Triple Pursuit

February 26, 2001

In McInerny's 20th Father Dowling mystery in 24 years, the pensive, perceptive priest figures out a not very difficult case involving three seemingly separate murders that affect his St. Hilary's Catholic Church parish in Fox River, Ill. The usual cast of characters includes Dowling's nosy housekeeper, Marie Murkin; his longtime friend, police captain Phil Keegan; tenacious police detectives Cy Horvath and Agnes Lamb; and lethargic cop Peanuts Pianone. A young woman recently moved to town falls—or is thrown—into traffic and dies. Two more are strangled to death: bright, flirtatious young lawyer Aggie Rossner and motel housekeeper Ruby Otter. The investigation is confused by a fight at the St. Hilary's Senior Citizen Center between two elderly widowed brothers-in-law, Jack Gallagher and Austin Rooney, over an attractive widow. Jack was having an affair with Aggie and confesses to her murder, trying to protect his married son who was also involved with her. In addition, Jack's daughter and her lawyer fiancé interfere, causing mild complications. The Dowling books are comfortable—leisurely and repetitive with familiar situations and issues. McInerney's strengths are his dry wit and realistic depiction of the elderly, as well as his all too human characters such as down-at-the-heels lawyer Tuttle; his temporary secretary, the frighteningly efficient Hazel Barnes; and the senior center busybody, Desmond O'Toole. (Apr. 23)Forecast:A predictable entry in a generally lackluster series should still please the older audience who are Dowling's principal fans, but it will take a miracle for this novel to increase McInerney's reader base.

April 1, 2001
The indefatigable Father Roger Dowling solves another mystery steeped in human drama and spiritual significance. When two seemingly unrelated homicide investigations begin to intertwine, Captain Phil Keegan of the Fox River Police Department relies on his old friend Father Dowling to assist in the investigation. Since several of the prime suspects are members of St. Hilary's Parish, Dowling is able to offer a more intimate assessment of the probable motives. The romantic fates of two elderly gentlemen feuding over a septuagenarian femme fatale and the tenuous future of a young couple about to exchange wedding vows are profoundly altered by the ruthless murders of an anonymous young hotel maid and a high-powered female attorney. Less introspective than Kienzle's cerebral Father Koesler and more credible than Greeley's quirky Father Blackie Ryan, Father Dowling has a down-to-earth demeanor that will appeal, as always, to a variety of readers who enjoy mysteries with a religious twist.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)