No Greater Love [Hardcover]

William X. Kienzle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1999

PREY FOR SINNERS

Scarcely has Father Koesler begun counting his blessings of retirement when his old friend Bishop McNiff spirits him back to restore harmony and balance at St. Joseph's in downtown Detroit. The seminarians are edgy: Senior women Patty and Andrea have revolutionary liberal goals. Their classmate Bill Page is organizing an unholy agenda. And Al Cody, confused about the sincerity of his vocation, seems fair game for everyone. When Al's dad asks Father Koesler to ensure that his son remains committed to the priesthood, tragedy becomes inevitable--as St. Joseph's volatile brew of innocence, evil, prejudice, and devotion explodes into murder. . . .

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The radical changes set in motion in the 1960s by the Second Vatican Council continue to reverberate in the Roman Catholic Church and the lives of its adherentsAincluding Father Robert Koesler, in his 21st novel (after The Greatest Evil). Retired but by no means inactive, the Detroit priest, now in his 70s, retains an active interest in his former parish of St. Joseph's. At the behest of Bishop Patrick McNiff, Father Koesler has taken up residence at St. Joseph Major Seminary to help out. An aging priesthood, closed or much smaller seminaries, "folk" masses, an increasingly conservative seminary faculty, female seminary students and the desire of some of them to become priestsAthese are a few of the issues Kienzle explores as he shows how the friction among seminary students and faculty build up to murder. Kienzle's grasp and detailing of church problems is impressive. Well-conceived charactersAsuch 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 priestAadd 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. Mystery Guild alternate selection; Books on Tape audio.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"CHILLING . . . [A] COMPELLING MYSTERY."
--Booklist

"Kienzle's grasp and detailing of church problems is impressive. Well-conceived characters . . . add depth to the conflicts."
--Publishers Weekly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 292 pages
• Publisher: Andrews Mcmeel Pub (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0836278658
• ISBN-13: 978-0836278651
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #730,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Kienzle's best, July 6, 1999

By 

S. Colbert (Portsmouth, NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Greater Love (Hardcover)

I thought this book was one of Kienzle's best. It's not a typical mystery in that the murder doesn't occur until the end of the book. From the opening chapter we know someone was killed and most of the book hints at who it might have been. Once again, Kienzle combines an interesting story and characters with Church history and politics. Reader's familiar with previous Fr. Koesler mysteries will not be disappointed.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Borr-ring!, August 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: No Greater Love (Hardcover)

Why I keep reading Kienzle is the biggest mystery here. I guess I keep hoping for something better than the last book, but they just keep getting more and more boring and mired in theology lessons. Instead of feeling as if I've just read a murder mystery, I feel as if I've just attended a lengthy lecture course on theology. I come away exhausted and wondering where the excitement, the tension, and the suspense were hiding. Clearly, Mr. Kienzle misses preaching. His characters deliver multi-paragraphed speeches, not dialogues. And the pesky quotation marks, while grammatically accurate, are confusing. I'm constantly checking them to be sure who is talking. I used to look forward to Kienzle's novels, but I think "No Greater Love" has cured me.