The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain (A Father Blackie Ryan Mystery) [Hardcover]

Andrew M. Greeley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 2001

The bestselling priest & novelist Andrew M. Greeley continues the tales of the intrepid Bishop Blackie Ryan with this absorbing & suspenseful mystery, set in France, of a missing beloved television priest.

Not just an ordinary priest but a priest/television superstar, idolized by the people of France, loved by everyone except, of course the French hierarchy, the church, state and the Paris television community.

The Archbishop of Paris, familiar with Bishop Blackie Ryan's impressive sleuthing skills, asks Blackie's boss, the Archbishop of Chicago Sean Cardinal Cronin, for help in finding this missing priest. As usual, Cardinal Cronin resolves the matter with a brusque "See to it, Blackie."

In Paris, Blackie meets a young and beautiful woman begging for money at the door of the church of St-Germain-des-Prés. When he hires her as a translator, she turns out to be an excellent Dr. Watson and a brilliant musician as well. She is at his side as Blackie learns that neither the Church nor the police are eager to have the saintly priest returned, and once the public discovers the disappearance of their beloved priest, the miracles start-and nothing scares the Church more than miracles.

Undaunted, Blackie and his beautiful sidekick defy uncooperative Paris police, an unbending church, and reluctant witnesses to find the bizarre solution to one of the most fascinating puzzles he has ever encountered.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Full of unexpected turns and twists, Greeley's popular series featuring the wry, resourceful Bishop John Blackwood Ryan continues, with the spiritual sleuth on the hunt for a young, charismatic priest missing in Paris. Blackie, as Ryan is fondly called, is dispatched by Chicago Archbishop Cronin to solve the disappearance of Father Jean-Claude while escorting the church official's sister-in-law Nora Cronin on her vacation to the City of Lights. Distrusted by the church hierarchy for his growing popularity, the telegenic Frenchman vanished without a trace while guiding TV producers through the famed cathedral of Notre-Dame, causing widespread rumors of foul play and unrest among his young followers. Blackie's efforts to gain the cooperation of church officials are thorough (too much so), but Greeley pumps new life into the sometimes sluggish tale with the arrival of the refreshing Celt beggar girl Marie-Bernadette, who acts not only as the bishop's translator but as his savvy interpreter of French culture. A good premise goes to waste here as Greeley appears to run out of steam halfway through this rather slim novel. Lacking much murderous activity, it seeks to satisfy its readers with a sedate blend of modern religious disputes, paired with the usual missing person plot, as well as long, taxing passages discussing French canon history, acts of faith and Gallic arrogance sprinkled with an occasional hint of possible mischief. Unfortunately, even the Greeley faithful may find the mystery's resolution weak and uncharacteristically gimmicky. (July)Forecast: Although this entry may not be as strong as earlier outings in the popular series, it should do little to dampen Blackie enthusiasm, which will be fostered by national advertising plans and a teaser excerpt in Irish Eyes. Greeley fans will take this one in stride and eagerly await the return of their favorite sleuthing bishop.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

With a title straight out of Chaucer, Greeley's tale brings back one of his most popular literary characters: Bishop "Blackie" Ryan, the cleric who specializes in locked-room mysteries. This time, the action takes place in Paris, where a popular priest has disappeared in the vaults below the Cathedral of Notre Dame. His disappearance is both mysterious and filled with consequences: students who loved him blame the antireligious government for complicity in his abduction, while the Catholic Church struggles with the question of miracles suddenly being performed supposedly by the missing priest. Into this maelstrom of theories comes Bishop Blackie, who takes a young beggar girl as his interpreter. Marie-Bernadette and her boyfriend soon become personally involved with the search for the priest. Greeley creates vivid characters, especially Marie-Bernadette, a saucy, casual Catholic who speaks her mind no matter the surroundings. As Blackie delves deeper into the case, he discovers facts that will embarrass just about everyone involved. George Guidall, a master storyteller, brings every character to life and helps to keep the action flowing in a steady if somewhat ponderous manner. Greeley's legion of fans will make this a popular addition to all public library collections. Joseph L. Carlson, Lompoc P.L., CA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (July 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031286874X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312868741
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,795,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining entry, June 30, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain (A Father Blackie Ryan Mystery) (Hardcover)

