Greatest Evil

June 1, 1998
Although billed as a mystery, Kienzle's (The Man Who Loved God, Andrews & McMeel, 1997) latest offering is more of a historical view of the Catholic Church's changing attitudes from the 1950s to the 1960s and beyond. Father Robert Koesler is excited at the prosect of having Father Zachary Tully join his parish. Unfortunately, Bishop Vincent Delvecchio has misgivings about Tully's appointment. As Koesler and Tully discuss the matter, Koesler discovers a long-hidden mystery, which takes a back seat to numerous discussions that give fascinating insight into the workings of the Catholic Church before Vatican II. However, fans who expect a more substantial mystery from Kienzle may be disappointed.

April 15, 1998
Readers searching for a priest-cum-sleuth with more depth than Andrew Greeley's bemused Father Blackie Ryan should appreciate Kienzle, himself an ex-priest. He has authored a host of intelligent mysteries featuring Father Robert Koesler, a reflective Roman Catholic clergyman who spends a great deal of time investigating the often twisted courses of both good and evil. On the brink of retiring as pastor of his beloved St. Joseph's Parish in downtown Detroit, Father Bob attempts to explain the rather perplexing idiosyncrasies of Auxiliary Bishop Vincent Delvecchio to Father Zachary Tully, his hand-picked replacement. Concerned that Zack will not accept the post at old St. Joe's because of a fundamental clash of values with the ultraconservative bishop, Koesler reaches back into the past to chart the evolution of Delvecchio from an imaginative seminarian into a dictatorial ultraconservative. During the course of his musings, he is shocked to realize that Delvecchio's startling transformation may be due to his participation in the murder of a long-deceased family member presumed to have died of natural causes. ((Reviewed April 15, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)