["Grenelle" is bizarre]—until you recall happenings on college campuses in the '60s, the decade of uninhibited activities. Grenelle is both college and seminary of High Anglican persuasion. The clergy are both traditional and Now. And the troubles begin with the latter. That and an innocent relic. Well, the relic has been stolen and the campus hubbub begins. Much ado about nothing? So it seems—until disquieting phenomena transpire…. (p. 381)

The authoress wields a painter's brush in her delineation of the characters involved. Quite the master is she in rousing sympathy for or distrust of, admiration of or disgust for the actors as they come on scene, play their part, depart. The weaving of the plot is quite another matter. Levels of suspense build, as they ought, but the flashbacks and insights too frequently bisect the sequence. In the long run, I fear I lost my way … and read it a second time for clarification. (p. 382)

Joseph A. Cawley, S.J., "'Grenelle'," in Best Sellers (copyright © 1977 Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation), Vol. 36, No. 12, March, 1977, pp. 381-82.