From Publishers Weekly
Greeley (The Cardinal Sins does his best work yet in this multigenerational mystery with real puzzles and strong characters. Chicago matriarch and real-estate tycoon Violet Harrington Enright has dominated and largely ruined the lives of her daughter and three sons. Only her granddaughter (and heir) Fionna has the gumption to fight back. When Violet is found shot to death on her Lake Michigan yacht, Fionna is also discoveredhysterical and holding the murder weapon. Monsignor John "Blackie" Ryan, brother to Fionna's psychiatrist, is convinced Fionna is innocent, and he sets out to probe the tangled relationships of Violet's unhappy family and retainers. One of Violet's sons is murdered, Ryan's sister is endangered, there may be Mob involvementor worsebut Blackie Ryan winds it all up most satisfactorily. Greeley's greatest gift is an apparent willingness to offend everyone. His church-scolding and Irish-bashingIrish matriarchs especiallyare honed to a fine, affectionate pitch. If there is a "Lady Wisdom" (Ryan's term for God), she's laughing.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
About the Author
One of the most influential Catholic thinkers and writers of our time, priest, sociologist, author and journalist Father Andrew M. Greeley has built an international assemblage of devout fans over a career that spans five decades. He is the author of over 50 best-selling novels and more than 100 works of non-fiction and his writing has been translated into 12 languages. A Professor of Sociology at the University of Arizona and a Research Associate with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, Father Greeley is a respected scholar whose current research focuses on the Sociology of Religion.
