Customer Reviews

Rosary Murders

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First published in 1989, this was the first of William X. Kienzle's popular Father Koesler series. I found it a bit dated in parts, and a bit shocking in others, but on the whole, it's a good mystery, fun and easy to read.

Father Frank Koesler is the editor of the Detroit Catholic, a modest but well-read periodical aimed at Detroit's large Catholic community. Koesler is a good priest and a good man, but realistic about the state of his church in the post-Vatican II era. Like priests nationwide, he and his fellow Detroit priests note with wry despair the dwindling church attendance in their respective parishes.

Suddenly, everything changes. An apparent serial killer is targeting priests and nuns, murdering them with professional and cold-blooded efficiency. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the killings, and the police are helpless to stop him. Detective Sergeant Koznicki, himself raised in a rigidly conventional Catholic household, is put in charge of the task force assigned to find and stop the killer. As part of his methodical and excellent police work, he asks Father Koesler, a devotee of paperback murder mysteries, to add his own clerical expertise to the problem at hand.

As interesting as the mystery is the behind-the-scenes interplay between the community of priests, who are not above a game of poker, a stiff drink, and heavy smoking when off-duty. As a non-Catholic, I found some of this private look into clerical life a bit disturbing, but interesting, nonetheless. Of special interest was the priests' ongoing and friendly debate on the havoc Vatican II wreaked upon their church, and the endless, corny, and often risque jokes of Father Joe Farmer, who cracks himself up every time upon reaching the punchline, leaving his friends annoyed and bemused.

A subplot involving two young reporters at the Detroit Free Press adds real humor to this tale of a tortured murderer and his crazed and deadly mission. A good read, good enough to make the reader want to pick up another Father Koesler mystery.

One of the finest whodunits I've ever read, and by far the best of the Father Koesler books. This one is hard to put down after the reader opens the front cover. The action never stops, and drags the very reluctant Fr. Koesler right along with it.

This Father Koestler murder is a great read! Not only does the mystery itself keep you hopping, the anecdotes about the church and its very human population provide an interesting backdrop for the action that all of Kienzle's books share. I strongly recommend it (but don't be too disappointed if you don't figure out the puzzle ahead of the famous father)!!

The Rosary Murders

In William Kienzle's The Rosary Murders the shockingly gory imagery of the novel strengthens it greatly. The diction Kienzle uses puts horrifying images in the mind of the reader. By going through every single detail of each murder there is a sense of what is soon to come. As the killer leaves rosary beads in the fingers of each victim, the imagery thickens. The diction is what brings the most imagery. If someone hears the word blood when discussing death they tend to get a little sick. Or when hearing how the victim got their throat sliced and their guts torn out, stomachs start to turn. Kienzle makes sure that you get the feeling of your stomach turning. At the begging of the novel the murders are not as bloodthirsty as those at the end. Kienzle sets the reader up to believe that they are reading a book that gives you enough feeling to get sick but not to feel vomit sick enough to turn pale. Hearing the way the victims die only makes the story even more ferocious to the point that it makes you wants to read until it is done. The individual image of each murder sets up the next vision of the next murder. This helps make the imagery even more strong. Without the strong, well-built structure of the imagery, The Rosary Murders would be just another book on the shelf.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and it's ties to the Detroit area. Many people and places we could indentify with and the time it took place. Fast reading you cannot put down and a twist at the end that is thought provoking. Good reading for any age.

This was my first Kienzle book so I can't say anything about the rest of his works. Why I never heard of him before is beyond me because this book was a fantastic read. I was searching for new material (mysteries with a Catholic theme) to read because I grew tired of rereading Andrew Greeley stuff and I happened upon William Kienzle, what a great find! I couldn't put it down once I started and the characters are fantastic especially the main character Fr. Koesler. If you like Catholic mysteries I'm sure you won't be disappointed with Mr.(Fr.) Kienzle.

I discovered this book in August, 1979, among the new books at the public library, and, as with other good reads, was immediately attracted to it. The story is a shocking one, but of benefit to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. First, it portrays the church in a human and comprehensible fashion for those who often see it only in mystical and hierarchical terms. The author, an ex-priest and ex-editor of a diocesan newspaper, seems to state that cases arise in which the sacrament of penance in itself is not enough for dealing with serious human failings. This is evident at the end of the narrative with the reaction of the anonymous penitent who, dissatisfied with the just-say-no approach of the confessor, rushes out in search of therapy. On the other hand, many non-Catholics such as I, with a deep distrust of that church will find the characters of this book, laity and clergy alike, interesting human beings and members of a religious group hardly describable as submissive, unquestioning of authority and regimented.

The unfortunate thing is that after his second book, Death Wears a Red Hat, also first-class, the author becomes fairly bland and sketchy in his stories which are less interesting as a result and which seem chatty in the manner of mediocre journalism, in comparison to better writing. Father Robert Koesler appears to plug along as in the initial two books, but his complement of interesting humans, Catholic and non, suffers in comparison to his impressive start. I noticed this with Mind over Nurder which disappointed me, as with the others after it. A good book has interesting people and situations in it, but mainly people, who naturally make it good and enjoyable to the reader. Bear this in mind.

Although this was published in '89, I was riveted by the timeliness in lieu of today's headlines. In this context, the "moral" or theme of the story is brilliant. The serial killer, a man with a serious problem doesn't need a tired priest to give him a standard penance - so many "Hail Marys" and "Our Fathers". The man with the problem needs HELP. I couldn't help but ponder that the well-publicized pedophile priests of late do not need to be shuffled by the church to another congregation - they need HELP. Ok, stop me when this gets complicated . . . Maybe the Chruch should do something about helping these people?

On a lighter note, the book maintains its riveting suspense. The characters are well-drawn, and as a non-Catholic, I enjoyed being a "fly on the wall" during discussions, arguments and joking sessions among priests. I certainly got a real sense of individuals, not of stoic men in clerical collars. Well done. I'm looking forward to another Kienzle read in the near future!

The author of this book used to be a priest and thus knows a lot about the inner workings of the Church in Detroit, but is obviously disgruntled and estranged. His hero in the book is what he would that he would be if he were still in good standing in the Church. Frankly, I found the writing amateurish, the plot silly and incredible. The book has lots of gore and everything about the book is unsubtle and heavy-handed and I suppose that is why it is published by a publisher few have ever heard of rather than a major publisher.