Abracadaver

Father Dowling #13

by McInerny

For Father Dowling, a ring holds the key to his investigation into the brutal murder of Aggie Miller, a member of his parish, and the disappearance of Frances Grice, the missing wife of a local millionaire entrepreneur. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

251 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read for a rainy day. Kind of a surprise ending with a needed clue not revealed until the end.

[Vic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up from a little library with my girlfriend. I have no prior knowledge to this series so the book itself was quite a nice read honestly. Well written with drops of humor and rich detail, I love Chicago and I ended up liking the characters who played a part in this story. Dowling seems to be just in and out of the book, so it played out like a murder mystery from the 80s. Cute.

[Jennifer Oberth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t particularly care much for this book, which came as a surprise to me. I was all set to sink my teeth into Father Dowling in book form, having religiously watched the show as a kid.

The book had a little humor (what was there was good) and little character depth.

(I crave character-heavy stories.)

To be fair, there were 148 pages so something's gotta give.

There was no Sister Steve, either. I confess I don’t remember the show but for the slightest impressions – I do remember the nun named Steve as a bright and colorful character and a cool, 80s woman.

I liked the descriptions of a Chicago winter as it was so accurately portrayed (and I read it during a snowstorm so I only had to look out the window to picture the scene McInerny set so perfectly).

I had trouble following the narration. Maybe it was me, maybe not. There were so many ‘he’s’ and ‘she’s’ that I often didn’t know who was speaking or thinking about whom.

Then there’s the lack of Father Dowling – it was barely his story, the narration moving from one investigator to another. (As far as I could follow.)

I can recommend this book because the mystery is well done – the story just didn’t match up with my particular tastes. It could be my preconceived notions, comparing the book to an old TV show I barely remember - you know how it is when you expect one thing and get something else.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess the movie shows of this spoiled us --- they were much better than this book. I was disappointed because Father Dowling really doesn't do that much in the written book --- but was still a good mystery!

[Marisa Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Fox River Illinois, Father Dowling is drawn into the mystery of a wife who disappeared months ago. Her husband, a wealthy real estate developer,is rumored to be involved with one of his employees.

Quick easy read, but author does not give clues to reader to guess killer.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, the character descriptions did not age well. However I still enjoyed this quick read and was reminded of my loving grandfather who had passed this book onto me.

[Linda Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book over 30 years ago and rated it very good. The second reading of it didn’t stand up to that quality. Father Dowling doesn’t appear in the book as much as I wished, although he does solve the mystery when he becomes privy to some information.
Like others, I really enjoyed the TV show. I think Sister Steve added much to it.

[Tory · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 'cozy' mystery for a quiet day. It was okay but not great. The mystery itself was fine, but there was not much about Father Dowling, who really makes this series. I would have liked to have seen much more of him, his thought process, and personality in this book.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Father Dowling Mystery I have read. I have seen the T.V. SHOW , but as usual the book is always better. This particular story has more twist and turns than a Arkansas road. There are 32 Father Dowling Mysteries this particular story is #13 they do not need to be read in order,

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A ring with a strange inscription, competing building contractors, a missing woman, and a priest who helps the police.

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't see the TV show -- guess I missed out.

Good, but not great book, too many characters for me. Clues and false leads galore. Father Dowling didn't appear much in this mystery, but as this was the first one I've read, I didn't miss him. I didn't figure out whodunit at all - or maybe Mr. McInerny hadn't either - until the last few pages. As another reviewer said, a good read for a stormy day.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ralph McInerny - RIP - 01/28/10

While I had a suspicion (correct, as it turns out) who the murderer was, there seemed to be a key element of the plot that was later declared to have happened one way but really didn't (on my review) and that fact of a key relationship between characters that is only revealed at the last minute. The first issue Father Dowling states incorrectly in his summing up; the second even he doesn't know about, but as soon as he does, he (and I) knew the solution.

These books are filled with charming characters and are set in suburban Chicago, so I feel as if I know the people and the setting. But sometimes the plot is not that strong. This is one of those. I liked the earliest ones best.

[Celina and Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining

[Robin]

A good mystery. I was able to solve it, so it must not have been too tough.

[Jaren Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the Father Dowling tv series and wanted to love these books. It’s just not good writing. I found it hard to follow, far too many characters, and just never got into it.