William Kienzle Books

The Monsignor's Cadillac is found in the parking lot. Inside are traces of blood and a shell from a .32 automatic. All that's missing is the Monsignor. He leaves behind a handful of surprising antagonists and a diary full of confidences that may prove revealing to Detroit's diligent Father Koesler. And even though there's no body, there's something in the air more disquieting than the menace of mere murder . . .

It begins on Ash Wednesday. Priests and nuns are his targets. A plain black rosary entwined between the fingers of each victim is his calling card. The police don't have a clue, but Father Koesler sees a pattern—a consuming religious obsession that can drive one man to serial murder. And to an unexpected and terrifying encounter inside Koesler's own confessional.

Four rather clumsy assassins stalk the seminaries of Detroit. So far only luck stopped them from killing a priest. But time is running short, and murder lies within their vicious grasp. Who's behind this quarter of killers? An angry seminarian? A fanatical leader of an arch-conservative Catholic society? Another priest? Keen-witted Father Koesler, clerical sleuth extraordinaire, had better find the answer soon. Because he's next on the killers' list.

"THE ROSARY MURDERS quickly established Father Koesler as among the most likable and authentic of all recent sleuths .... Since then, few mystery series have been more cozy and persuasive." CHICAGO TRIBUNE From their Spartan quarters in downtown Detroit four religious brothers and a priest peform miracles. As the throng comes to them, so do accusations of embezzlement and torture. Father Koesler is finally called to crack a case that mingles sacred and profane and murder....

LET US PREY An impending papal visit is wreaking havoc in Detroit. Rumors run rampant that the pope comes bearing a pronouncement on birth control that will rock devout Catholics to the very foundations of their faith, and Father Koesler can't help but get caught up in the religious controversy. But soon he'll be swept into the secular--and dangerous--business of protecting the pontiff's life. For among the throng of pilgrims lurks a host of predators: a devout man hopelessly twisted by grief, a washed-up reporter desperate to make headlines, and a faceless assassin within the pope's inner circle--all hell-bent on silencing His Holiness. "GRIPPING, SUSPENSEFUL . . . Kienzle continues to provide a superior brand of mystery." --Booklist "CRAFTILY PLOTTED." --Publishers Weekly

A rabbi, a nun, a monk, and an Episcopal priest -- all mystery writers -- have been invited to Marygrove College to speak at a mystery writers' conference. Although different in denomination, they all have one thing in they loathe the featured speaker, sleazy televangelist Reverend Klaus Krieg. When murder smites the Reverend, the hateful faithful are the prime suspects. Father Koesler throws himself into the investigation and discovers that although being wrong isn't a sin, it could be murder . . .

At a word from critic Ridley Groendal, plays closed overnight. Concert halls went silent. Books gathered dust on bookstore shelves. Thus, many sought revenge. But four were close enough to exact it. The playwright. The violinist. The author. The actress. All with a dark, longtime link to the victim. And to Father Koesler, who'd known Groendal since their school days. Who pulled the curtain down on Ridley? All Father Koesler has to go on are four incriminating letters -- and one burning question.

Schwarz ist die Farbe des Todes - bk1230; Moewig Verlag; William X. Kienzle; pocket_book; 1987