The Bishop and the Three Kings (A Father Blackie Ryan Mystery) [Paperback]

Andrew M. Greeley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1998

It's a cold Christmas season in Cologne, Germany, when the relic of the Three Kings is stolen from the cathedral! Only Bishop Blackie Ryan can solve the case. But as each lead brings greater danger, even Blackie could use a Christmas miracle to help him find Cologne's most prized present.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The relics of the Three Kings have been stolen from the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, and Bishop Blackie Ryan must find them before Christmas to avoid a scandal in the Church. The tenth in Greeley's popular Blackie Ryan series.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425166171
• ISBN-13: 978-0425166178
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #522,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A native of Chicago, Father Andrew M. Greeley, is a priest, distinguished sociologist and bestselling author. He is professor of social sciences at the University of Chicago and the University of Arizona, as well as Research Associate at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. His current sociological research focuses on current issues facing the Catholic Church-including celibacy of priests, ordination of women, religious imagination, and sexual behavior of Catholics.Father Greeley received the S.T.L. in 1954 from St. Mary of Lake Seminary. His graduate work was done at the University of Chicago, where he received the M.A. Degree in 1961 and the Ph.D. in 1962.Father Greeley has written scores of books and hundreds of popular and scholarly articles on a variety of issues in sociology, education and religion. His column on political, church and social issues is carried by the Chicago Sun Times and many other newspapers. He stimulates discussion of neglected issues and often anticipates sociological trends. He is the author of more than thirty bestselling novels and an autobiography, Furthermore!: Confessions of a Parish Priest.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I *WANTED* to love this book!, January 17, 2001

By 

Grace in Kuwait "Grace" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bishop and the Three Kings (A Father Blackie Ryan Mystery) (Paperback)

I have a shelf full of well-loved and often read Andrew Greeley. The Bishop and the Three Kings will NOT be joining them!

The mystery plot line was intriguing and could have been delightful in typical Blackie Ryan style if it had not been derailed early on by the secondary storyline and the Appalachian dialect. I found both the courtship and "mountain talk" to be distracting, cumbersome, and worst of all, "too, too cute". If this introduces a new and ongoing character, let's hope she'll begin using "Standard" English in both her conversations and internal dialog. If so....we might actually care about her rather than hoping the romance doesn't flower so that we won't be subjected to her further!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Magi meet the Bishop, March 14, 2008

By 

W. Easley "Opa" (Colorado Rocky Mountains) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bishop and the Three Kings (A Father Blackie Ryan Mystery) (Paperback)

This novel is vintage Greeley. Andrew Greeley's novels tend to share six characteristics: Dialectic dialogue using techniques made famous by William Faulkner and Mark Twain, romantic love, statements about God's unconditional love, clear descriptions of locales, humorous statements that poke fun at such targets as the Irish and the Chicago police, and in Blackie stories a locked room crime.

The Bishop and the Three Kings introduces Cindasue McCloud who clearly speaks the dialect I remember being spoken by my friends from the Appalachian hills. Cindasue is a delightful character, especially if the reader can, as Greeley notes in a preface, enjoy the" rich cultural assets of our pluralistic republic."

Often in Blackie Ryan novels the mystery is secondary to the lives of the characters.
This book tells the romantic story of the courtship of Peter Murphy and Cindasue McCloud as they assist Bishop John Blackwood Ryan, nickname Blackie, solve the mystery of the disappearance of the three king's shrine at Koln cathedral.
Greeley's convictions shine's again as he aids Cindasue to accept herself and her love for Peter. Blackie not only plays cupid, he clearly communicates God's uncompromising, forgiving love for humans.

I enjoyed discovering the meaning and symbolism of the Magi story, the celebration of the growing love between Pete and Cindasue, and solving the puzzle of the disappearance of the shrine from a locked cathedral with an electronic security system.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blackie Ryan in Europe, January 4, 2001

By 

Bob Glaser (Burlington, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bishop and the Three Kings (A Father Blackie Ryan Mystery) (Paperback)

As a reader that has become adddicted to the Blackie Ryan series, I found found his adventure in to Germany an enjoyable read. Greeley is becoming a legend in the mystery genere as well Catholic Literature.