and Sister Agatha has decided the season calls for presents.
Join me for Twelve Weeks of Christmas: a Sister Agatha short story, Welsh Christmas traditions, Sister Gwenydd’s favorite recipes, and a few surprises the sisters have asked me not to spoil.
We begin with The Poisoned Christmas Pudding. The newsletter will bring you news of each new gift.
See the First Gift
A little more from Jane
From my writing desk
If you’d like to know me beyond the murder, I also write essays and reflections about books, faith, creativity, and the curious business of being human.
This is where the personal connection lives: the thoughts behind the stories, the things I notice, and the life that feeds the fiction.
More stories, more places to feel at home
Beyond the Abbey
Widow’s Walk
A small coastal town in Downeast Maine, a community holding itself together, and a hurricane bearing down on both. A story about hope and what it costs to keep it.
“A church community discovers the power of compassion, faith, and coming together.” —Foreword Reviews
The Christmas Camel Caper
A Yorkshire Christmas, a Guideposts mystery, and a camel that is not where it is supposed to be.
Buy on Amazon →
For younger readers · New in 2026
Bible Stories for Transgender Kids
Ages 7–10 · KindleBible stories retold for transgender and gender-expansive children — each with a reflection written to the child and questions to talk about together. Every child in these pages is called by name.
Buy on Amazon →
Goodbye, My Wonderful Dog
Ages 6–10 · KindleA gentle guide to grief for a child whose dog has died — honest about sadness, careful with hope, and written to be read together, probably with tissues.
Buy on Amazon →
Coming next
Meet Harriet Holloway.
Harriet spent a career at the FBI reading documents for what they did not say. Retirement is Sweet Reads, a used bookshop in Badger Falls, Wisconsin, with a chocolate bar at the back and a border collie named Ganache at the door.
Then a man dies, and the explanation everyone accepts is tidy. Harriet has never trusted tidy.
Book one is written. Join my newsletter for the title, cover, and release news.
Keep Me Posted
About Jane
The Woman Behind the Murders
I’m a minister by profession and a mystery writer by inclination. In church, I encourage people to love their neighbors. In my novels, I occasionally arrange for the neighbors to murder one another. I have always found church committees excellent preparation for writing mysteries.
I grew up in Ohio, now live in New England, and write in the early morning with coffee nearby and fictional suspects still willing to talk. I love old buildings, beaches and mountains, books, chocolate, and the wonderful oddities of human nature.
My household includes my husband, Don, Ollie the dog, and Winnie the cat, who looks perfectly capable of withholding evidence.
I’m glad you’ve found your way here. Pour yourself something warm and stay awhile.
Before you go
Get My Free Sister Agatha StoryOne last little gift from the Abbey.
Not quite ready to buy a book? Come meet Sister Agatha in a free short story — and see whether you’d like to stay for another mystery.
Questions? Book clubs? Say hello.
Write to me
If you’re a reader with a question, a book club looking for your next discussion, or someone interested in an interview, event, or speaking engagement, I’d be glad to hear from you.
Find Me OnlineThank you — your message is on its way. I’ll be in touch soon.