Fans of McInerny's Father Dowling novels (Ash Wednesday, etc.) will welcome this collection of 15 short stories featuring the compassionate priest of St. Hilary's church in Fox River, Ill., and such beloved supporting characters as his feisty indispensable housekeeper, Marie, and his friend, police captain Phil Keegan. Included are tales of murder and betrayal, long hidden crimes and secrets that are discovered when bodies are found-or in some cases unearthed from old graves. The motives vary from calculated greed to embarrassment, and are as human as Father Dowling. Among the highlights are "The Giveaway," "The Dunne Deal" and "Hic Jacet." Maintaining his sense of humor throughout, Father Dowling is never satisfied until he discovers the truth and understands the motive behind every crime he encounters. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

A young woman whose parents were purportedly killed in a fire in the Caribbean approaches Father Dowling. She's puzzled because a video she received from a couple her folks met in the islands, supposedly showing her parents before the fire, features a different couple entirely. Are her parents really dead? With the help of Detective Phil Keegan and Dowling's housekeeper, Marie Murkin (she of the abiding cynicism and fractured theology), the good father is able to solve the mystery. The other 14 short stories in this collection follow much the same formula, in abbreviated form:  a parishioner of St. Hilary's is in trouble, but the source of the trouble is rarely what it initially seems. A body or two usually surfaces. The father, relying on Keegan for law-enforcement support, is able to solve the crime and keep the eyebrow-raising Murkin on low simmer. McInerny has mastered the art of nonviolent murder mystery. A visit with Father Dowling never fails to engage the mind, slow the heartbeat, and deliver a chuckle or two.--Lukowsky, Wes Copyright 2009 Booklist