Chief Among Sinners is half suspense half murder mystery.  It changes tone part way through once one mystery is solved only to lead into an even darker mystery.  The Minnesota town of Oakton is full of secrets, and there is no one clearly good person.  The characters are just people who deal with issues as they come up and try to meet them as best they can manage. It can be light hearted at times, and sometimes silly in how the different characters relate to the events that unravel, but that's life.  We try to cope as best we can with the evil we see around us every day.  And not just evil. Sometimes a deep depression is all it takes to shake you to your foundation.  Everyone from the clergy to the Addams family at the center of the story have their ups and downs throughout the novel, but their friends and their community are there to help mend hurt feelings and overcome personal tragedies.