Gate of heaven

by Ralph McInerny

A novel including religious characters

293 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

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

[Heidi Thorsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me forever to read. The style is different from more contemporary books. I enjoyed it, but it was a slow pace. I stuck with it because I did want to find out what was going to happen, even if I was not compelled to start the next chapter the minute I finished one. Lots of Latin phrases, if you're interested in that.

I liked the characters, the book gave time to get to know even the minor ones who did nothing to advance the plot. Maybe it's the editors who have changed their style over the decades. I recommend it to anyone who likes a nice, slow, leisurely story with low stakes. Not a lot of excitement, just some political machinations involving old men in a religious society.