The Prudence of the Flesh (Father Dowling Mystery) - Hardcover

McInerny, Ralph M.

3.6

52 ratings by Goodreads

9780786289875: The Prudence of the Flesh (Father Dowling Mystery)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786289872 ISBN 13: 9780786289875

Publisher: Thorndike Pr, 2006

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Father Dowling comes to the aid of Gregory Barrett, a former classmate who had left the priesthood twenty-five years earlier, when he is sued by a woman alleging that he had sexually exploited her as a child, a case that is complicated by the son she claims is his.

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From the Inside Flap:

“You don’t have to go to church to worship mystery lovers’ esteemed Father Dowling.”
---Entertainment Weekly Gregory Barrett, a classmate of Father Dowling’s, left the priesthood twenty-five years ago. Now, after all these years, a woman threatens to bring a multimillion-dollar suit against him, alleging he sexually exploited her when he was still a priest and she was sixteen. Barrett has no memory of her, but is devastated at what these claims will do to his career as a radio host and to his new family. So he comes to Father Dowling for advice. Father Dowling, a parish priest in Fox River, Indiana, as usual, serves as part counselor, part sounding board, and part moral compass for priests and parishioners alike---not to mention cops and lawyers---and offers help to both Barrett and his accuser.
Before Barrett can decide what to do, and before the now-adult woman has made her demands known to the archdiocese, a body washes up on the shore of Lake Michigan, and Barrett becomes the primary suspect in the murder.
Also in the mix in this astutely drawn mystery are a failed writer, a parish busybody, an inept lawyer, and an embittered young man, each with his or her own agenda, and it is up to Father Dowling to unravel the links between these people whose lives were separated long ago, only to reconnect in tragedy.

From the Back Cover:

Praise for Ralph McInerny’s Father Dowling Mysteries “Father Dowling is not the average priest, one who dispenses homilies and easy nostrums. He has been through the mill himself, is tough, yet has compassion . . . the Catholic equivalent of Harry Kemelman’s David Small.”
---The New York Times Book Review

“Mystery at its bloodless, cerebral best . . . Dowling is the perfect father confessor, dealing with moral dilemmas and the weakness of man with compassion and understanding.”
---Chicago Tribune

“McInerny’s nimble characterizations and subtle soundings of the moral issues make this a strong entry in the long-running series.”
---Publishers Weekly on Blood Ties

“Steeped in human drama and spiritual significance . . . Father Dowling’s down-to-earth demeanor will appeal, as always, to a variety of readers who enjoy mysteries with a religious twist.”
---Booklist on Triple Pursuit

“McInerny keeps the reader on edge as his intrepid sleuth-priest solves the crimes. . . . A deservedly popular series.”
---Publishers Weekly on Grave Undertakings

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