DEFINITELY NOT DECAF
Written: Dec 07 '04 (Updated Dec 07 '04)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Much less predictable than many in the genre.
Cons: I initially did not know it was one in a literary series.
The Bottom Line: Not surprisingly, this mystery - that features a college professor as one of the main characters - was just my cup of coffee.
|
|
|
| gungian's Full Review: |
[With major league baseball poised to come to Washington, a sports-themed introduction to this review seemed appropriate.]
Strike One: As the calendar page turned to December, I still had no "useable vision" in my right eye.
Strike Two: I am generally not a huge fan of mystery novels.
Home Run: With this first recent attempt at a "regular print" novel, I regained my love of reading for pleasure. Irish Coffee is definitely not decaf!
The assistant sports information director at Notre Dame is Fred Neville. Or should I say "was" Fred Neville. Fred, you see, has turned up dead - and the the circumstances are not in any of the Irish teams' playbooks.
Irish Coffee serves up an intriguing mix of characters on all sides of the mystery behind Fred's demise. The official lead examiner is Lieutenant Stewart of the South Bend police. High on his investigative roster is Professor Roger Knight, a luminary in Notre Dame's Catholic Studies department - and a large presence in every respect. The "home team" gets an able assist from Phil Knight - Roger's brother. Oh, and Phil just also happens to be a retired private investigator in his own right.
The line-up of potential suspects is equally diverse. Considered by many to be a confirmed bachelor, one of Fred's final public appearances was at a seemingly intimate dinner with stunning student athlete, Griselda Novak. Mary Schuster - a long-standing secretary at the university - shows up at the wake arrayed in widow's weeds and claiming to be Fred's secret love. [Check out one version of the derivation at http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19971208.] Then there is Naomi McTear - a noted media personality - who parks herself in the family front pew, flashes a left hand sparkler, and announces that she is Fred's grieving fiancee.
Who was the "real" Fred? And, more importantly, who wanted him dead?
Irish Coffee does not rush to judgment. It answers those questions - and more - in its own good time. Here there are no dramatic car chases or blazing shootouts. Rather a measured unveiling helped by more than a little leprechaun's luck over the 288 pages. Additional details are available at http://www.epinions.com/Irish_Coffee_by_Ralph_McInerny/display_~full_specs. I heartily recommend Irish Coffee for your reading pleasure.
Now that I have learned that this is one in a literary series, I will certainly try the others. Starting from the beginning! Look out Loudoun County Public Library, Gungian has some hold requests forthcoming.
Write On!
Irish Coffee
Ralph McInerny
St. Martin's Press
2003
ISBN 0-3123-0901-5
288 pages
© Gungian 2004
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
gungian
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: Falls Church, Virginia
Reviews written: 222
Trusted by: 439 members
About Me:
10/16/06 - Life is hectic - but good! Write On!
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.