Ralph M. McInerny (1929–2010)

The wealthy Devere family, parishioners of Father Dowling's at St. Hilary's, have problems. According to news reports, the Chicago Diocese is planning to consolidate several parishes, and St. Hilary's may be on the closures list. What will become of the Menotti stained glass windows the family commissioned for the church? Family matriarch Jane Devere has her lawyer working on the problem, but deaths of several people with connections to the Devere family soon absorb everyone's attention.

The show more plot is quite convoluted. Since this is the first Father Dowling book I've read, I'm not sure if this is typical of the series. I think the author managed to confuse even the editors, because I'm pretty sure there are a few continuity errors in the book. Some of the early plot threads disappear once the murders occur and the search for the killer takes over. There are an awful lot of characters to keep track of, some of whom serve very little purpose. In spite of these shortcomings, I found it strangely absorbing. I was fascinated by the church politics and theological discussions, maybe because it's so different from my Protestant background. I found more to like than to dislike in the book. show less

In a chapter entitled "Envoi":

"It is a short distance, geographically, from Rocca Secca, where Thomas Aquinas was born, to Fossanova, where he died, but it took Thomas a lifetime to get from one point to the other. Today the traveler can climb a higher hill above the present town of Rocca Secca and, standing among the ruins of the castle, look out over the valley Thomas would have seen as a child when, allegedly, he first asked, "What is God?" The same traveler can be shown, at Fossanova, in show more the former Cistercian monastery, a room on the second floor where Thomas died, convinced that all he had written of God was as straw. That conviction was the product of a mystical experience, and the traveler, unblessed by that, can only muse at the vast distance -- philosophically, theologically, spiritually -- Thomas travelled from childhood to the age of forty-nine when he died. What he had written then started on a journey which has not ended yet.

There will doubtless always be many of those whom 'Time' has called Peeping Thomists, thinkers, who derive much of what they hold from the study of Thomas but who are either not believers or, if believers, not Catholics. Nonetheless, it is the believer and particularly the Catholic who will feel most drawn to Thomas. For them, the traditional precept will seem less a command than an invitation or opportunity. Ite ad Thomas. Go to Thomas." show less

Really liked 2/3 of this book - an omnibus edition combining 3 mystery anthologies. The stories in Murder Most Romantic remind me why Romance is a genre I generally avoid. Even with added murder I only liked a few of these stories, mostly the ones by authors I'm already familiar with like P. N. Elrod. "The Show Must Go On", by Neesa Hart, was a particular favorite. The SF entry "12 Days" was an interesting concept but the tech did not age well from 2001's version of 2010. The 2nd collection, show more Murder Most Medieval - now here's what I like, my favorite subgenre of historical mysteries. Five stories are set in series I read, including an Ellis Peters "Cadfael" I hadn't read before. The 3rd collection is Murder Most Devine - all mysteries in religious settings. More medieval stories here, including a Margaret Frazer Dame Frevisse tale and a P.C. Doherty story. Others have contemporary settings, even noir like Richard Connell's "Brother Orchid" and fantasy in Neil Gaiman's "Murder Mysteries". Huge book, but worth reading through. show less

I grabbed this book from an outdoor loaners library. It was covered in bird nest materials and dirt. I had absolutely no idea what it was about but I had a deep interest in the priesthood and the Catholic Church. It's sat on my bedroom floor for YEARS!!

I am so glad I finally took the time to read this book!! It was fantastic!!

While it is pure fiction, I have categorized it as "History" because that is how people reacted to Vatican II -- the Church is coming apart at the seams!! People still show more have this belief today.

This book would also be an excellent discussion piece about why the sex abuse of minors happened ... I had been told that the reason for it had more to do with boys who were forced to repress their natural sexual development who then became grown men, priests. It wasn't that these priests were pedophiles, as much as their sexual development never matured as they aged. We can see a snippet of that in this in this book.

There is so much wonderful in this book!!

Adrianne show less