Irish Tenure: A Mystery Set at the University of Notre Dame

From Publishers Weekly
In his third mystery set at the venerable University of Notre Dame (following Lack of the Irish), McInerny, author of the Father Dowling series, spins a tale of academic mayhem around the issue of tenure. Two young philosophy professors, Amanda Pick and Hans Wiener, are vying for the single tenured spot open in their department. Wiener, affectionately called "Hot Dog" by students, has impressive credentials in his chosen area of research, while Pick has been dabbling with popular literature, in the form of G.K. Chesterton. Which of the two will the committee choose? Pick has become the object of obsession of a Chesterton expert on the English faculty, Prof. Sean Pottery. So when her body is found in a lake on campus, Pottery seems like a good suspect. But also on hand is rare book dealer Noah Beispiel, who's been hunting through the Notre Dame archives for an unpublished Father Brown story penned by Chesterton when he was a visiting lecturer at the university decades before. A second murder clouds the issue momentarily, but sleuth Roger Knight, a mountain of a man who holds a chair in Catholic Studies at Notre Dame, uncovers the truth. There is no suspense in the tale, since the identity of the murderer and the motive for the crimes are all but transparent, but McInerny does score points for the acerbic wit often present in his portrayal of academic life. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
Sean Pottery, a veteran teacher at Notre Dame and an acknowledged expert on the works of G.K. Chesterton, is infatuated with philosophy professor Amanda Pick, whos competing for tenure against family man Hans Weiner. Amanda shares her house with Laura Flynn, who encourages her to report Pottery's unsought, amorous, drunken visits. Meanwhile, rare-book dealer Noah Beispiel has donated to the university the collection of alumnus Henry Horan, which includes an unknown Father Brown story written during a Chesterton visit decades before. To Beispiel's dismay, Amanda discovers the story while going through the archives and hopes it will enhance her case for tenure. No such luck, though; soon after, shes the one whos found when her body is discovered in a campus lakeher death soon followed by that of housemate Laura. It takes the combined efforts of professor/sleuth Roger Knight (Lack of the Irish, 1998, etc.) and his p.i. brother Phil to prevent the arrest of an obvious suspect and canter to a tepid, perfunctory windup that will reveal the true killer. Barely comprehensible plotting and pages of high-flown vaporings on tangential subjects make Rogers third case a self-indulgent monument to his intellectual prowess. If he didnt already have tenure, he wouldnt earn it through publications like this one. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
In the University of Notre Dame's philosophy department two young scholars, Amanda Pick and Hans Wiener, are competing for the same tenure position. Sleuth Roger Knight is a friend to both, and as he painfully witnesses the fierce competition unfold, he also becomes keenly aware of the many secrets that both professors have to hide. While Amanda is a beloved teacher who incorporates a passionate and liberal approach to her students' learning, Hans follows a more conservative route, and has a family to support. Through their designs, both earn the ire of their many colleagues, until Amanda Pick crosses the wrong path and ends up dead.

At the same time, speculations are building about the true origins of an unknown manuscript by G. K. Chesterton, who spent time on the Notre Dame campus. How is the awkward researcher of these papers tied into Amanda's death? And how did Notre Dame's foremost Chesterton scholar, Sean Pottery, fall madly in love with the young ill-fated professor?

Displaying Ralph McInerny's trademark wit and intelligence, Irish Tenure is another clever romp through the hallowed halls of academia, and once again demonstrates why McInerny is considered a master of the mystery form.



About the Author
Ralph McInerny is the author of over twenty-eight books, including the popular Father Dowling mysteries. He has taught for over forty years at the University of Notre Dame, where he is director of the Jacques Maritain Center. He was awarded the Bouchercon Lifetime Achievement Award and he lives in South Bend, Indiana.



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In his third mystery set at the venerable University of Notre Dame (following Lack of the Irish), McInerny, author of the Father Dowling series, spins a tale of academic mayhem around the issue of tenure. Two young philosophy professors, Amanda Pick and Hans Wiener, are vying for the single tenured spot open in their department. Wiener, affectionately called "Hot Dog" by students, has impressive credentials in his chosen area of research, while Pick has been dabbling with popular literature, in the form of G.K. Chesterton. Which of the two will the committee choose? Pick has become the object of obsession of a Chesterton expert on the English faculty, Prof. Sean Pottery. So when her body is found in a lake on campus, Pottery seems like a good suspect. But also on hand is rare book dealer Noah Beispiel, who's been hunting through the Notre Dame archives for an unpublished Father Brown story penned by Chesterton when he was a visiting lecturer at the university decades before. A second murder clouds the issue momentarily, but sleuth Roger Knight, a mountain of a man who holds a chair in Catholic Studies at Notre Dame, uncovers the truth. There is no suspense in the tale, since the identity of the murderer and the motive for the crimes are all but transparent, but McInerny does score points for the acerbic wit often present in his portrayal of academic life. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.


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