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Father Koesler #2
Death Wears a Red Hat
"An extraordinary tale of justice and morality . . ." --Otto Penzler, Edgar Award Winner and Owner of the Mysterious Bookshop, New York City
..". another dandy tale of homicide with an ecclesiastic twist . . . a fast-moving plot with amusing sidelights." --"New York Daily News"
"Every time I open a book, I hope this one is going to be really smashing, exciting, outstanding. This one is. "Death Wears a Red Hat "is the kind of mystery that I read the others to find. It has the right ingredients." --"Houston Chronicle"
From William X. Kienzle, author of the classic murder mystery, "The Rosary Murders."
In Kienzle's second Father Koesler book, the streets of Detroit are stalked by an unknown assailant depositing the decapitated heads of Detroit citizens on the headless shoulders of church statues. But there does seem to be a method in the gruesome madness and Father Koesler is once again drawn into the investigation, this time at the request of Walter Koznicki, the inspector of homicide, and Lieutenant Ned Harris. Meanwhile, the "Detroit Free Press "and the "Detroit News," in the personages of Joe Cox and Pat Lennon, compete for prime coverage of the murders. But as the carefully executed murders continue unabated so does the city's state of fear and bewilderment.
..". another dandy tale of homicide with an ecclesiastic twist . . . a fast-moving plot with amusing sidelights." --"New York Daily News"
"Every time I open a book, I hope this one is going to be really smashing, exciting, outstanding. This one is. "Death Wears a Red Hat "is the kind of mystery that I read the others to find. It has the right ingredients." --"Houston Chronicle"
From William X. Kienzle, author of the classic murder mystery, "The Rosary Murders."
In Kienzle's second Father Koesler book, the streets of Detroit are stalked by an unknown assailant depositing the decapitated heads of Detroit citizens on the headless shoulders of church statues. But there does seem to be a method in the gruesome madness and Father Koesler is once again drawn into the investigation, this time at the request of Walter Koznicki, the inspector of homicide, and Lieutenant Ned Harris. Meanwhile, the "Detroit Free Press "and the "Detroit News," in the personages of Joe Cox and Pat Lennon, compete for prime coverage of the murders. But as the carefully executed murders continue unabated so does the city's state of fear and bewilderment.
288 pages
First published January 1, 1980
55 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
William X. Kienzle
28 books29 followersWilliam X. Kienzle was born in Detroit, Michigan. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1954 and spent twenty years as a Roman Catholic parish priest. Kienzle left the priesthood in 1974 because of his disagreement with its refusal to remarry divorcees. He became an editor of MPLS Magazine in Minneapolis, later moving to Texas where he was director of the Center for Contemplative Studies at the University of Dallas.
He was married to Javan Herman Andrews, a journalist from the Detroit Free Press, from 1974 until his sudden death from a heart attack on December 28, 2001.
Kienzle was the author of twenty-four crime fiction/mystery novels featuring Father Robert Koesler, a Catholic priest who doubles as a detective. One of his best known novels is his first, The Rosary Murders (1978), which was made into a 1987 movie starring Donald Sutherland as Father Koesler. Kienzle's books are set mostly in Detroit, Michigan.
His biography, Judged by Love, by Javan Kienzle, was published in 2003.
He was married to Javan Herman Andrews, a journalist from the Detroit Free Press, from 1974 until his sudden death from a heart attack on December 28, 2001.
Kienzle was the author of twenty-four crime fiction/mystery novels featuring Father Robert Koesler, a Catholic priest who doubles as a detective. One of his best known novels is his first, The Rosary Murders (1978), which was made into a 1987 movie starring Donald Sutherland as Father Koesler. Kienzle's books are set mostly in Detroit, Michigan.
