Amazon.com
The Bishop and the Missing L Train is the ninth entry in AndrewGreeley's deservedly popular Father Blackie Ryan series. Auxiliary BishopAugustus Quill, recently posted to the Chicago Archdiocese, could not bedescribed as a loved man.His nickname, bestowed upon him by fellowseminarians, is "Idiot." Despite his relatively high position, one that impliessignificant intelligence, wit, piety, and compassion, the man seems lacking inall departments save piety. In fact, so disliked is Quill that someone iswilling to stop at nothing--at least nothing short of absconding with an entiresubway car, bishop included--to keep him from his appointed rounds.

Sean Cardinal Cronin, the Archbishop of Chicago, is no more a fan of Quill'sthan anyone. Still, the act of losing a bishop (or, more precisely, notretrieving an absconded-with bishop) would not be smiled upon by Rome. Fortunately for Cronin (and fans of humorous, clever, well-written amateur-sleuth mysteries everywhere), Bishop Blackie Ryan is on his side.

"We cannot permit this, Blackwood!"

"Indeed."

"Auxiliary bishops do not slip into the fourth dimension, not in thisarchdiocese."

"Patently."

"Especially they do not disappear on L trains that also disappear, right?"

"Right!"

"You yourself have said that we will be the prime suspects, have you not?Don'twe have powerful reasons for wanting to get rid of him?"

"Arguably," I sighed."However, as you well know, in the best traditions of theSacred College we would have dispatched Idiot with poison."

Customer Reviews (10)

Very Entertaining
This was a very entertaing read; I recommend it to new and old fans alike. I had no clue as to the mastermind but all the clues were there.

Predictable
A predictable, if original Father Blackie book.Although this story strays from the traditional "locked room" types of cases that Blackie is famous for, it is very similar in that one knows that an "L" train cannot simply disappear.The secret of its disappearance and the perpetrator of the evil deed in kidnapping the disliked auxillary bishop were transparent from an early point.Not one of Greeley's better efforts.

Like, totally...lay off the "hip" language, Father!
I will admit that I admire Fr. Greeley in general, and that he always has very interesting plots. (Well, there's SOMETHING there or else I wouldn't continue to pick up the books!)

However, the typical affectations he uses are annoying enough that if you're not a fan, you might find the book a bit wearing on the nerves. There are only so many "cutes" and "weirds" and "like, totallies" that one can endure in good faith, y'know?

As with most of his plots, it's a good. An annoying bishop and a train car go missing. Not that anyone would really MISS the bishop that's lost, but still, the proprieties must be observed and it is quite a conundrum as to what happened.

The book follows the stories of not only Blackie Ryan, but as is typical in the Bishop series, it also follows the stories of others involved in the story from their own point of view. In this book particularly, I found their stories to be of more interest than going back to Blackie's POV.

I can't say that it's a bad book; it's not. I just wish, however, that Fr. Greeley would quit trying to be SO Irish, SO cute and SO "with it." It just rings false after so much of it.

Gus is oh so real
If you're a left-wing Catholic or Episcopalian, you'll love this book.Gus Quill is a caricature, but his kind does exist, and you'll find yourself nodding along with Bishop Blackie. However, celibates really shouldn't try to write romance- mysteries work quite well without romantic subplots.

Forget the Bishop...Find the Train
As your run of the mill kidnapping mystery, this is not exactly a cliffhanger. Hiding a railroad car in Chicago requires a rather large suspension of reader credulity, and fortunately the search for the equipment is not the centerpiece of the book. The more intriguing issue is the whereabouts of its passenger, a relatively new auxiliary bishop known by most of his peers as Idiot Quill. There is no absence of suspects, so what we have here is an inner city Murder on the Orient Express.

This untimely disappearance of a prince of the Church causes no little embarrassment for the Cardinal of Chicago with his superiors in Rome. So, as is his wont, the Cardinal turns overthis dirty affair to his fix-it auxiliary bishop, Blackie Ryan. That Ryan is a bishop is itself a mystery: he eschews popery, as they would say years ago, ministers to teenagers [his rectory is full of mouthy girls answering phones and violating confidentiality], and spends considerable time making sick calls-when is the last time your bishop visited you in the hospital?-wearing a Michael Jordan jacket, no less. He is so well connected to every ranking cop, judge, reporter, doctor, and psychiatrist in Chicago that solving crimes for this bishop is more a matter of managing his cell phone than rummaging with the CSI unit.

