Andrew M. Greeley (1928–2013)

Catholic bishop Blackie Ryan and amateur detective faces a couple of issues in this novel. A minor one it turns out is Archbishop Malachi Nolan's lobbying to be made the new Cardinal of Chicago. When Nolan's niece attempts to kill him with wasps, her action throws the entire Nolan family into a tizzy. Most of them accuse talented Margaret Anne Nolan of having placed the can of wasps in the Bishop's room.

Margaret's grandfather, S.P.I.K.E Nolan is the Chairman of the Board of AVEL, a family run avionics company. Many of the Nolan clan feel he is too old to be in charge and are plotting his removal. They badly underestimate his knowledge of what they are doing and when a second murder plan is discovered, Blackie finally sees the pattern and steps in with the solution.

This is my second Blackie Nolan novel and I found this one much more entertaining then the first one I read. Recommended.… (more)

Another good Blackie Ryan mystery. Ryan is in Spain to prevent a murder as a dispute among a family of nobles heats up. The target is La Dona Teresa, but can he identify the potential murderer and stop it before it happens? Greeley does a great job with the setting and exploration of Seville, Spain adding quite a bit of historical background and capturing the beauty of a once great and glamorous culture that had known its share of turmoil and war. It is a good read, but it drags in places and is a bit predictable. Greeley adds enough color and interesting characters to hold the reader's attention despite the slower pace in places. I found the historical references and the descriptions of the locale to be engaging and the characters, as usual, were well done.… (more)