In the blink of an eye, the charismatic and incredibly handsome Frere Jean Claude Chretien becomes the toast of France through his dynamic TV sermons. While filming a show on the excavations at Notre Dame Cathedral, Frere Jean Claude vanishes. Desperate to reduce the uproar over the missing Frere Jean Claude, the Archbishop of Paris, aware of American Bishop Blackie Ryan's sleuthing skills, asks the priest's boss Archbishop of Chicago Cardinal Cronin for help. Naturally, Cardinal Cronin assigns Blackie to solve the case while accompanying his subordinate to France.

In Paris, Blackie begins to investigate. In front of St-Germain des Pres Church he meets Marie-Bernadette begging for money. When he learns she speaks English, Blackie hires her as his translator while he sifts through clues. However, as they work together, the duo soon learns that much of the French establishment do not want this case resolved.

THE BISHOP AND THE BEGGAR GIRL OF ST. GERMAIN is an entertaining cozy starring an intriguing priest. Blackie is a wonderful character, but the addition of Marie-Bernadette as his sidekick adds depth while her cynical wisecracking keeps him and the readers amused. The mystery is clever, but the story line slowly moves forward. Fans of Andrew Greeley will appreciate his latest tale, but anyone who wants action need to go to a different pew.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Awesome Mystery Novel!, July 15, 2001

By 

Jamie - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain (A Father Blackie Ryan Mystery) (Hardcover)

The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain is a very exciting mystery novel. I'm relatively new to mystery novels, but this one was quite an interesting trip. A priest is missing in Paris, and Bishop Blackie Ryan is on a mission to rescue him. The missing priest is the most popular priest in all of France beacuse he is a television star and a hero throughout the nation of France. But his integrity is seriously doubted by the church. Blackie gets help from a hilariously sardonic Cardinal Cronin, and a beautiful begger woman. They discover that the police, as well as the Church don't care about the priest. But despite all this Blackie solves the mystery...in quite an amusing way to say the least. I would tell all of you beginner mystery readers to start with this one. Quite a wild ride! I loved every page of it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Greeley Novel Hits the Spot, March 12, 2002

By 

[e-mail] (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain (A Father Blackie Ryan Mystery) (Hardcover)

I've been wanting to read his stuff for years, but for some reason I'm only getting around to it now. Before the book, I only knew of him as the priest who wrote sexy novels. Being Catholic, I'm surprised I didn't jump on this sooner, but good things come to those that wait.

I think the guy's writing is great! No preaching. Just an everyday guy who's profession just happens to be a priest. Definately opinionated, and covers all kinds of topics dealing with the church, from large-scale issues to petty quarrels with various members of the hierarchy.

As for the sexy parts, he does address them in a mature, readable fashion. I was once told by a priest that there is a saying that "the more you know, the more you can get away with". You get from this book that if two committed people in love want to start banging a little early, nobody's feathers are going to get too ruffled. He also hints that yes, he finds ladies attractive, and will do regular solo work to try and make the awesome pressure of celibacy a bit easier to bear. Whether this jives with church thinking or this is one renegade priest shooting his pen off, I'm not sure. But he does have a new hooked fan.

Oh yes, the book itself. It deals with one of his regular characters being sent to France to investigate the disappearance of a popular TV priest. It's a pretty short book, but so are Elmore Leonard novels, and I have no problem with them. He picks up the title beggar girl to be his translator, but since he speaks French already, it's probably more because she's cute. Here the story goes through standard investigation scenes, but I will admit the ending does take an unusual plot twist. How much it would have been able to be pulled off in real life is debateable, but it did make for great reading.