On This Page
Description
Introducing Father Roger Dowling, a priest who has been through the mill himself and is tough but compassionate. One of his parishioners, a frightened widow, calls on him for help. then she is found dead; did her greedy children do her in for her money? Or was it a thief of another sort? Even Father Dowling is suspect and he decides to find the real murderer. --Book jacket.Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
McInerny’s first go at a mystery story, and it shows. Complicated moral questions crowd out the plot. Satisfaction that we should feel when mystery is solved is dissipated. He upped his game as the series went on, I believe.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Crime-Solving Clerics
57 works; 3 members
Author Information

146+ Works 4,884 Members
Ralph McInerny was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 24, 1929. He served in the Marine Corps in the late 1940s. He received a bachelor's degree from St. Paul Seminary in 1951, a master's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1952 and a doctorate in philosophy from Laval University in Quebec in 1954. He was a member of the University show more of Notre Dame faculty from 1955 until 2009. He gained international renown as a scholar, author and lecturer who specialized in the works of St. Thomas Aquinas. During his academic career, he was the Michael P. Grace Professor of Medieval Studies and director of the Jacques Maritain Center at the University of Notre Dame. He is founder and publisher of Catholic Dossier magazine and co-founder of Crisis magazine. His philosophical works include Aquinas on Human Action, The Question of Christian Ethics, and Aquinas and Analogy. His novels include the Father Dowling Mystery series, an Andrew Broom Mystery series, and the Sister Mary Teresa Mystery series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Harry Austin, Matthew FitzRalph, Ernan Mackey, Edward Mackin, and Monica Quill. He died on January 29, 2010 at the age of 80. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1977
- People/Characters
- Roger Dowling (Father); Marie Murkin; Phil Keegan; Anthony Mendax; Edna Hospers; Gene Hospers (show all 7); Cyril Horvath
- Important places
- Fox River, Illinois, USA; Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Related movies
- Father Dowling Mysteries (1989 | IMDb)
- Dedication
- For Marvin O'Connell
- First words
- It was three in the morning.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Now, may you rest in peace.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 63
- Popularity
- 495,309
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.56)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 4
























