The art of reading Greeley novels used to be deciphering the author's ecclesiology du jour, or what he thought about the American Catholic Church at any given time. There is still some element of that challenge in this work. Here the ugly nemesis is the annulment process-Quill had made a career of mismanaging annulment appeals in Rome-but there are other Greeley signatures as well: spiritual healing through sexual encounter, the failure of priests to visit the sick, whiskey, powerful women professionals, interminable pedigrees of Chicago neighborhoods, and angry feminists come to mind.

But age is beginning to tell. Father Greeley, I fear, describes a church life that passed away a generation ago. Blackie's rectory reeks of clerical hospitality, the days when the priests gathered for nightcaps to recount the day's adventures. Today one priest frequently pastors several parishes, and usually alone. In Father Greeley's Chicago the fix is in for the Church: a Roman collar will make a parking ticket magically disappear. No such coziness exists anymore in the present atmosphere; "the Meghan" [Ryan's teen employees] would all be fingerprinted and subjected to background checks.

Greeley's church novels are becoming less mystery and more timepieces. No greater evidence is needed than the heart of the kidnapping plot itself in this book. In the real world of today's Church, the motive would be totally irrelevant. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

the ice princess
Yes, Andrew Greeley once again finds a way to make me look at my fellow creatures quite differently than my socialized prejudices.Who would think that a beautiful billionaire wife who works our daily with her personal trainer is actually oppressed by her mother-in-law and in need of Father Blackie's immediate attention to prevent her murder?I did not figure out the culprit until the end -- a sign of an able mystery!I read the book in two days, because I wanted to know who did it!Worth your time.:-)

Happy are the Opressed
I have never read anything that Father Greeley has written that was not excellent.

His reach exceedeth his grasp
Father Greeley's meager literary talents are strained past the breaking point in his attempt to recreate the voice of a nineteenth century Irish servant girl.Never would she have used the English language the way this author makes her write. Unfortunately, her hard-to-believe "letters" are a very large part of the book.However, I found the Chicago history bit fascinating, and the book as a whole is a good sentimental yarn with a (for me) hard-to-guess denouement and lots of tongue-in-cheek Irish blarney. And Auxiliary Bishop Blackie Ryan is a treasure!

Happyare the Oppressed
I Have just discovered Andrew Greeley and I am busy devouring everything I can get my hands on. I throughley enjoyed the book, I thought it was interesting and informative, it kept me on the edge of my seat.

HE'S WRITTEN BETTER!!!
Hated the history lesson.One whole chapter of letters irritated me to no end.I almost fell asleep on the treadmill.I did finish it, because I just can't buy a book and not read it.The final chapters are what made me rate it a 3.They were OK but uninspired and not very creative ... Read more

Amazon.com
Bishop Blackie Ryan--who spends more time troubleshooting and solving crimes than he does on spiritual matters--is back in action in a paperback original that's sure to delight Father Andrew M. Greeley's faithful fans. Sent by his boss, Cardinal Cronin, to the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Langley ostensibly to perform a confirmation, Blackie finds that his detecting talents are more in demand than his devotional ones. ("Those of you who have seen the film Pulp Fiction will doubtless remember Harvey Keitel. He was a sweeper, a person designated by God and his betters to sweep up the mess left by higher-ups in the outfit. That's what I am, Sean Cronin's sweeper") Disappearing crew members and other strange occurrences have led to talk of the new ship being haunted, a situation that dedicated debunker of demons Bishop Ryan can't resist. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

The Bishop at Sea
Andrew Greeley is back with Bishop Blackie Ryan and his adventures.
Part detective novel, part romance, and part Catholic religion, Bishop Blackie is always one step ahead of the reader, and usually a half-step behind the criminal mind. Truly delightful reads.

Sea Stories and Mysteries
I served on a Nimitz class carrier, so some of this was so familiar, but a few items seemed out of place. I found it brought back many memories, and some long buried feelings. Father Greeley did a wonderful job conveying the feel of the ship, sprinkled with many of the terms I remember so well. I even visited the captain's in-port cabin a few times for various reasons, and I was so envious. I lived in a compartment with 30 other guys. This was before women on ships, and I think it would be hard to separate them the way he portrayed. I know the one ship I was on this was not possible. At any rate, this book has me hooked to try another Blackie Ryan novel!

Blackie at sea
This was my second Blackie Ryan book and I found that I enjoyed it far more than the first which was The Bishop and the missing L Train. This one kept me on the each of seat and page turning, trying to guess what had happened, along with all the other enjoyable characters kept me going untill the final page. A first rate book and a new author to read had me doing handstands for joy.

Best of the best in mysteries.
Andrew Greeley is a master story teller - especially with Bishop Blackie Ryan.This is probably the first Greeley book I read and, once started, I lilterally couldn't put it down - finally finished it at 4:57 A.M. For mystery lovers, this is a "must read".