His biography, Judged by Love, by Javan Kienzle, was published in 2003.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 17, 2017
Death Wears a Red Hat is the second book in the Father Koesler Mystery series. The first Koesler mystery, The Rosary Murders, was the first adult thriller novel I ever read. I thorougly enjoyed it....but being 14 at the time, I moved on to other books and never read the rest of the Koesler books. Given the fact that the librarian called my dad before allowing me to check out the book, it could have been that the library didn't have the rest of the series. Or maybe I was embarrassed to take another Catholic theme murder novel up to the desk to check it out from my former catechism teacher. lol. Whatever the reason.....I never read any more books by William Kienzle. 30+ years later I am rectifying the situation, and coming back to see what trouble Father Koesler got himself into after that first book. I knew from the creepy cover to this second novel that I was in for something truly gruesome and exciting!
I was not disappointed (until the last few pages....but I will discuss that a little later).
The basics: During an adult confirmation ceremony at a Detroit cathedral, pandemonium breaks out when a child notices that the red cardinal hat suspended from the cathedral's ceiling has an actual human head in it. Police are baffled as to why someone stuffed local gangster Rough Rudy Ruggiero's severed head into the huge red religious symbol. That's just the start....more heads of local thugs show up in various churches across the city. The severed heads all bear grimaces of extreme horror and are perched on top beheaded statues of saints. The saints are chosen according to the sins of the murdered victims. Father Koesler is called on to help with the investigation and to provide information on the saints and various aspects of Catholicism as Detroit Police struggle to find clues and identify the serial killer.
The mystery is quite interesting in this second Father Koesler mystery. It has a little bit of everything in it......gruesome severed heads, Catholic mysticism, patron saints and even Voodoo.
I was loving this book clear up until the very end..... The ending fell flat for me. Father Koesler discovers the identity of the murderer, but doesn't disclose it to the police. He says that it is something deemed a "Professional secret'' that he can't divulge. Really?? A priest knows the identity of a killer who murdered six people in a really horrible way, displaying the heads in churches.......and he doesn't tell the police? He allows them to close the case as unsolved? No matter how terrible the victims were....there is no excuse for that. But.....a church that covered up sexual abuse of children and other horrible crimes by its own clergy....I guess I can see the reality of a priest not revealing the identity of a murderer. My rating of this book chunks down a star because of the ending. Great mystery. Crappy ending.
There are 24 books in the Father Koesler series, written from 1978-2002. William Kienzle was able to incorporate the ins and outs of Catholic life, politics and the priesthood into his stories because he actually was a priest for 20 years before leaving the church.
I will definitely continue reading this series.....but I really did find the ending of this book to be an incredible let down. Bleck.
I was not disappointed (until the last few pages....but I will discuss that a little later).
The basics: During an adult confirmation ceremony at a Detroit cathedral, pandemonium breaks out when a child notices that the red cardinal hat suspended from the cathedral's ceiling has an actual human head in it. Police are baffled as to why someone stuffed local gangster Rough Rudy Ruggiero's severed head into the huge red religious symbol. That's just the start....more heads of local thugs show up in various churches across the city. The severed heads all bear grimaces of extreme horror and are perched on top beheaded statues of saints. The saints are chosen according to the sins of the murdered victims. Father Koesler is called on to help with the investigation and to provide information on the saints and various aspects of Catholicism as Detroit Police struggle to find clues and identify the serial killer.
The mystery is quite interesting in this second Father Koesler mystery. It has a little bit of everything in it......gruesome severed heads, Catholic mysticism, patron saints and even Voodoo.
I was loving this book clear up until the very end..... The ending fell flat for me. Father Koesler discovers the identity of the murderer, but doesn't disclose it to the police. He says that it is something deemed a "Professional secret'' that he can't divulge. Really?? A priest knows the identity of a killer who murdered six people in a really horrible way, displaying the heads in churches.......and he doesn't tell the police? He allows them to close the case as unsolved? No matter how terrible the victims were....there is no excuse for that. But.....a church that covered up sexual abuse of children and other horrible crimes by its own clergy....I guess I can see the reality of a priest not revealing the identity of a murderer. My rating of this book chunks down a star because of the ending. Great mystery. Crappy ending.
There are 24 books in the Father Koesler series, written from 1978-2002. William Kienzle was able to incorporate the ins and outs of Catholic life, politics and the priesthood into his stories because he actually was a priest for 20 years before leaving the church.
