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Stained Glass (Father Dowling Mysteries)
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Product Description
Tough times and the unsolved murders of anyone with ties to the Deveres---a family of wealthy parish patrons---back Father Dowling up against a wall in his struggle to save his church from the chopping block.
With too many churches and not enough people to fill them, the Archdiocese has to make some cuts, and many of them, including the proposed closing of St. Hilary’s, are dangerously close to the bone. Father Dowling rushes to drum up support from church officials and parishioners, including the Deveres, who don’t want to see the stained glass windows they donated go anywhere other than the church they were meant for, but they can hardly be of help when those closest to them start turning up dead.
Church politics, long-kept family secrets, and a determined killer come together to put St. Hilary’s---a church that countless characters and devoted readers have come to love---and its parishioners in peril in Stained Glass, the latest in Ralph McInerny’s treasured mystery series.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #296063 in Books
- Published on: 2009-10-13
- Released on: 2009-10-13
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: .99" h x 6.50" w x 8.66" l, .81 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 288 pages
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Isolated by demographic changes, St. Hilary's of Fox River, Ill., struggles for its very survival in McInerny's timely 28th novel to feature Father Dowling (after 2008's Ash Wednesday). When the archdiocese decides to close half a dozen parishes, including Father Dowling's, the congregation of St. Hilary's joins the priest in a campaign to prevent the action. Meanwhile, the discovery of a nude female body hanging from the cross strut of a garage door points to a ritual killing. More murders follow. The police, local reporters and Father Dowling get on a trail that comes dangerously close to the Devere family, longtime church benefactors who donated the magnificent Menotti stained-glass windows to St. Hilary's. The outcome will surprise even the most astute reader. Series fans will enjoy catching up with old friends, while everyone will find much to savor in the fresh and challenging plot. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Praise for Ralph McInerny’s Father Dowling Mysteries
“Father Dowling’s twenty-seventh gently probes questions of guilt, intention, and absolution while having a bit of fun with small-town nattering.”
---Kirkus Reviews on Ash Wednesday
“In his usual gentle, thoughtful way, Father Dowling makes compassionate decisions. . . . Readers who long for a down-to-earth story of ordinary people and events will be well rewarded.”
---Publishers Weekly on Ash Wednesday
“This series continues to deliver, with a fascinating protagonist, intelligent plotting, and dry humor.”
---Booklist on The Widow’s Mate
“Father Dowling is not the average priest. . . . He has been through the mill himself, is tough, yet has compassion.”
---The New York Times Book Review
“You don’t have to go to church to worship mystery lovers’ esteemed Father Dowling.”
---Entertainment Weekly
“Mystery at its bloodless, cerebral best . . . Dowling is the perfect father confessor, dealing with moral dilemmas and the weakness of man with compassion and understanding.”
---The Chicago Tribune
About the Author
Ralph McInerny has authored more than fifty books, including his popular mystery series set at the University of Notre Dame, where he has taught for more than fifty years and is the director of the Jacques Maritain Center. The recipient of the Bouchercon Lifetime Achievement Award, he has also been appointed to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. He lives in South Bend, Indiana.
Customer Reviews
Filled with Sub-Plots and Secondary Characters
Father Dowling returns in this series to head the cast of characters whose lives revolve around St. Hilary's, a Roman Catholic church in the small town of Rox River, Illinois. While he copes with rumors that St. Hilary's will be closed by the Bishop--not to mention the shenanigans of his anxious parishioners, Father Dowling is peripherally involved in the investigation of a young woman's murder.
McInerney's characterization of the Church and its inner workings is right on the money, which lends a credibility to the story that I enjoyed. He also has a dry sense of humor that makes some of his dialogue and narrative unexpectedly humorous.
The book is populated with numerous sub-plots and secondary characters and, unfortunately, I found myself more drawn to some of them than I was to the plight of Father Dowling and St. Hilary's. I also found the book's format of successive short scenes frustrating: each scene involved different characters and, just as I became absorbed, the scene ended and we switched to another set of characters. Some of the best scenes in the book, however, involved Agnes and Cy, the detectives investigating the murder. The twists and turns in that sub-plot were excellent.
Although I kept hoping to be more drawn to the characters and engaged by the author's writing style, I did enjoy the book.
Not a likely premise
This my first Father Dowling mystery. It seems to be based on a faulty interpretation of Illinois paternity law and so the whole book seems moot to me.
The scenes are short, keep changing characters and tone, and I ran out of steam long before I read the last chapter to see if there was any resolution.
Do suburban priests really have female housekeepers living with them?
The Last Father Dowling
Ralph McInerny died this winter so this is most likely the last Father Dowling mystery. Suffice it to say that right up to the end, McInerny never lost his touch for story-telling. A good final read!