If you like Bishop Blackie, you'll love . . .
An enjoyable, page-turning novel, but not up to the standard we expect of Bishop Blackie. As the plot thickens you'll be inclined to throw up your hands and 'leave it to Blackie'. He doesn't seem as real as he is in the other novels he graces; here, he's a narrator who expresses his own confusion/ignorance.But you, the reader, suspend your belief: you KNOW Blackie will solve it. ... Read more

Product Description
Patriotic, religious and miscellaneous poems by Father Ryan. Contains his "Posthumous Poems". Includes a picture of Father Ryan's portrait and ten illustrations. ... Read more

Book Description
It's a cold Christmas season in Cologne, Germany, when the relic of the Three Kings is stolen from the cathedral! Only Bishop Blackie Ryan can solve the case. But as each lead brings greater danger, even Blackie could use a Christmas miracle to help him find Cologne's most prized present. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Loved it, mostly!
This Blackie Ryan novel was truly entertaining, and is one of my favorites in the series.It's a good one to read around the Christmas holidays.I'll admit that Cinda-Sue's dialect can be a bit distracting, but I found her quite well-rounded as a character once he developed her a bit, and learned to live with her.Let's face it, we all have dialects, but few of us recognize it because most of those around us speak in the same way.I think Father Greeley uses dialects and slang as a means of helping his readers distinguish between characters.In his mysteries, there tends to be lots of characters with the same last names or similar chracteristics, so the dialects and slang are helpful identifiers for those of us who get a little befuddled about who is who after a few days away from the book.I just wish he would drop the "Like-Ohmigod!" valley girl talk he tends to give the virtuous Meaghans and any other teenage girl in his novels.I haven't spoken with a teenager who uses speech pattens like that since 1983.Keep cranking the Blackie Ryan novels out, Father Greeley!

Good grief, Padre!
I really tried to read this book.I've read most everything the Good Father has written, both fiction and non-fiction, but I just couldn't finish this.Cinda-Sue's dialect is distracting, incorrect, and extremely offensive.I have lived in the south most of my 62 years and I have never heard anyone begin a sentence with "happen", nor have I ever heard the word "bodacious" used.The "Hollywood" / "Beverly Hillbillies" / "Hee-Haw" representation of the south and Southerners are stereotypes that need to die.
Once you get past (if you can) Cinda-Sue the plot is convoluted, cumbersome, and boring.Don't waste your time with this book.

Blackie Visits Germany
This was an intriguing plot, and the various church leaders were interesting. Frankly,I am tired of Cinda Sue! I hope she is not in future books. Her "mountain girl" talk is too much for me.I have lived in the South and known many Southerners but they do not sound like her. I especially was interested in the exsoldier priest,who mourned the death of his wife. Blackie is delightful, as usual.

I *WANTED* to love this book!
I have a shelf full of well-loved and often read Andrew Greeley. The Bishop and the Three Kings will NOT be joining them!

The mystery plot line was intriguing and could have been delightful in typical Blackie Ryan style if it had not been derailed early on by the secondary storyline and the Appalachian dialect. I found both the courtship and "mountain talk" to be distracting, cumbersome, and worst of all, "too, too cute".If this introduces a new and ongoing character,let's hope she'll begin using "Standard" English in both her conversations and internal dialog.If so....we might actually care about her rather than hoping the romance doesn't flower so that we won't be subjected to her further!

Blackie Ryan in Europe
As a reader that has become adddicted to the Blackie Ryan series, I found found his adventure in to Germany an enjoyable read.Greeley is becoming a legend in the mystery genere as well Catholic Literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I've read many, if not most . . .
. . . if not most of Fr. Andrew Greeley's "Father Blackie Ryan" mysteries -- and "Happy Are Those Who Thirst for Justice" is certainly one of the better ones.

This series of mysteries was originally based on the Beatitudes. Each book featured a main character who exemplified the characteristics of that particular beatitude. (And sometimes -- like in this book -- a character who seems to exemplify the exact OPPOSITE of the beatitude in question!) The mysteries almost always involve a murder (or attempted murder), a rather obvious (and usually innocent) suspect -- and a host of characters with varying degrees of motive.

In addition, Fr. Greeley uses these books as theological teaching tools, also frequently linked with Beatitudes, expressing the many unique ways that God expresses His love.

Finally, for those fans of Fr. Greeley's "Time Between the Stars" characters, each of these mysteries "fleshes out" the character of one or more of the Ryan clan and their many friends, in this case Fr. Blackie's sister, "Mary Kate the Shrink".

