Murder Most Catholic: Divine Tales of Profane Crimes

by Ralph McInerny

The murder mysteries that make up this unusual anthology all have one thing in common: the hero or heroine who solves the crime is a Catholic cleric. From Chesterton's classic priest-turned-detective Father Brown to Peter Tremayne's historical Celtic nun and lawyer, Sister Fidelma, religious men and women put aside their professional duties for a moment to take up an altogether different vocation for a short time - that of detective and solver of crimes unspeakable. The stories in this collection of Catholic clerical sleuthing includes: Whispers of the Dead by Peter Tremayne - Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned by Ed Gorman - Death by Fire by Anne Perry and Malachi Saxon - The Arrow of Ice by Edward D. Hoch - The Rag and Bone Man by Lillian Stewart Carl - Divine Justice by Charles Meyer - Cemetery of the Innocents by Stephen Dentinger - Veronica's Veil by Monica Quill - Lowly Death by Margaret Frazer - Ex Libris by Kate Gallison - A Clerical Error by Michael Jecks - Through a Glass, Darkly by Kate Charles - The Knight's Confession by P. C. Doherty - The Shorn Lamb by Ralph McInerny

Genres: Mystery

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

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

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Divine short stories about crimes that are solved by religious—priests, nuns, a knight, and so on. McInerny has alternated the time periods between present day and historical eras, offering choices among today's Illinois, fourteenth century England, contemporary Venice, and so on. The selection of authors is comprehensive, including Peter Tremayne, Kate Charles, Stephen Dentinger, and Lillian Stewart Carl, among many others. A perfect choice for those who prefer their holiday celebrations sprinkled with a touch of murder.

[Steve Vetsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short stories