As someone who would never think of opening a copy of "America" or the National Catholic Reporter, I found this book oppresively dark. The portrait of the hierarchy -- barely Catholic, no trace of the Roman -- that the author starts with is just incredible. As a result, it's hard to take the plot -- which builds on these assumptions about the bishops -- seriously. Not to mention, the image Notre Dame as a haven of ultramontanism seemed just as fanciful in the other direction.

The book also had a bit too much going on. The politics of appointing an ambassador to the Vatican, the mental turmoils of a youngish priest, the machinations of an Archbishop, a conclave showdown between Martini and the Orthodox, numerous flashbacks, a past affair and its results, a plot to expose the archbishop, several 1960s liberals who seem thrown in for color, a new apparition by Our Lady, to name just a few. Too much.

Still, the book has a lot of color. Everything from doctrinal conflict to an allusion to Cardinal Bernardin's selling a Church school to condominium developers rather than Opus Dei (OK, maybe McInerny's view of the hierarchy has some basis in fact; but I still think the majority are not weak and worldly) that one wishes were more thoroughly developed.

A good read. But you can't help but feel a better book was trying to come out.

I found the Red Hat to be a page turner about the alleged current struggle in the Catholic Church to define what Vatican II was really all about. The reason I say 'alleged' is that the average Catholic has no idea that the struggle is going on, what the issues are about, or who the players are. It's really a conflict that's being waged by intellectuals, pundits, and professionals. Still, the book is smart and a lot of fun. There's some over-the-top bad guys and many humorous observations that keep the story moving swiftly. On a serious note, there's some moving scenes of individuals trying to work out their personal conflicts with faith.

By the way, did I miss something in real life? When did Notre Dame become a bastion of orthodoxy? Or is this, as a previous reviewer has noted, just Ralph McInerny having some fanciful fun?

Ralph McInerny, Edward Sheehan and Michael O'Brien are the three best Catholic fiction writers working today. This is one of McInerny's best novels, comparable to his first, "The Priest," in that it's a stand-alone story rather than part of a series, like the Father Dowling Mysteries. Much more complex than that too, but with the same sly, almost deadpan humor throughout. He takes an extremely serious subject -- the election of an anti-pope and schism within the Catholic Church -- and makes us see the absurdity of the whole thing as well as the seriousness. Just a really great novel. (The digs at Father Greeley alone are worth the cover price!)

This would be a tough book to learn Latin from. It contains a great many errors. Perhaps the first is on page 5: "In debitoribus nostris, we have another case of both debitum and noster. First of all, they are plural, our debts, our trespasses; and they are in the ABLATIVE case. Forgive us with respect to, or as to, our trespasses." Of course, "debitoribus" means "debtors", not "debts", here in the dative. The book's typefaces make everything a little clearer, but it's still wrong. Or on the last page of the main text, "tria" is held to be feminine, whereas it is neuter (tres declines like any 3rd declension adjective). Or in the middle, where "prodest" is held to be from "prodeo" rather than "prosum". What is omitted may be just as serious, though harder to prove; for example, I did not see the explanation of the "i" in "omnia" anywhere. The tape explains the pronunciation of c before "e" and "i", but not the similar variation in the pronunciation of g nor the more complex variation in the pronunciation of t before i under certain circumstances. The tape accents spiritui on the first syllable, whereas it should be on the second. The tape contains a few false starts that could have been corrected. If you want to learn Latin, I would recommend enthusiastically Collins's "A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin"; if you want more practice thereafter, by all means the annotated texts in McInerny's book can be helpful, and you will know you are mastering the language when you can spot errors similar to those mentioned above. As an admirer of McInerny's mystery novels and (though I am not really a qualified reviewer) his philosophical texts, as well as "Crisis" magazine which he edits, this book was a disappointment to me. But I will certainly give him an A+ for enthusiasm, which is apparent on virtually every page.

I like this book despite the faults accurately documented by
other reviewers here. This book gives you the ability to
parse and understand some important selections of
Ecclesiastical Latin. Earlier generations would have picked
up most of what this book offers simply by following the
Latin liturgy. Since few of my generation have this
knowledge, this book makes a good and fun prequel to a real
Latin textbook and to the necessary hard work and
memorization.

It's also a good supplement to a real textbook in that it
teaches you the prayers in Latin that you probably won't
find in many textbooks. After just a few chapters, you can
pray the complete Angelus and Rosary (including the Fatima
prayer, Creed, and everything else) in Latin.

Of the faults mentioned by other reviewers, the most
serious in my experience is the lack of guidance in
pronunciation. To a self-teacher this is especially
noteworthy. The introductory section on pronunciation needs
to be beefed up, and accent marks need to be added to the
texts to indicate stress.

If you're going to teach yourself Latin, this book will not
suffice. You will definitely need a real textbook like the
one by Scanlon and Scanlon or the one by Collins. However,
you'll find "Let's Read Latin" a fun and helpful
diversion from your regular exercises.

I had been looking for a good introduction to Latin when, as Divine Providence would have it, I met the author of this work at a conference on the liturgy. He graciously gave me an autographed copy.