I recommend this book. ... Read more

Book Description
The bestselling priest amp; novelist Andrew M. Greeley continues the tales of the intrepid Bishop Blackie Ryan with this absorbing amp; suspenseful mystery, set in France, of a missing beloved television priest. Not just an ordinary priest but a priest/television superstar, idolized by the people of France, loved by everyone except, of course the French hierarchy, the church, state and the Paris television community.The Archbishop of Paris, familiar with Bishop Blackie Ryan's impressive sleuthing skills, asks Blackie's boss, the Archbishop of Chicago Sean Cardinal Cronin, for help in finding this missing priest. As usual, Cardinal Cronin resolves the matter with a brusque "See to it, Blackie."In Paris, Blackie meets a young and beautiful woman begging for money at the door of the church of St-Germain-des-Preacute;s. When he hires her as a translator, she turns out to be an excellent Dr. Watson and a brilliant musician as well. She is at his side as Blackie learns that neither the Church nor the police are eager to have the saintly priest returned, and once the public discovers the disappearance of their beloved priest, the miracles start-and nothing scares the Church more than miracles.Undaunted, Blackie and his beautiful sidekick defy uncooperative Paris police, an unbending church, and reluctant witnesses to find the bizarre solution to one of the most fascinating puzzles he has ever encountered. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Great read
This is the first Father Blackie Ryan Mystery I've read. I've read most of Greeley's Nuala Anne stories and found them wonderful. This won't disappoint, it's an entertaining mystery well worth your time and money, especially if you like Paris.

perhaps the best of them ?
Reading the Bishop Blackie Ryan novels is surely an acquired taste but is a taste I have. Perhaps the inclusive, loving, community of faithful who are all Irish Catholics exists only in the Andrew Greely's imagination, as I am neither Irish or (Roman) Catholic. Perhaps Chicago is not a benevolent autocracy run by Richard Daley, Mayor. Perhaps God's grace cannot penetrate where the canons of the Church forbid. I don't know any of those things, but I do like a good story.

In this story Greely takes us to a crime that may not be crime, that may not have a victim, but is a mystery none the less. Why does a popular young French priest beloved by the young in a widely disillousioned society suddenly disappear ? Is he kidnapped ? Is he alive or dead ? In this story there are no offstage violent events, nor any sense of threat or danger to Bishop Blackie. How the Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago is involved in the affairs of the French Church in the heart of Paris is explained though not really adequately. There are the usual devices of plot that Greely uses to move these stories along, some of which seem too unlikely to be true. But, real priests could tell you stories even more unlikely.

The things I found most compelling about this story are first, the portraits of French and Parisian society that are not terribly flattering taken as a whole but seem not too far off the mark given recent events and secondly, the pyschological insights into the soul of a priest that seem all too real. All of Greely's practical theology is on display here and, if you are a believer, it all makes sense. Yet the story is the thing and the mystery. It is not impossible to figure out before all is revealed and it seems contrived only in retrospect when you say, well of course! Sometimes in the Bishop Blackie books, minor characters are dispatched seemingly as a matter of convenience but here they all are treated with respect, play their roles, and live to tell the tale.

An enjoyable afternoons read.

3and1/2 stars.Slow moving but packs a punch at the end.
This was my first Bishop Blackie book and I liked it but it did drag in places. The interchange between the bishop and the beggar girl helped to punch it up before I lost intrest. The solution when it comes makes it worthwhile. I certainly never saw it comming. But for those who like strong realisum in mysteries it is pretty far fetched. Such things do not bother me though and I think I will read about Bishop Blackie agian.

Another Winning Bishop Blackie Novel
"The Bishop And The Beggar Girl Of St. Germain" by Fr. Andrew M. Greeley, Audio book Version narrated by George Guidall. Recorded Books Productions, New York 2001.

The author, Fr. Andrew Greeley, moves the venue for this Bishop Blackie mystery to Paris, and it seems that he certainly knows Paris: at least the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the subway system, many subway stops and the little bistros on the Left Bank.Using this as backdrop, Fr. Greeley has Bishop John Blackwood Ryan accompany his Cardinal, Sean Cronin, of Chicago, to Paris, where Bishop Blackie is impressed as a detective in the service of the local cardinal."Blackie" is requested to find the young television priest, Jean-Claude, who had disappeared during a TV shoot in the 3rd Century basement of Notre Dame.

