Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

I was very disappointed in this book. Not because of the content, it started out quit good and really caught my attention up to the moment when Cidasua started talking. As a foreigner and mysterylover I was unable to understand what she said. Since I donot know the dialect or language she was speaking I soon lost interest in the book. It took me too long to figure out what she was saying, and even now I donot know what she said. I read a lot of English books and pass them on to family and friends, so they can brush up on the English language, but this book I will not pass on. It would have been advisable to have her speak normal English , with a note that this was spoken in het dialect. The parts which I could understand I really liked and found it enjoyable to recognize places in Koelln, where I have lived myself for some years. Unfortunately I could not bring up the energy to finish the book, because of Cindasue's dialect. I guess I better buy this book in my own language,maybe I will understand it better and finish what I have started. I do wonder if there are Americans who also think like me on this subject?

I love the Blackie Ryan series! I love the Nuala Ann books! I loved Chuckie Cronin (_A Midwinter's Tale_) in Germany - so I was eagerly anticipating reading this book. WRONG! The minute Cindasue opened her mouth - this book became sheer drudgery to slog through. I tried to persevere - but my internal voice won out. Life is to short! Don't waste time reading this one.

This Blackie Ryan novel was truly entertaining, and is one of my favorites in the series. It's a good one to read around the Christmas holidays. I'll admit that Cinda-Sue's dialect can be a bit distracting, but I found her quite well-rounded as a character once he developed her a bit, and learned to live with her. Let's face it, we all have dialects, but few of us recognize it because most of those around us speak in the same way. I think Father Greeley uses dialects and slang as a means of helping his readers distinguish between characters. In his mysteries, there tends to be lots of characters with the same last names or similar chracteristics, so the dialects and slang are helpful identifiers for those of us who get a little befuddled about who is who after a few days away from the book. I just wish he would drop the "Like-Ohmigod!" valley girl talk he tends to give the virtuous Meaghans and any other teenage girl in his novels. I haven't spoken with a teenager who uses speech pattens like that since 1983. Keep cranking the Blackie Ryan novels out, Father Greeley!

This was an intriguing plot, and the various church leaders were interesting. Frankly,I am tired of Cinda Sue! I hope she is not in future books. Her "mountain girl" talk is too much for me.I have lived in the South and known many Southerners but they do not sound like her. I especially was interested in the exsoldier priest,who mourned the death of his wife. Blackie is delightful, as usual.

To Bishop Blackie Ryan and his family, the world consists of two places: "Chicago and All Other". Blackie loves his home city of Chicago and has no doubts that he will spend the Yuletide season there. However, with eighty-five days till Christmas, a distraught Sean Cardinal Cronin tells Blackie that the casket with the remains of the three Wise Men has been stolen from the Cologne Cathedral. As a favor to the cardinal archbishop of Cologne and to avoid a CNN reported scandal, Sean sends Blackie overseas to investigate the caper.

Blackie's sister makes him take his nephew Peter, who is between schools at the moment so she can rid herself of the pest. Blackie and Peter fly to Germany where the magnitude of the theft is incredible to both of them. Even more shocking is the fact that no one has claimed the successful stealing of the relic. The twosome begin to search for clues, but if they are not careful they may find themselves joining the Three Wise Men in the afterlife.

THE BISHOP AND THE THREE KINGS, the tenth Blackie Ryan mystery, is a wonderful holiday season sleuth tale. The story line is masterfully put together and the characters are all first rate. Blackie puts a new slant on wise men, as he remains a wise cracking protagonist. Andrew M. Greeley knows how to educate his reader on Christian theology in an entertaining manner that will elate who-done-it fans.

Harriet Klausner

First Ryan I've read. Found it dull and thought I would scream if he said "arguably" or "patently" one more time. The Cindasue dialect could have done without.. found it stupid and corny. Couldn't follow the plot either - guess i'm no mystery buff. Will have to try another Ryan mystery to see if it was just this one that lost my attention. I finished it only because I was on a boat for two days and nothing else aboard.

Andrew Greeley always captivates his readers attention, and this book is no exception. Bishop Blackie, his nephew Peter, and Cindasue are endearing, fun, thought-provoking, and interesting characters.

Bishop Blackie always manages to comment on society in general and Catholics specifically(ah yes, and Mother Church and her sometimes misguided leaders as well) with wit and wisdom. I learn something new all the time.

This book held my attention from the Archbishops appearance in Blackie's study to the final "curtain". I look forward to more Bishop Blackie mysteries.