The library didn't have the Tony Hillerman mystery I was seeking, but then I spotted Last Things by Ralph McInerny. I had read some McInerny Father Dowling mysteries years ago and remembered enjoying them, so I thought I'd give this one a read.
It was a workman-like mystery, certainly better than some I've read. But given the really good mystery writers I'd been reading - like Hillerman or Margaret Coel - not top tier. There were too many stereotyped characters and situations, too many of the typical conservative criticisms of the direction the Church has take. Once the victim was revealed, I immediately figured out the killer nearly a hundred pages before the end. And the ending, by the way, was a bit too pat.
I'll read more McInerny. Maybe there are better books by him - perhaps some of the earlier ones in case this one was a matter of getting into a rut. And Father Dowling is still an interesting character.
Pax et bonum
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