Needing an interpreter, Bishop Blackie "stumbles" on Marie-Bernadette, an accomplished musician who is begging outside the Church of St. Germain. Greeley's fascination with thing Celtic (pronounced as KEL-tik) means that Marie-Bernadette's accomplishments are in Celtic music, whether from the Celtic region of France or the Basque region of Spain, or, of course, from Scotland and Ireland.This makes a nice little sub-plot, with Bishop Blackie officiating at Marie-Bernadette's marriage at the end of the book.

Of course, Blackie solves the mystery of the disappearance of the television evangelist priest, Jean-Claude, and while doing so, Author Greeley comments on the loneliness of the celibate clergy, their trials and temptations.I couldn't help wondering if there was some autobiographical issues buried in those comments.The story's main plot had a nice little twist that I should have been able to catch earlier than I did!

Narrator George Guidall was again excellent.I have listened to him as the voice of Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee in the Tony Hillerman mysteries, and it is amazing how Mr. Guidall can range from "flat" Navajo tone in those books to an excited French accent for the exalted cardinal of Paris in this book.I enjoyed the book and listening to Mr. Guidall as I commuted on I-495, the ring road around Boston... Five Stars.

Frothy concoction -- delicious!
Reading Greeley is like drinking champagne: a frothy concoction that perfectly complements an evening of escape. Here Greeley's customary Irish charm competes with Gallic savoir-faire. We are introduced to the Paris of the protected visitor with translators, tucked-away hotels and famous restaurants.

Greeley's series hero, Bishop Blackie Ryan, is on a mission for "Cardinal Sean:" find Jean-Claude, a young Dominican priest who vanished without a trace while conducting visitors around cathedral ruins. Jean-Claude had a popular television program and was much admired by the students and nuns who were his ministry, yet everyone saw him differently, and all agreed he had mysterious depths and a magical smile.

Bishop Blackie has a gift for unearthing hidden depths in people as well as clues for his investigation. Befriending a young woman who seems out of place as a Cathedral beggar, he enlists her help in tracing the young priest who often seemed equally out of place as a Dominican priest.

The story line has the fascination of a moderately difficult crossword puzzle, the kind you know you can solve if you just put in the time.It also has about as much action and cliff-hanging action -- and short-term satisfaction as the Sunday crossword. Greeley gives us the world as we would like it to be, where problems are solved by a convenient phone call to Chicago and a couple of FedEx packages, and even the Cardinal benevolently distinguishes the Christian from the Church.

As Greeley is careful to note in an afterward, this is a tale of fiction. Unlike many readers, I was surprised by the ending, which fit the clues but seemed highly implausible.I will say only that Greeley gets the chance to share his very politically correct, enlightened views of the Church and the world.And he might encourage us all to beware of reading our own beliefs into situations that are not what they seem.

I'm not usually a fan of Bishop Blackie -- but I liked this one! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

I've read many . . .
. . . if not most of Fr. Andrew Greeley's "Father Blackie Ryan" mysteries -- and I liked "Happy are the Clean of Heart" the best -- by far.

This series of mysteries was originally based on the Beatitudes.Each book featured a main character who exemplified the characteristics of that particular beatitude.The mysteries almost always involve a murder (or attempted murder), a rather obvious (and usually innocent) suspect -- and a host of characters with varying degrees of motive.

In addition, Fr. Greeley uses these books as theological teaching tools, also frequently linked with Beatitudes, expressing the many unique ways that God expresses His love.

Finally, for those fans of Fr. Greeley's "Time Between the Stars" characters, each of these mysteries "fleshes out" the character of one or more of the Ryan clan and their many friends, in this case, the singer/actress Lisa Malone and her husband George "the bean counter".

I recommend this book.

Theological mystery better for its meditations
In my view, the best part of this book are the meditations of Father Blackie, who is a likably honest character who seems to genuinely believe in the pursuit of religious faith. That makes him for most of us heroic at best, and authentic at worst, which is in itself compelling. Greeley layers theological contemplations onto this very basic story, creating most of his detail in character backfill and conversation, sparing us too much complexity of plot. Fundamentally a character study, the book highlights the decisions of its characters with some fairly advanced philosophical and religious concepts explained over a series of interactions. It does not feel manipulative, although to one opposed to these beliefs it might be repellent. It might be said that a mystery is going on in the background here, since it is a very simple one, with mostly false clues to keep us from seeing directly into the motivations of these relatively simple characters. That is not a problem since the focus of the book is explaining the learning undergone by Lisa Malone, its actress heroine, and her balancing of love of the spiritual with love of the flesh. I would recommend this for general readers with a flair for abstraction; for mystery readers, it may not offer enough of a challenge. ... Read more

Product Description
Reprinted from the fifth edition. ... Read more