Lack of the Irish: A Mystery Set at the University of Notre Dame [Hardcover]

Ralph M. McInerny (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998

The University of Notre Dame is gearing up for a highly anticipated football game. Baylor University, the country's preeminent Protestant college, will meet the Catholic champions of Notre Dame for the first time. As the gameday approaches, campus scholars plan a theological conference about Catholic and Protestant history.

Soon sparks fly, and the brothers Roger and Philip Knight are swept into a web of religious and athletic fervor. When a murder shakes the campus, Roger (a professor) and Philip (a private eye) must work in very different ways to find the killer. Then Notre Dame's famed, brilliant, and troubled quarterback mysteriously disappears and evidence links him to the crime.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Hazel Nootin, a faceless but nevertheless unpleasant bureaucrat in the Notre Dame convention office, is brutally murdered. Her death occurs as the university is preparing for a football game with Baptist flagship Baylor University and a ballyhooed conference between the respective theological departments. Notre Dame hires private investigator Phillip Knight, whose brother Roger will be the keynote speaker at the conference. Among the suspects are an alcoholic Notre Dame public-relations flack, a sometimes violent husband, and a frustrated ex-Catholic. McInery, whose Father Dowling mysteries have delighted readers for years, has struck gold again in the Brothers Knight. The Nero Wolfe-Archie Goodwin relationship between the two is an endless delight, especially since they are on equal footing, unlike Stout's pair. McInery's 40-year Notre Dame career is the basis for the profound understanding of university life that underpins this well-plotted, very amusing mystery. Wes Lukowsky

Review

"Mystery at its bloodless, cerebral best." --Chicago Tribune

"Literate...clever...thoughtful...readable...It is easy to understand why Ralph McInerny was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at Bouchercon." --Mystery News on On This Rockne

"[Conveys] a sense of the human tragicomic aspect of real heroes." --Irish Echo on On This Rockne

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 210 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312192940
• ISBN-13: 978-0312192945
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,563,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Serious and hilarious!, October 23, 2000

By 

David Wihowski (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lack of the Irish: A Mystery Set at the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame Mysteries) (Paperback)

A classic, though not complicated mystery (I did not solve it --prior to the solution being revealed--even though it was right there in front of my eyes).

Delightfully human (and sometimes hilarious) characters. A few malcontents you can love to hate, as well.

I have visited ND only once briefly, so I'm sure a few of the "in" jokes escaped me. I have enough Catholic friends and watch an occasional college football game, so much of the ND humor still was intelligible.

Incidentally, a serious look at some "ecumenical" religious topics.

A fun read that made me think a little, as well.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and absorbing for those in the know, September 7, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Chicago, Il) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lack of the Irish: A Mystery Set at the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame Mysteries) (Paperback)

This is a very funny and interesting murder mystery that takes place at the U. of Notre Dame. There are a lot of "in-jokes" for those familiar with the ND campus and history.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Primarily for Notre Dame Fans, May 26, 2009

By 

J. S. Breunig (Princeton) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lack of the Irish: A Mystery Set at the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame Mysteries) (Paperback)

As a recent alumn, I enjoyed reading Lack of the Irish for its constant, detailed reference to the campus, the student body, and the regular traditions of the place. That being said, if the story took place on any other campus (Georgetown, BC, St. Mary's, or Baylor) I would have been fairly bored.

The plot is basic, a classic murder-whodunit, with multiple suspects and self-righteous manipulators. I felt a little cheated at the reveal; the story did not seem to lead up to its end. Additionally, the side plot (about an overzealous preacher) took over the story and seemed more important than the murder (at least to Ralph McInerny) and I wish the book had focused more on the suspects and investigation.

Lack of the Irish is short and fun, and reads fairly quickly. While it's not Dan Brown-pulp, you will find yourself struggling to set it down. The drive to uncover the truth drives the book, unfortunately the novelty of ND and an eccentric side plot are crutches that are leaned on a bit too much.