The Rosary Murders

Rating:
Summary: Talk about TIMELY for the Catholic Church
Review: Although this was published in '89, I was riveted by the timeliness in lieu of today's headlines. In this context, the "moral" or theme of the story is brilliant. The serial killer, a man with a serious problem doesn't need a tired priest to give him a standard penance - so many "Hail Marys" and "Our Fathers". The man with the problem needs HELP. I couldn't help but ponder that the well-publicized pedophile priests of late do not need to be shuffled by the church to another congregation - they need HELP. Ok, stop me when this gets complicated . . . Maybe the Chruch should do something about helping these people?

On a lighter note, the book maintains its riveting suspense. The characters are well-drawn, and as a non-Catholic, I enjoyed being a "fly on the wall" during discussions, arguments and joking sessions among priests. I certainly got a real sense of individuals, not of stoic men in clerical collars. Well done. I'm looking forward to another Kienzle read in the near future!

Rating:
Summary: Catholic Whodunit
Review: First published in 1989, this was the first of William X. Kienzle's popular Father Koesler series. I found it a bit dated in parts, and a bit shocking in others, but on the whole, it's a good mystery, fun and easy to read.

Father Frank Koesler is the editor of the Detroit Catholic, a modest but well-read periodical aimed at Detroit's large Catholic community. Koesler is a good priest and a good man, but realistic about the state of his church in the post-Vatican II era. Like priests nationwide, he and his fellow Detroit priests note with wry despair the dwindling church attendance in their respective parishes.

Suddenly, everything changes. An apparent serial killer is targeting priests and nuns, murdering them with professional and cold-blooded efficiency. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the killings, and the police are helpless to stop him. Detective Sergeant Koznicki, himself raised in a rigidly conventional Catholic household, is put in charge of the task force assigned to find and stop the killer. As part of his methodical and excellent police work, he asks Father Koesler, a devotee of paperback murder mysteries, to add his own clerical expertise to the problem at hand.

As interesting as the mystery is the behind-the-scenes interplay between the community of priests, who are not above a game of poker, a stiff drink, and heavy smoking when off-duty. As a non-Catholic, I found some of this private look into clerical life a bit disturbing, but interesting, nonetheless. Of special interest was the priests' ongoing and friendly debate on the havoc Vatican II wreaked upon their church, and the endless, corny, and often risque jokes of Father Joe Farmer, who cracks himself up every time upon reaching the punchline, leaving his friends annoyed and bemused.

A subplot involving two young reporters at the Detroit Free Press adds real humor to this tale of a tortured murderer and his crazed and deadly mission. A good read, good enough to make the reader want to pick up another Father Koesler mystery.

Rating:
Summary: The Rosary Murders Imagery
Review: The author of this book used to be a priest and thus knows a lot about the inner workings of the Church in Detroit, but is obviously disgruntled and estranged. His hero in the book is what he would that he would be if he were still in good standing in the Church. Frankly, I found the writing amateurish, the plot silly and incredible. The book has lots of gore and everything about the book is unsubtle and heavy-handed and I suppose that is why it is published by a publisher few have ever heard of rather than a major publisher.

Rating:
Summary: Amateurish, silly, incredible...
Review: The author of this book used to be a priest and thus knows a lot about the inner workings of the Church in Detroit, but is obviously disgruntled and estranged. His hero in the book is what he would that he would be if he were still in good standing in the Church. Frankly, I found the writing amateurish, the plot silly and incredible. The book has lots of gore and everything about the book is unsubtle and heavy-handed and I suppose that is why it is published by a publisher few have ever heard of rather than a major publisher.

Rating:
Summary: The Rosary Murders Imagery
Review: The Rosary Murders

In William Kienzle's The Rosary Murders the shockingly gory imagery of the novel strengthens it greatly. The diction Kienzle uses puts horrifying images in the mind of the reader. By going through every single detail of each murder there is a sense of what is soon to come. As the killer leaves rosary beads in the fingers of each victim, the imagery thickens. The diction is what brings the most imagery. If someone hears the word blood when discussing death they tend to get a little sick. Or when hearing how the victim got their throat sliced and their guts torn out, stomachs start to turn. Kienzle makes sure that you get the feeling of your stomach turning. At the begging of the novel the murders are not as bloodthirsty as those at the end. Kienzle sets the reader up to believe that they are reading a book that gives you enough feeling to get sick but not to feel vomit sick enough to turn pale. Hearing the way the victims die only makes the story even more ferocious to the point that it makes you wants to read until it is done. The individual image of each murder sets up the next vision of the next murder. This helps make the imagery even more strong. Without the strong, well-built structure of the imagery, The Rosary Murders would be just another book on the shelf.