I put it to use, and found it wonderful. The texts the author uses to teach Latin are the Church's basic prayers such as the Pater Noster (Our Father), Ave Maria (Hail Mary), and the Credo (Apostle's Creed as well as Nicean Creed). From these prayers, the author teaches Latin grammar, syntax, vocabulary and declenchants.

I found it immensely useful, as well as a practical, especially for those who are looking to learn ecclesiastical (as opposed to classical) Latin.

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.

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.

The Basket Case is a very good book. Those who like mystery books will love this one. It makes you want to read more. So you can't put it down. It was especially good when you found out why Connie left the child in the rectory. Father Dowling is very good at handling this case. This book couldn't compare with other types of mystery books.

"The Catholic Writer," edited by Ralph McInerny, is a collection of papers presented at the Wetheresfield Institute by eight men and women of various professions -- most are college professors and a few are editors of national periodicals -- bound together by their Catholic Faith.

Gregory Wolfe's article, "'Ever Ancient, Ever New': The Catholic Writer in the Modern World," opens the book. In what is the best of the eight essays, Wolfe outlines the role of the modern Catholic writer, both the writer of fiction and non-fiction. Wolfe says that today's Catholic writers ought to have three themes that run throughout all their work: (1) the recovery of the sacred; (2) the critique of the world; (3) the assimilation of modernity.

The other seven essays comment on Catholic writers of the 20th century.

Russell Hittinger writes an interesting article on Christopher Dawson's understanding of the social sciences. Edward A. Synan, a former student of Étienne Gilson, authored a pleasant piece about his former teacher. Michael Novak writes on "perhaps the greatest exemplar of the Catholic laity in the last two centuries," Jacques Maritain. Frederick D. Wilhelmsen writes on the Catholic defender of the faith, Hilaire Belloc. Alice von Hilderbrand composed a beautiful essay on the intellectual life and attitude of her husband, Dietrich von Hilderbrand. Willaim A. Marra's work on Dietrich von Hilderbrand's philosophy of love, happiness, and sex complements Alice von Hilderbrand's work. And finally, Michael Platt writes on the theme of happiness in the fiction of Willa Cather.

Of these eight papers, Wolfe's paper is of most value since it (correctly) outlines the task of the modern Catholic writer. The other essays intermingle biography with thought, and, at times, more biography than thought. Though these essays make for interesting reading, few insights on the modern tasks are offered.

But this is only the view of one person who, after reading Wolfe's article, thought the other seven would follow suit. My disappointment denied this book of a fifth star. I would say that any person who is Catholic and wants to be a "Catholic writer" as opposed to a "writer who is Catholic," ought to read the whole book at least once, and Wolfe's article should be read a few times each year.

This book is a straight forward introduction to aquinian phylosophy. I was first introduced to it reading the autobiography of Pope Paul. Where it was refered to frequently. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the subject but doesn't want to get bogged down with a lot of details. Snt Thomas's phylosophy is Aristotal's concept of natural law from a Christian perspective.

This is the first Andrew Broom Mystery that I read and I was impressed. It was enjoyable and a definite page turner. I wasn't able to solve the mystery.

Father Roger Dowling leaves St. Hilary's Parish for his annual retreat with the Athanasians, a Catholic religious order that includes seven aging priests with no new blood in years. Though the long-term outlook appears to be the same as what happened to the Shakers, the small order owns the rights to Marygrove, a grand estate near Chicago given to the Athanasians by a late business mogul.

However, the very value of the property makes Marygrove in demand by avarice phonies including the grandson of the order's late benefactor. All of these souls want to use the estate for personal gain. Though each one of these outsiders will do almost anything to obtain an advantage, one of them resorts to murder, killing two people. Father Dowling investigates the homicides in an effort to determine who broke the Commandment and to thwart any other slayings.

The insight into a small dying religious order and their secular squabbles provide interesting depth to the who-done-it story line. Though Father Dowling remains a charming character he seems less sharp in PRODIGAL FATHER than usual perhaps because Mrs. Murkin is not around much to murky the waters. Still the Father Dowling flock will enjoy his latest amateur sleuth tale.

Harriet Klausner

...and either way, this book makes for entertaining reading. Though the Knight brothers are billed as the investigators of the murder, many of the other characters offer opinions, have theories, and act on impulses. As the pages turn, the crime seems almost to succumb to group pressure and to resolve itself. As revealing about Academia as Jane Smiley's _Moo_, Richard Russo's _Straight Man_, and M. D. Lake's Peggy O'Neill mysteries. You may never look at benefactors and building names in quite the same manner.

Visiting professor Martin Kilmartin wasn't healthy, but there is still something strange about his death. With his romantic 'dying poet' airs, Kilmartin had settled on the most attractive graduate student at Notre Dame, offending established professors. And academic rivalries run deep in that university. Still, when evidence points to murder, the detective/professor and brothers Knight are surprised. Surely disagreements over Yeats couldn't result in murder.

