No Greater Love - Hardcover

Kienzle, William X.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0836278658 ISBN 13: 9780836278651

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1999

Synopsis

Father Robert Koesler, now retired, takes up residence at St. Joseph's Seminary at the request of his longtime friend, Bishop Patrick McNiff, and finds himself investigating a murder that touches on the foundations of his faith.

About this title

From the Publisher

Reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly
Booklist review, 3/1/99

Kienzle's twenty-first Father Koesler novel is distinguished by a unique twist that will appeal to seasoned mystery fans tired of pre-fabricated formulas and timeworn plots. In a break with traditional whodunits, the epilogue precedes the main body of the story, inviting readers to speculate as to the identity of both the murderer and the victim; in fact, the more compelling mystery proves to be which of the many possible suspects will turn out to be the corpse. Lured out of retirement by his old friend Bishop Patrick McNiff, Father Koesler, the former pastor of an urban parish in the heart of downtown Detriot, moves into St. Joseph's Seminary on the pretext of counseling students and teaching a class or two. His actual assignment is to attempt to bridge the ever-widening gulf between conservative and liberal faculty members and students. An experienced veteran with a decidedly open mind, Koesler seems to be the ideal candidate for a difficult job until he gets sidetracked by a chilling chain of events that culminates in tragedy. —Booklist, 3/1/99, Margaret Flanagan

Publishers Weekly, 3/22/99

. . . Kienzle's grasp and detailing of church problems is impressive. Well conceived characters—such as Patty Donnelly, a young woman determined to be a priest; Andrea Zawalich, another woman confident she can become a priest in all but name; and Bill Cody, a zealot determined to make his only son a priest—add depth to the conflicts. And the structure of the book is unusual: in a prologue, Koesler is meditating by a coffin, and the rest of the novel consists of a long flashback leading to the body within. The plot thus plays itself out neither as whodunit or a whydunit, but as a tragedy and morality play that develops slowly and inevitably to a violent climax. —Publishers Weekly, 3/22/99

About the Author

William X. Kienzle, author of twenty previous Father Koesler mysteries, spent twenty years as a parish priest. After leaving the priesthood, he became editor of MPLS magazine in Minneapolis and later moved to Texas, where he was director of the Center for Contemplative Studies at the University of Dallas. Kienzle and his wife, Javan, live in Detroit, where he enjoys playing piano as a diversion from writing.

About this edition

• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0836278658
• ISBN 13: 9780836278651
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304