Triple Pursuit

Father Dowling #22

by Ralph McInerny

In the latest installment of Ralph McInerny's beloved series, Father Dowling is caught in the middle of a dispute between former radio celebrity Jack Gallagher and Austin Rooney over one woman's affections.

Meanwhile, Jack is the prime suspect in the death of another woman, Agatha Rossner, a lawyer better known as a seductress than a litigator. The Fox River police once again must turn to Father Dowling for help in sorting out this intricate tale of murderous affairs.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

Ralph Matthew McInerny was an American Catholic religious scholar and fiction writer, including mysteries and science fiction. Some of his fiction has appeared under the pseudonyms of Harry Austin, Matthew FitzRalph, Ernan Mackey, Edward Mackin, and Monica Quill. As a mystery writer he is best known as the creator of Father Dowling. He was Professor of Philosophy, Director of the Jacques Maritain Center, and Michael P. Grace Professor of Medieval Studies at the University of Notre Dame until his retirement in June 2009. He died of esophageal cancer on January 29, 2010.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not one of the better entries in this series. I figured out whodunit about halfway through the story but the police and many of the other characters were just too stupid, ignoring obvious lines of investigation to keep the weak plot going long enough for the hero to solve it. The hero was barely in the story at all until near the end when he thought about the crimes for a few minutes and figured everything out. Some of the characters were interesting but that was hardly enough to save the story.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a short story in the form of a novel. Way too much useless background and fluff. Father Dowling does nothing for about the first 360+ pages, and then "kazaam" he solves the crime in the last 10 pages. Now, I know why I tend to stick to the hard boiled end of the crime genre.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that many of the characters seemed like caricatures. I'll read another book in the series but I don't have a lot of hope.

[Tomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just didn't get much out of this one...some things just didn't have anything to do with the story line, it moved slowly, and I had trouble keeping the relationships among the characters straight.

[Nolan · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's the weakest and worst book in the series. Not worth my time to do a full review. I love this series so much; this almost physically hurt to see an installment that clearly fell flat for me.

[Mike Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were so many characters that were related to each other that it would have been impossible for me to keep who was who if the author had not kept reminding the reader who each of them were when talking about them. And, because he did that, I gave this book a 4* rating because I could keep them straight and enjoy the book instead of having to go back to check who was who.

I didn't think Father Dowling had much to do with the story.

Good story, though.

[Elizabeth Lumpkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cozy mystery!

Leave behind the gore and return to the quiet town of Fox River and the parish of St. Hilary’s to follow Father Dowling in his quest to maintain peace in the parish, and of course, help solve a murder.

[Gene Georgelis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't figure it out until the end.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

This is my first Ralph McInerny novel. This book was suspenseful from start to finish!! Wonderful characters & plot development. A great cozy mystery!

[Michael O'Leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 20th in the Fr. Roger Dowling mysteries and in this book he solves another mystery loaded with human drama and spiritual significance. When two seemingly unrelated homicide investigations begin to intertwine, Captain Phil Keegan of the Fox River Police Department relies on his old friend Father Dowling to assist in the investigation. Several of the prime suspects are members of Fr. Dowling’s parrish, enabling him to offer a more intimate assessment of the probable motives.

The romantic fates of two elderly gentlemen feuding over a septuagenarian woman and the tenuous future of a young couple about to exchange wedding vows are profoundly altered by the ruthless murders of an anonymous young hotel maid and a high-powered female attorney. Father Dowling’s down-to-earth personality and manner appeals to me because I enjoy mysteries as well as ones that incorporate a religious twist.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two brother-in-laws who are both womanizers wind up fighting over a woman. Women are being killed. Father Dowling is trying to keep peace in the community.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun mystery. Likable characters. It made me order the DVD's of the TV shows.