On this Rockne : a Notre Dame mystery [Paperback]

Ralph M. McInerny (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (1997)
• ASIN: B000OTGWT0
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slightly Skewed Emphasis, September 27, 2004

By 

Mickster "hibernicvs" - See all my reviews

This review is from: On This Rockne: Notre Dame's Knight Brothers Are About To Tackle Football Fanatics, Scholarly Snobs, And A Killer With A Score To Settle... (Notre Dame Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I liked this book much better than the other reviewers did ... except for the fact that McInerny doesn't seem to want Notre Dame to win a football game! (I've read all of them in this series I can find, and the author features a game in each one ... and they're always ties! Forget that, and win one for the Gipper!) I found the "literary detection," however, more fascinating than the murder mystery -- so much so that I searched out Knute Rockne's only novel, THE FOUR WINNERS, which, much to my surprise, has recently been republished. It's better than this book makes it sound, and is a genuinely good "young adult" type story, given the overall sophistication of a mid-1920s audience. Nevertheless, I've spent some time in academic environments, and McInerny captures the sort of thing that goes on with a high degree of accuracy. I like the Knight brothers, although a little more effective action, both in their lives and on the football field would, I think, improve the books.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wake up the echoes.....but don't try so hard., November 2, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: On This Rockne: A Notre Dame Mystery (Notre Dame Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I must commend McInerny for putting himself at risk by attempting to intermingle a modern fictional work with the time-honored tradition that is Notre Dame. As an alum, myself, it was amusing to read about my old stomping grounds, but I found the references to the Notre Dame campus, buildings, tradition and environs to be distracting at times. McInerny seems to be forcing discussion of Notre Dame history through his characters, incorporating wording and phraseology that few would use in daily conversation. The plot seemed rushed, and I believe that those who have never seen the beauty of the campus would be hard pressed to understand where and why certain actions take place. Notre Dame tradition is deeply rooted and anyone writing about it can be assured to receive criticism or praise from fans and alumni alike. McInerny's brave attempt at bringing this tradition into a fictitional realm is only mediocre, and I hope that in future books of this series, his results are more entertaining and intriguin

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars On This Rockne, March 27, 2007

By 

Ricky N. "Ricky C. Nelson" (Commerce, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On This Rockne: Notre Dame's Knight Brothers Are About To Tackle Football Fanatics, Scholarly Snobs, And A Killer With A Score To Settle... (Notre Dame Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

"On This Rockne" is the first of the Notre Dame mysteries by Ralph McInerny who is best known for the Father Dowling mysteries. The main characters are the Knight brothers, Philip and Roger. Philip is a private investigator who has moved to South Bend from New York. Roger is a professor at Notre Dame. Marcus Bramble donated money to the school to build a memorial to legendary coach Knute Rockne. Madeline Rune, whose grandfather had helped Rockne write his novel "The Four Winners", is found murdered at her home. Philip and Roger team up to investigate. Who killed Madeline? Was it her estranged husband Stanley, Henry Hadley, a man obsessed with her, or someone else who had a grudge against her? It is Roger who actually solves the case. It was interesting to find out that Rockne did write this one novel. There is some football action for the college football fans. It took me a little while to get into the book, but when I did I really enjoyed it. It is a very good debut to this series and I recommend it.