I will definitely continue reading this series.....but I really did find the ending of this book to be an incredible let down. Bleck.
January 28, 2017
Years ago I read a few books in this series, and greatly enjoyed them. I was reminded of them when this book popped up in my Kindle Daily Deals. It was great fun to read another of them. The author is an ex-priest who uses this series to highlight various features of the Catholic church's theology and practice. They are well-done, and in each book there is a theme that runs through, so you learn about an issue or a problematic theology in quite some detail. And I like that he never makes a problem black and white. There is a lot of complexity to chew on.
February 12, 2025
Death Wears a Red Hat (Father Koesler, #2) by William X. Kienzle.
The first thing I look for when reading a series are the characters I'm familiar with. In this case I found Joe Cox and Pat Lennon the two reporters for local newspapers. They fell in love and have been together since the first book. Pat, however is having a rough time of it at the Free Press. That didn't last long after Pat took the bull by the horns and went to their competition for work. She's one independent woman.
The next characters I appreciate are the Inspector at Homicide Walter Koznicki and his right hand man Lieutenant Ned Harris. Although their backgrounds have little in common they feed each other when working a case.
Lastly but certainly no the least if Father Koesler. The Father tries not to become involved in this or any other cases but if the homicide involves the Catholic church...what choice does he have.
The story itself really stretches the limits but I enjoyed it and the further I read the more I enjoyed it. The ending left me questioning...this is it?
The first thing I look for when reading a series are the characters I'm familiar with. In this case I found Joe Cox and Pat Lennon the two reporters for local newspapers. They fell in love and have been together since the first book. Pat, however is having a rough time of it at the Free Press. That didn't last long after Pat took the bull by the horns and went to their competition for work. She's one independent woman.
The next characters I appreciate are the Inspector at Homicide Walter Koznicki and his right hand man Lieutenant Ned Harris. Although their backgrounds have little in common they feed each other when working a case.
Lastly but certainly no the least if Father Koesler. The Father tries not to become involved in this or any other cases but if the homicide involves the Catholic church...what choice does he have.
The story itself really stretches the limits but I enjoyed it and the further I read the more I enjoyed it. The ending left me questioning...this is it?
June 17, 2008
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 one Father Koesler chooses not to tell the police who murdered 6 people because the man is a friend of his and says he is through murdering people. There were not self defence murders but (at least in some cases) murder in the name of consumer protection! One of the victims was a mechanic who was replacing parts that were not broken and overcharging customers--hardly a capital offence!
The ending really disappointed me. I'd enjoyed the moral discussions that have been woven into the Father Koesler stories but in this one Father Koesler chooses not to tell the police who murdered 6 people because the man is a friend of his and says he is through murdering people. There were not self defence murders but (at least in some cases) murder in the name of consumer protection! One of the victims was a mechanic who was replacing parts that were not broken and overcharging customers--hardly a capital offence!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2016
I love this character and series, but this second novel was a disappointment. the author seems to ramble at times, throwing too many characters at us and using too many points of view. As a result the book.stumbles often and the suspense of the mystery and its conclusion is lost.
April 9, 2020
Father Koesler mysteries are the best!
I have this series and are now rereading them in kindle instead of hardcover. I still cherish every sentence !
These are some of best mysteries you will ever read !enjoy!
I have this series and are now rereading them in kindle instead of hardcover. I still cherish every sentence !
These are some of best mysteries you will ever read !enjoy!
January 16, 2018
There is a murderer on the loose in Detroit and he is leaving the heads of his victims in Catholic Churches. A great whodunit.
October 20, 2018
good read kept me going ,loved the end
May 7, 2020
excelente libro muy muy bueno
March 6, 2019
Decent mystery, outdated attitudes (was written in the '70s and would have been touch-and-go then) and a theological conundrum too.
The author was a priest, then left the priesthood, and I get the feeling that he is trying to work out some of his own questions about life rules vs church rules through his stories.
