"The realistic setting, discussions of theology and humanism add to the appealing the author's new urbane, witty mystery.--"Publishers Weekly " "Score another direct hit by Father Koesler and William Kienzle." --"Kansas City Star " In "Deathbed," the eighth book in a series by acclaimed mystery w...
I have read 4 or 5 books by this author and this is the one I have enjoyed the least. It had to do with a man who comes to life in his casket and if it was a miracle or not. The man who died (Moses) had not been embalmed per Jewish custom and was a vile human being. The stories that different cha...
The Rosary Murders is the first in a series featuring Father Koesler, by the late William X. Kienzle. The mystery is set in Detroit, Michigan during the '70's. At that time, Detroit was famous for its monstrous murder rate and widespread crime. Contributing to this madness, is a murderer who is k...
LAST RITES AND LETHAL WRONGS Father Koesler is pondering his imminent retirement. But even as he looks toward an uncertain future, circumstances force him to investigate a crime from the past, a murder that only now has come to light. The revelation is revealed after his successor, Father Zachar...
"THE ROSARY MURDERS quickly established Father Koesler as among the most likable and authentic of all recent sleuths .... Since then, few mystery series have been more cozy and persuasive."CHICAGO TRIBUNEFrom their Spartan quarters in downtown Detroit four religious brothers and a priest peform m...
I enjoyed some other Father Koesler mysteries, but this one was a big disappointment. It was good enough to continue but not the type that you just can't put down.The ending really disappointed me. I'd enjoyed the moral discussions that have been woven into the Father Koesler stories but in this ...
Four rather clumsy assassins stalk the seminaries of Detroit. So far only luck stopped them from killing a priest. But time is running short, and murder lies within their vicious grasp. Who's behind this quarter of killers? An angry seminarian? A fanatical leader of an arch-conservative Catholic ...
"Body Count" hangs on the interesting topic of the sacramental seal of Confession or priest-penitent privilege. Weird fact: at the time this book was written (c1992) I knew a great deal about this privilege having recently completed a book on the topic. I thought this fact was handled well in e...
BANK ON MURDER Long overdue for a vacation, Father Koesler turns over Old St. Joe's parish to Father Zachary Tully, the half-brother of Koesler's partner in crime-solving, Lt. Alonzo "Zoo" Tully. But no sooner has Father Zack settled in than he finds himself following in Koesler's gumshoe footst...
"Bishop as Pawn" is a mystery by Ralph McInerny. Billy Murkin appears at the St. Hillary's rectory in Fox River, Illinois. He is the husband of Marie Murkin, the rectory's housekeeper, even though she hasn't seen him in 15 years. Later that night he is found dead of a gunshot wound in the rector...
Being a Roman Catholic, this book caught my eye because it promised to address to interesting topics: Papal Infallibility and the Church's stance on birth control. The latter is a particularly relevant topic these days because the question has been raised as to whether the state can require the ...
"Readers will be turning the pages into the wee hours of the night, trying to solve the mystery along with Tully and Koesler." --"West Coast Review of Books" Has the Detroit Police Department found the perpetrator of one of the most gruesome serial murders in Detroit's history--the brutal mutilat...
The blinds were closed. She wore only a half slip and a bra. Frequently she wore nothing at home. It was part of a peculiar game she and her late husband had played. She would try to tempt him and he would resist temptation. God! Now that she looked back on it, how sick they had been. The more Al...
Mary Lou Monahan insisted on working not only every Saturday but on Sunday too, at least until the collection was counted and placed in the night depository. Mary Lou was an answer to Father Pool’s unspoken prayer that God would send somebody to take finances and the budget off his back. It was i...
Larry Hoffer’s murder had badly shaken her and she wanted to talk with someone. Koesler was the someone she’d selected. Did he have a little time for her? If he hadn’t, he would have made time. Irene Casey was one of his favorite people. When he had left the Detroit Catholic he had recommended th...
Stan was one of the altar boys for this ceremony. Three other boys also served. There was never a problem getting kids to serve at Christmas and Easter. Like their parents, they could be counted on to be in church for one or both of these reverent feasts. This was a most solemn occasion for Lily ...
Casserly spent the hours nursing this gigantic hangover and fearing that anyone—especially Lil or Dora—might call. The telephone didn’t ring all day. A small miracle for which he was duly grateful. Friday was something else again. At any rate, it was something that made him grateful for Thursday....