The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain

I usually don't read a book from a series this far ahead if I haven't read the first ones, but I picked it up and thought it sounded good so I popped it in the player and got caught up in the story. I'll now have to backtrack and find the earlier adventures of Bishop Blackie Ryan.

Because of his apparent notoriety at solving mysteries, Bishop Ryan is ordered by his superiors to go to Paris and find a missing Dominican who has quite a following including his on TV show.

The investigation is interesting and the solution surprising…great fun.

The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St.Germain. Andrew Greeley. 2001. I wouldn’t have purchased this had it not been a 3 for a dollar deal at the public library book shop.
I will read just about anything if it is set in Paris! Greeley is just not a good stylist, but the mystery was clever and I recognized so much of the Paris he described that I was able to ignore the use of the words, “patently” and “arguably” four or five times a page and mentally groan when he cutely referred to God as a she. However he did have a good comment about celibacy. He said being celibate was no harder than being married.

Delightful story and the first I have read with Bishop Blackie Ryan. I enjoyed this character very much. He's the best part of a so-so plot. I also enjoyed the sights of Paris.

Bishop Blackie has no desire to leave the friendly confines of his Chicago neighborhood to traipse around Paris searching for Frere Jean-Claude, a popular priest who has inexplicably vanished while filming a television show. But when his Archbishop boss says, "See to it," Blackie can hardly refuse. As he sifts through a pile of suspects that includes everyone from church leaders to television executives, Blackie begins to wonder whether the reason no one can find Jean-Claude is because Jean-Claude doesn't want to be found.

Loved the story and the progressive attitude of Bishop Blackie.

The Bishop is in search for Frere Jean-Claude, a popular priest. He hired an interpretor whom was a delightful individual, it would seem. They discovered the twin sister had burried Jean-Claude and pretended to be him for 5 more years. I enjoyed the concept.