Till Death

Rating:
Summary: This Book Has Been Mishelved In the Mystery Section
Review: I have purchased all of William Kienzle's twenty two books. I first became a fan after reading his most widely known mystery, The Rosary Murders (Made into a movie with Donald Sutherland). All of his books that followed were engaging mysteries starring protagonist Father William Koesler. Koesler would be called into cases that the local PD felt had a "church" element to them and used Koesler to get the cleric's viewpoint on things. Often Father Koesler singlehandedly has solved the cases (at times to the seeming annoyance of some members of the Detroit Police Department). I have waited each year for the next Kienzle mystery to appear and have generally been well satisfied.While Till Death is a title that would lead a reader to expect a mystery, and the fact that it is shelved under Mystery in bookstores would confirm that assumption, THIS IS NOT A MYSTERY ...and I am more than annoyed.Kienzle, a former Catholic priest, occassionally has lapsed into theological territory in some of his stories. Most of the time his diversions have been tolerable. They may have had bearing on the story but often there was too much explanation and a definite point of view not usual to the mystery writer. A few years ago I found Kienzle taking far too much time on the effects of Vatican Council II and it had almost nothing to do with the story or the mystery being detected.This time there is nothing being detected. There is no mystery. This is a fictional account of what happens to various people who were a part of a church under a autocratic pastor many years before. I'm not sure Kienzle's point in this story. Basically, he is taking advantage of a mystery reader following he has built up to get something or other out of his system. To a certain extent I feel betrayed as a loyal reader. If this is the new direction for Kienzle's mysteries, I am giving them up. If this is a minor distraction, I will remain loyal. However, I do want a mystery when I buy one! This might belong some place in Theology. But even there it wouldn't rate as anything important other than one man's wanderings with a pen. Other faithful readers -- SKIP THIS ONE!

Rating:
Summary: Like sitting through a long, dull sermon
Review: I would like to nominate Ms. Regan for 5 stars for her steller review of Kienzle's new book, "Till Death." Ms. Regan, with wit and insight, enlightens us quite rightly about how disappointing Kienzle's new book is. Fr. Koesler who is retired at 70 needs to spend some time with Sr. Mary Helen in San Francisco. The change would do him good and he might learn something from the retired sister of crime. Ms. Regan however, did fail to mention that the publisher Andrews McNeill has given us the worst quality of book imaginable. It practically falls apart when you first open it. Kienzle should be ashamed to have his name placed on a book of such poor quality.

Rating:
Summary: Like sitting through a long, dull sermon
Review: Im not quite done this book yet (about 1/2 through) but so far it's pretty bad. I've stopped expecting a good mystery from Kienzle since the mid-80s but still enjoyed his books as character studies. His earlier books were mostly good mysteries with interesting comments about the Catholic Church. This one reads like a religous text book with no mystery in sight. I will finish the book (though it won't be easy)...hopefully the next Kienzle book will be more like his earlier work. This series has been steadily declining since the mid-90s and with this latest book i think it's hit bottom.

Rating:
Summary: anyone remember Mind Over Murder?
Review: This story reminded me a little of Mind Over Murder, the third book in the series, and a little of Murder, She Wrote. You meet some characters and you know something's going to happen to one of them, but who? And what? And why? And who's going to be the one responsible? Yes, the editing could have been better and I would have enjoyed the book more, but I'd read it again in preference to many others out there.

Rating:
Summary: Till Death - A Deathly Boring Experience
Review: Till Death, the latest of William Kienzle's books, was truly a deathly boring experience. Till death is nothing more than a summary of current Catholic church law regarding the celibacy of priests and those who "Do" and "Don't". Kienzle is noted for his mysterious plots with a Catholic twist. The only mystery here was why the book was written in the first place. If this reader had wanted a disertation on the current theological view of pastoral life, a read of cannon law would have held more intrigue. Kienzle's characters were flat and predictable. Fr. Koesler, who has reached the status of a retired priest, has indeed retired his membership in the Sherlock Holmes fan club. I'm sure that even his coffee was far more potent and enjoyable than this book. This avid Kienzle reader is EXTREMELY disappointed in his latest offering. Maybe Kienzle should have retired his word processor when Fr. Koesler retired from St. Joe's.