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Title: The Bishop Goes to the University by Andrew M. Greeley ISBN: 0-7653-0333-7 Publisher: Forge Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (6 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: It's time for Father Greeley to stop coasting
Comment: Father Andrew Greeley once had a powerful impact on pubishing with his saucy novels. In recent years that has declined somewhat. However, he continues to write and his body of work expands yearly.
This book shows the ongoing adventures of "Blackie" Ryan, a Priest/Detective who is the star of the mystery novels written by Father Andrew Greeley. "Blackie" actually sprang from Father Greeley's earlier books when he appeared as a beloved sleuth/cleric who helped settle mysteries that baffled others. Eventually, "Blackie" gained his own series of books which brings us to the current one.
This is a fun look at the world of Priest/Sleuth "Blackie" Ryan as he solves the murder of a monk on the University of Chicago campus. All the usual Greeley touches are here--descriptions of the life of a priest and how he relates to the congregation, the world of the rectory, the interrelation of the Catholic hierarchy with each other, the locked room murder and all the typical aspects of a "Blackie" Ryan mystery are here.
Yet, I can't help think that Father Greeley needs to energize the "Blackie" Ryan series. This is a great series that appears to be going through the motions. Yes, this is a good book but one suspects that it can be much better. Father Greeley is coasting a bit and it shows. The kicker is that he still has the ability to write a great mystery and the charactars to do so. He needs to refocus and do just that.
I'd suggest he get a very strong charactar, Cardinal Sean Cronin, to become more involved in the stories. This charactar has been reduced to a minor role in his books and the series has suffered. I'd also suggest the charactar Mike Casey be involved more as he too is interesting. Father "Blackie" needs to get more involved in solving a crime related to the Catholic church which Father Greeley knows well and can weave many fascinating aspects to in his stories that actually get you thinking about this faith.
To some extent, Father Greeley has strayed from writing about the Catholic Church to focusing on academia and it makes for a less interesting novel.
In short, this is a good book by a good author who has gotten into a rut so to speak. One hopes Father Greeley can rediscover the magic he once had and get "Blackie" Ryan back into some more interesting and rich adventures.
Rating: 4
Summary: A quirky but amusing mystery
Comment: Greeley, a Catholic priest and sociologist, writes a mystery series featuring Bishop "Blackie" Ryan as an amateur investigator. Far from being a procedural, this story spends more time on church and Cold War politics than it does on investigation. In this case, a Russian monk teaching at the University of Chicago is found murdered in an apparently locked room. The reasons for the monk's stay in Russia are more interesting than the crime. It turns out that the body on the floor isn't the monk in question. Though the Bishop's dwelling place is shot up by Russians, he never loses his aplomb. Greeley tries to leaven the story with humorous repartee, but the Irish jokes wear off by the middle of the book. The locked room question gets lost in the narrative, being resolved in an off-hand remark. The ending is anticlimactic. Yet the book has a certain quirky charm.
Rating: 4
Summary: A master plot with a twist...
Comment: When Milord Cronin needs someone to solve a locked room mystery, he knows he can count on Bishop Blackie to see to things. Therefore, when a Russian Orthodox monk is killed in a locked room in the University, Blackie is sent to take care of things. Before long, he finds himself in the middle of a worldwide investigation, dodging bullets from the Russian mafia, and dealing with a woman whose mind is mired in sixties mode of militant feminism. If Blackie can live through this one, Cardinal Cronin is going to owe him at least a bottle of Jamison's.
**** Father Blackie's irrespressible humor alone makes any book in which he stars worthwhile. While some have been critical of the extensive discussion of church history and the differences between Orodox and Catholic branches of the church, I found it to be a fascinating and educational aspect to the story. As always, Father Greeley adds a slight twist that keeps the case from being too simple and manages to interweave a homily into the master plot. ****
Reviewed by Amanda
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Title: Second Spring: A Love Story by Andrew M. Greeley ISBN: 0765302365 Publisher: Forge Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Priestly Sins : A Novel by Andrew M. Greeley ISBN: 076531052X Publisher: Forge Pub. Date: 01 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Bishop in the West Wing by Andrew M. Greeley ISBN: 0812575989 Publisher: Forge Pub. Date: 16 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Emerald Magic : Great Tales of Irish Fantasy by Andrew M. Greeley ISBN: 0765305046 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: The Great Mysteries: Experiencing Catholic Faith from the Inside Out by Andrew M. Greeley, Robert, Reverend Barron ISBN: 1580511317 Publisher: Sheed and Ward Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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