Second Vespers

Father Dowling #5

by Ralph McInerny

Francis O'Rourke, noted American author, is more alive dead than he ever was when alive. He was born and grew up in Fox River, a town now seething with big O’Rourkian business. Collectors, scholars, dealers, sentimentalists—the hunt is on for treasure: unpublished manuscripts, unrenewed copyrights, journals, letters, gossip—all grist for exploitation.

Amid the jockeying of rival claimants—a librarian with letters; a bookshop proprietor with a diary; a pair of wishful writers with the true, inside story’s an elusive stranger ready to spy, buy or steal; and the jumping in and out of one another’s beds in the swift completion of their goals—a dead body is found.

How this corpse relates to O’Rourkian huggermuggery and whether or not it spells crime or accident and who hoodwink whom and how it happens that there is another corpse and how further tragedy is averted, this is the story of SECOND VESPERS. once again Father Dowling—with his quiet and curiosity, his sympathy and detachment, his irritability and patience, his kindness and humor—solves these mysteries in another highly entertaining book.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1980

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

[EuroHackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what it says on the tin. I really enjoyed this twisty mystery, swirling around the cottage industry that has consumed Fox River's most famous (and dead) writer. I found the clues to the first of the three twists, which is pretty good, LOL. The whodunit makes sense and once again, the end is strongly amoral. Father Dowling carries around a ton of secrets; perhaps it is fitting that he is a priest who would normally carry secrets under the Seal of the Confessional.

There are definitely elements of this story that I could've done without, including basically all of the players being terrible people; everyone sleeping with everyone else behind their spouse's backs; all of the women being grasping twits; the language used to describe the only gay character (who, mercifully, was not the villain). Reader beware if you are sensitive to these things.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were so many characters in this book that I had to create a cast of characters list. When that was done I was in good shape to keep up with all the comings and going’s of the characters. I get the feeling this author doesn’t think a lot of lawyers he didn’t make his lawyers very honest. The book was originally written in 1980. It was a good story, I enjoyed it. I loved the actual book it was so well-made and the paper was so different than what you find today.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a priest, I appreciate the untidy ending and that the moral life is messy sometimes. As a reader, there were a few to many loose ends left. Lastly, there was one action of an important character that didn't really make sense but seemed necessary to bring the novel to an end. I think McInerny wrote himself into a corner. Still enjoyable but probably only for dedicated Dowling fans.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Father Dowling #5