Emerald Aisle

There's nothing for me to add to Booklist's editorial review concerning the setting or plot. Suffice it to say that the plot thickens agreeably, one of the motives is singularly original, and there are plenty of the brief philosophical observations we have come to associate with McInerny's writings. Highly recommended (though of course you might want to at least sample the earlier volumes in the series first).

Joseph Primero, wealthy Catholic book collector, discovers that some of his most valuable works have been stolen and hires detectives (and Notre Dame professor) Roger and Philip Knight to find the thief. The obvious suspect, Primero's estranged wife Bianca, admits to hating Primero's books, but Primero won't believe the Knight's evidence. When Bianca is discovered dead, the Knights feel compelled to add this to the list of crimes to be investigated. The problem is not a lack of motives. Bianca's lover is a lawyer recently engaged to a Notre Dame alumnae. Either the lawyer or his fiancee Dolores would have reason to take steps to eliminate the grasping and vindictive woman. Dolores's former love interest is strangely compelled to protect her from the lawyer--setting him up as the fall guy might win back his former love. Primero loved his wife, but could he have been pushed too far. Primero's favorite candidate is his archivist who cannot deny both a fascination and an aversion to the victim. Moving among familiar landmarks on the Notre Dame campus, and mixing detection with Catholic thought, the Knight brothers uncover plenty of facts about the case. But facts, themselves, can be interpreted in multiple ways. As with the previous mysteries in this series, author Ralph McInerny provides a smooth and fast-moving mystery. The selection of two dissimilar brothers, one a career detective and the other an overweight Catholic intellectual makes for interesting contrasts and the opportunity to approach the mystery from intellectual and ethical points of view rather than as a simple fact-finding mission. McInerny's women seem less well crafted than the male characters, allmost all of whom wrestle with moral dilemnas (in contrast, the women hurry to throw off their careers to get married and plan weddings). Still, this doesn't prevent EMERALD AISLE from being an enjoyable fast read.

Six years ago, two freshmen, Larry Morton and Dolores Torre, met in a Notre Dame University philosophy class in which they debated Socrates' death. They began seeing one another, fell in love, and planned to marry. Larry and Dolores reserve Notre Dame's Basilica of the Sacred Heart for a June 17, 2002 wedding. However, the couple goes their separate ways after obtaining their undergraduate degrees. Larry goes on to Notre Dame Law School and Dolores becomes a personal assistant to attorney Dudley Fyte in Minneapolis. Dudley and Dolores decide to marry and use the June reservation, but so do Larry and his fiancee Nancy Beatty. Larry goes to Minneapolis to talk with Dolores. Meanwhile, Professor Roger Knight and his brother Private Investigator Philip work on a case of valuable documents stolen from Joseph Primero's Cardinal Newman collection that one day will go to Notre Dame. Coincidentally, Joseph's estranged wife Bianca has had an affair with Dudley and is soon murdered. The Knight siblings try to catch a killer, learn who purloined the valuable books, and straighten out affairs of the heart. EMERALD AISLE is an engaging who-done-it that employs too much coincidence, but still retains a fun to read plot. The story line entices the audience because the reader understands the motives of the key secondary cast. This novel and its four predecessors provide enlightenment on the university including the reference to the championship women's basketball team. Ralph McInerny provides a pleasant academic mystery starring two likable chaps.