Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | MYSTERY MCI | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | MYSTERY MCI | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
When South Bend, Indiana, Detective Phil Knight meets Boris Henry, an enthusiast of the historic Father John Zahm, a Notre Dame priest who was once involved in theoretical disputes during the 19th century, he wants to introduce Boris to his brother, Notre Dame's Professor Roger Knight, who shares a passion for this legendary man. As expected Boris and Roger have much to discuss. But then some of Boris's collection of rare Zahm artifacts go missing and Boris turns up dead, and the Knight brothers team up to uncover the truth behind the murder in Irish Gilt , an absorbing addition to this series by the author of the beloved Father Dowling mysteries.
Author Notes
Ralph McInerny was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 24, 1929. He served in the Marine Corps in the late 1940s. He received a bachelor's degree from St. Paul Seminary in 1951, a master's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1952 and a doctorate in philosophy from Laval University in Quebec in 1954. He was a member of the University of Notre Dame faculty from 1955 until 2009. He gained international renown as a scholar, author and lecturer who specialized in the works of St. Thomas Aquinas. During his academic career, he was the Michael P. Grace Professor of Medieval Studies and director of the Jacques Maritain Center at the University of Notre Dame. He is founder and publisher of Catholic Dossier magazine and co-founder of Crisis magazine.
His philosophical works include Aquinas on Human Action, The Question of Christian Ethics, and Aquinas and Analogy. His novels include the Father Dowling Mystery series, an Andrew Broom Mystery series, and the Sister Mary Teresa Mystery series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Harry Austin, Matthew FitzRalph, Ernan Mackey, Edward Mackin, and Monica Quill. He died on January 29, 2010 at the age of 80.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In McInerney's ninth Notre Dame mystery (after 2004's Green Thumb), professor Roger Knight and his detective brother, Philip, seek the missing diaries of Fr. John Zahn, an almost forgotten 19th-century theologian, which purport to shed light on the search for El Dorado. Their investigation takes a deadly turn after the murder of an alumnus on campus. Rare book dealers, academic curmudgeons and others with conflicting loyalties and assorted agendas enliven a sleuthing exercise short on suspense and imagination. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
A slyly humorous look at the trouble Notre Dame alumni get into when they cavort with non-South Bend types. Boris Henry and Xavier Kittock, roommates from the class of '74, once shared two interests: Father John Zahm's 1914-15 letters and diary concerning his South American search for El Dorado, and Clare, Boris's beautiful assistant. Then their interests diverged: Boris the gambler was intent on establishing a Zahm Institute at Notre Dame, whose centerpiece would be the diary the priest sold them. Xavier, known as Eggs, wanted to use the diary to mount a quest for the El Dorado gold. When the letters and diary disappear, Boris blames Eggs and relies on the Knight brothers--Roger, a Nero Wolfe-sized scholar, and Phil, a very selective private eye (Irish Coffee, 2003, etc.)--to deliver the goods. Everything points to Eggs until he slumps dead on a park bench in the middle of the night, perhaps from a heart attack but more likely from more sinister causes. Theories fly, including one accusing a jealous husband, and several others proposed by the old geezers at the university club. Eventually, Roger assembles the puzzle pieces, trumping the South Bend cops, campus security and even his brother, to the immense relief of the university archivist. Droll and charming, with more romantic shenanigans than a French farce. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Father John Zahm, a nineteenth-century Notre Dame priest and scholar, is of particular interest to corpulent professor Roger Knight. Boris Henry, a Notre Dame alum who dissipated his family fortune at the gaming tables, has come into possession of a significant cache of Zahm writings that he is willing to sell to the university should it decide to memorialize the iconoclastic scholar. The stakes escalate quickly when Zahm's diary is stolen from Henry, and another alum, Xavier Kittock, who was doing research on Zahm in the university archives, is found murdered on campus. The local police do their best, but Professor Knight and his private--investigator brother, Phillip, are better able to unearth arcane motives from the university community. McInerny, author of the Father Dowling novels as well as this series about the Knight brothers, entertainingly combines elements of the Nero Wolfe mysteries with the modern police procedural, all while poking fun at the insular, self-important world of academia. McInerny has taught at Notre Dame for 40 years. Perhaps he has a PhD in whodunnitry. --Wes Lukowsky Copyright 2005 Booklist