The Abbess of Crewe

by Muriel Spark

First published 1974

A new abbess has been elected at Crewe Abbey, crushing her rival Felicity. But the tranquil religious community is soon rocked by a shocking theft - the disappearance of the abbess's favorite thimble. As the police and media descend, the sisters become embroiled in a web of deception, ambition, and scandalous secrets. At the heart of it all is the question: who stole the thimble, and why?

Genres: fiction, satire, 20th-century, mystery, contemporary

Vibes: satirical, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: ambition, deception

Setting: England, USA

116 pages · Hardcover · The Viking Press

More by Muriel Spark

• The Girls of Slender Means
• The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
• Memento Mori
• The Mandelbaum Gate
• The Bachelors
• The Ballad of Peckham Rye
• A Far Cry from Kensington
• Robinson

Readers who liked The Abbess of Crewe also liked

• Behind a Mask or a Woman's Power
• Wyrd Sisters
• But Do Blondes Prefer Gentlemen?
• The Mitford Affair
• Quiet As a Nun
• Joy in the Morning