The Wisdom of Father Dowling

Father Dowling #30

by Ralph McInerny

Here, collected for the first time, are fifteen of the best Father Dowling mystery short stories. Each cunning case is carefully examined by the good father, accompanied by the cast of characters that fans around the world have grown to know and love. In a sleepy Illinois town on the banks of the Fox River lives one of the greatest fictional detectives ever created. Father Dowling, the benevolent, brilliant priest of the St. Hilary church, leads and cares for his congregation, and also finds the time to unravel the knottiest of mysteries. Ralph McInerny's sleuthing priest has appeared in more than twenty-five novels, and his exploits were also made into a television series, The Father Dowling Mysteries. But Father Dowling has also appeared in many short stories as well, solving crimes no less complicated for their brevity. Whether unraveling the identity of a skeleton found under the parish parking lot, or figuring out what really happened to the parents of a distraught parishioner, Father Dowling brings his unique perspective and quiet determination to bear on each crime he encounters, leaving the guilty nowhere to hide.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Catholic

343 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

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

[J. Alfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of short stories set in a surprisingly murder-prone suburb of Chicago, featuring a Catholic priest who uses his intuition and knowledge of human sin to solve a great many of these unexpected murders. It is, in fact, an American and better-executed version of the good idea which was Chesterton's Father Brown stories. McInerny is apparently utterly forgotten now, fifteen years after his death, but he perhaps shouldn't be; it seems that he was a pretty competent academic philosopher and theologian in addition to being a tireless mystery writer. His prose is lively and his ideas are clear. I'm going to go back for more, I think.

[SKP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like others, I found the stories boring & tedious. I read the first four stories which were ok, but after that I found that couldn’t finish the book. I had just read The Compassion of Father Dowling which I enjoyed immensely, so it was a disappointment to not be able to complete this. I had read the series years ago and really loved it, but now the earlier books in the series are out of print and hard to find so it doesn’t look like I will be rereading those anytime soon.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a collection of 15 short stories, mysteries set in a small suburbs of Chicago. Some stories were more well-written than others. Some suffered from confusing paragraphing and unclear antecedents which affected the flow of the narrative and made them frustrating to read.

[Janice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved this series on TV a number of years ago but found this book of short stories dull and tedious. I didn't finish it. There is lots of dialogue and you have no idea who's speaking, it was annoying, or maybe I was just too tired to deal with it.

[Judith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing style is rather plain. The mysteries are quite mysterious. What is most interesting is actually how Father Dowling deals with the criminals -- addressing the heart rather than the law.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love this series, you'll delight in these short stories based on familiar characters. enjoy!

[Dad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a group of 15 short stories. I read the first 4. Might read the rest later if I need a fill in book.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining short stories. Not exactly a whodunit, not so encompassing as Chesterton, but amusing, endearing characters.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I like the Dowling mysteries, this short story collection was a bit pallid and insipid. The length of the stories was insufficient to really develop the plots.

[Maggie]

Very entertaining.

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't care for this one. I really didn't like his writing style. Also didn't care for the bunch of chapter length stories.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: fifteen of the best Father Dowling mystery short stories. His exploits were made into a television series.