Fans of this series will enjoy author Ralph McInerny's views into University of Notre Dame's present and its past. The brothers Knight make interesting and sympathetic characters as they mingle uneasily with the staff and faculty at the University. When a wealthy ex-student wants to express his appreciation of Notre Dame more financially, Professor Roger Knight is brought into the middle of campus politics--and into closer contact with the soon-to-be victim.

McInerny's writing, his ability to dip into Notre Dame history and philosophy, and his wonderful descriptions of the petty politics that matters so much in any University form the strongest features of CELT AND PEPPER. Improved from earlier books in the series, the two female characters have some added dimension here. Few readers will be challenged by the identity of the killer, but that isn't really the point. Simply put, the book is a pleasant and fast read.

Everyone on campus during the winter break is shocked with the death of visiting Irish poet Martin Kilmartin. The South Bend police rule that the ailing Martin died from a heart attack while in the office he used while visiting the University of Notre Dame.

Professor Roger Knight met the poet once, enjoying the discussion and Martin's works. He immediately finds discrepancies at the crime scene that he feels should not be sneezed away as the ramblings of an obese academia amateur. With the help of his professional sleuth sibling Phil, Roger investigates what really happened to Martin. Instead of a simple case, he soon finds university backstabbing, politics, and dispute over establishing the post of Director of the Malachy O'Neil Center of Catholic Literature, an assignment Roger thought Martin was perfect to lead. Did one of these individuals with motive actually pepper the deceased Celt's phone causing the sneeze that killed Martin?

The investigation is fun, but take a back seat to the university that stands out in this exciting amateur sleuth tale. Fans will enjoy the satirical look at professors acting more like Ali-Frazier (either sex) and kissing the butt of a donor. Additionally, the intriguing look at the football stadium during the season (especially with the Fighting Irish in the top ten) brings home a further taste of the school. Still the who-done-it is nothing to sneeze at as Ralph McInerny ironically pokes fun at his own previous work in the series with a delightful Notre Dame University mystery.

Harriet Klausner

"Irish Tenure" has some witty moments, but they are few and far between. As a matter of fact, the wittiest part of the book is the title! (Irish Tenure--tenor. Get it?) The puzzle centers on a long-lost story of G.K. Chesterton, and the political faculty catfights of academe. There are some dry little jokes scattered about, and some clever puns, but not much in the way of plot to involve us or characters to care about. In the end, it is a relief to put the book down. To phrase the final words of Ralph McInerny, "It's the only tenure that matters."

Combine Notre Dame's Knight brothers, an arrogant senior faculty member, a rare book dealer, a spurned husband, an undiscovered G.K. Chesterton "Father Brown" story, several priests, and the dead body of a young faculty member up for tenure and you have the ingredients for McInerny's entertaining mystery.

At times the book is a bit hard to follow. Set exclusively at the University of Notre Dame, the book is so detailed in this regard that anyone unfamiliar with the campus may feel like an outsider reading the book. The book is formulaic, a bit predictable, and McInerny has the habit of assuming that his readers are schooled in foreign languages as he frequently tosses in Latin and French expressions that the lay reader may find frustrating.

However,the book offers an insightful and witty look at tenure and the politics of a university campus, and takes some shots at the "political correctness" found on campuses. The author of more than 20 books, including the Father Dowling mysteries, McInerny does know how to tell a tale.

Those familiar with the University of Notre Dame, fans of McInerney's mysteries, or fans of G.K. Chesterton will find this mystery particularly enjoyable.

Ralph McInerny, best known for his Father Dowling mysteries, has here produced not so much a mystery story but rather a slice of life from the campus of Notre Dame, which he knows so well. Anyone expecting a clear-cut mystery story where someone turns up dead at the start, with the rest of the book devoted to a singleminded pursuit of the culprit, will be sorely disappointed and should look elsewhere. The murder happens very late in the book and the murderer is pretty obvious.

IRISH TENURE is more like Malcolm Bradbury than Agatha Christie. McInerny shows the dark side of academic life (even at so august an institution an Notre Dame): the catfight for tenure. The structure is loose and seems at first rambling and discursive, but McInerny winds it all together eventually. Until then, he gives subtle character studies of the sorts of people who drift into academia: those intelligent enough to be professors but somehow haven't managed into the tenure track; those who are tenured and probably shouldn't be; those who need and or deserve to be tenured; the evil necessity to publish or perish . . .

He also takes long overdue pot-shots, sometimes poignant and sometimes hilarious, at political correctness, especially regarding draconian modern ideas of sexual harrassment.

The plot, such as it is, is centered on the discovery of every Chestertonian's dream, a long-lost Father Brown story. IRISH TENURE will prove a joy for fans of G.K. Chesterton, for most of the main characters live and breathe his works. For the uninitiated, therefore, the book will doubtlessly prove confusing. Chesterton enthusiasts will find piquant prose, and enjoy spending time with like-minded characters who have found that Chesterton adds zest to life.

The main disappointment is that there is no genuine long-lost story appended to the end of the tale; but that's just as well, for McInerny's work would've suffered in the comparison. And we can be thankful that McInerny didn't attempt a pastiche.