The Saint Maker

Father Bredder #1

by Leonard Holton

When Father Bredder gets involved with murder--Heaven only knows what will happen next...

In the first book in the series, Father Bredder makes a most ungodly discovery--a woman's decapitated head has been left in a pew in the back of his church.

Named "A Red Badge Novel of Suspense" alongside Agatha Christie, Michael Innes, and Hugh Pentecost, The Father Bredder Mysteries, written by Leonard Wibberley under the pen name Leonard Holton, inspired a television show starring George Kennedy.

"Father Joseph Bredder is one of the most satisfactory of religious detectives, with commendably greater interest in saving a soul than in solving a case."--The New York Times

"Father Joseph Bredder is a fascinating investigator; full of suspense and good humour."--John O'London's

"The priest-sleuth is a warm, human figure and a welcome newcomer to the amateur detective ranks."--Manchester Evening News

Genres: Mystery

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

A pseudonym used by Leonard Wibberley to publish the "Father Joseph Bredder" mystery series, Dodd, Mead (New York)

Reviews

[Cormac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a big cozy mystery fan or church-going, but Father Bredder, the ex-marine-turned-priest, has converted me - now I like mysteries.

[Julia Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first of his books. Surprised at the very strict interpretation of Satan and thrilled at the Christ like behavior of the priest.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review probably applies to all the Father Bredder books. They are like PBS's Granchester set in Los Angeles. A self-effacing detective, who is also a priest, get roped into solving a murder. Catholic teachings play a part in Bredder's method of operating. Bredder is like Miss Marple in his modesty, and as such he is a very pleasant and reassuring companion as one tries to figure out whop decapitated a woman and left her hed in a church. Holton (Wibberley) could have made a very nice career just writing mysteries (he wrote 11 Father Bredders, at least two young adult mysteries, and several novels that have a strong mystery element to them). Instead, he wrote in many different genres. But if you like this novel, you should line up getting the other 10 fast. They are all equally good and you'll devour them all in short order.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Father Bredder is a warm, mild-mannered priest whose beliefs are clear but Catholic dogma does not overwhelm the story. In fact, for a priest investigator the religious beliefs are kept down but you know he's a catholic priest and his motivations for investigating are to redeem a soul, not necessarily justice. Bredder uses his strengths and connections to find out information when going the police route to find out information doesn't work out.

I thought the story was a little lackluster; it was missing something. I'm also not a fan of religious mania stories. Maybe I'll read another in the series, if for no other reason because the writer has a good reputation.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: when Father Bredder gets involved in murder, heaven only knows what happens next. He finds a woman's head in a pew.

[Red Tide · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too Gruesome for me

The writing was bad. I bailed early in (pages not chapters). It didn't have any authenticity and was disrespectful of both the crime and the victim. The background characters were what I expected in this type of story centered on a Catholic priest. I don't get the chapel thing exactly, with no parish, no school. There is the hateful mother superior, the controlling housekeeper, the housewife sister, probably an irritating monseigneur, and a helpful curious nun show up.

There is an completely anti-woman perspective from the first two male characters. The priest is almost more concerned about his luggage than the victim. There is no emotional connection to the dead woman at all. It fits priests, I guess. The detective is sleazy and lazy. He reminded me of Inspector LeStrade? from the Holmes novels. The difference being that the inspector was not a self proclaimed brilliant detective like this writer's policeman. Inspector LeStrade plodded along, knew he was plodding along and did his best.

The summary of the victim's life by the detective at a glance, threw me. Is the victim's supposed lifestyle a real thing. Devalue her life. Suggest most prostitutes have a protected lifestyle (Pimps are the best). Suggest the victim is a member of a stupid subset of prostitutes, not smart enough to become a protected professional. Devalue her death at a glance and I don't see this detective working too hard to solve the crime. He didn't seem to think a crime had been committed. They shoot horses, don't they?

The death is gruesome, the attitudes of the male characters towards all women, especially the victim made my stomach queasy. This writer might consider working out his issues with women in therapy (with a male therapist, of course), rather on the page.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I love his other writings, this one kind of fell short for me. I was expecting more of the witty humor but it was few and far between here. The ending was good but sudden and felt like it hadn't been led up to very well. I'm looking forward to reading more of them to see if they improve any.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

cozy mystery - well written - the writer is obviously Catholic or at least has done his research. the priest, Fr. Bredder, solves the crimes. the theology and the dogma are solid - not that there is a lot of it - just enough to know that Fr. Bredder is actually a Catholic priest.

[Cheryl Marrtucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

This was a page Turner. Absolutely love the characters and the plot. Cannot wait to read the next one. Excellent