The author was a priest, then left the priesthood, and I get the feeling that he is trying to work out some of his own questions about life rules vs church rules through his stories.
April 12, 2021
2nd book in the series. Amazing use of the challenge that a Priest suffers in deciding how to treat confidentiality. Confession is more straight forward but what about other conferences? Good read!
January 25, 2022
Disappointing.
February 25, 2022
Rereading after many years. Interesting premise as the resolution of the crime. A bit dated.
July 23, 2023
En hyggelig, men ikke helt aktuel krimi. Bogen bære tydeligt præg af, at have en del år på bagen. Plottet er dog stadig interessant.
October 10, 2025
Quick-look at the Book
Someone's murdering thugs and leaving their heads on top of Detroit's saints' shrines. It's up to Koesler to find out who and why.
Thoughts on this Series
This is a nice enough cozy mystery series. The central character is Father Koesler who by no actions of his own--mostly--keeps tripping over murdered people and getting roped into police investigations.
While the characterization and motivation behind each suspect are well-described, there can be often too many POVs or too many details that detract from the action.
That said, the author repeatedly hits you over the head with the same details about priesthood and religion. If you can bear with that, and are okay with the protagonist arriving at the euphoria! moment while in the bathtub or car or...you get what I mean...read on.
My advice? Space em out. Or, they start to become a blob (Lily & Marshal style).
Review of Book 3 here
Someone's murdering thugs and leaving their heads on top of Detroit's saints' shrines. It's up to Koesler to find out who and why.
Thoughts on this Series
This is a nice enough cozy mystery series. The central character is Father Koesler who by no actions of his own--mostly--keeps tripping over murdered people and getting roped into police investigations.
While the characterization and motivation behind each suspect are well-described, there can be often too many POVs or too many details that detract from the action.
That said, the author repeatedly hits you over the head with the same details about priesthood and religion. If you can bear with that, and are okay with the protagonist arriving at the euphoria! moment while in the bathtub or car or...you get what I mean...read on.
My advice? Space em out. Or, they start to become a blob (Lily & Marshal style).
Review of Book 3 here
March 13, 2016
Death Wears a Red Hat by William X. Kienzle is the second book of the Father Koesler mystery series set in Detroit Michigan near the end of the 20th century. A serial murderer places his victim's heads in symbolic locations within Detroit churches. The first round of murder victims are the city's most infamous criminals; the second round are small-time criminals by comparison (but evil all the same). Father Koesler shares his ecclesiastical knowledge with the police to assist their investigation. Two reporters, working for rival local newspapers, compete to get 'the scoop' first.
Chapters alternate (in a rather choppy manner) between the police investigation, the reporters' efforts, and additional petty criminals and their crimes during the span of the investigation, and voodoo.
Chapters alternate (in a rather choppy manner) between the police investigation, the reporters' efforts, and additional petty criminals and their crimes during the span of the investigation, and voodoo.
June 27, 2015
This book takes place in Detroit more specifically, it takes place in and around the Catholic parishes of Detroit. It made me nostalgic and homesick.
The cast of characters exceeded 50 and that made it difficult to follow for me. Sadly, I found the ending predictable. I don't read many murder mysteries but this author was my mom's favorite so tried this one at her recommendation.
The cast of characters exceeded 50 and that made it difficult to follow for me. Sadly, I found the ending predictable. I don't read many murder mysteries but this author was my mom's favorite so tried this one at her recommendation.
September 7, 2015
More a police procedural combined with a cosy. It includes the perspective of a RC priest and the writer was a former RC priest who left the priesthood over the issue of how the church was treating divorces. Interesting observations of priests offered together with the RC catholic church.
August 15, 2013
Not quite as good as the first book in the series, but very readable and one doesn't want to put it down.
September 22, 2013
Kienzle's books are always interesting. He gives his characters interesting dialogue and clever antidotes.
December 23, 2014
I like these books, but this one had a very disappointing ending. I'll probably continue the series.
February 23, 2016
In the second in the series, someone is placing the decapitated heads of Detroit citizens on the headless statues of church statues.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews