The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain (A Father Blackie Ryan Mystery)
by By Greeley, Andrew M.
Category: Fiction , Mystery & Detective , General

A priest has gone missing in Paris, and Bishop Blackie Ryan is sent to the rescue. The missing cleric is not just an ordinary Dominican friar, but the most popular priest in all of France. Popular because in a very short time Frere Jean-Claude - a simple, pious priest of humble origins - has become a television superstar, idolized by the people of France, a traditionally anticlerical country. Loved by everyone except, of course, the French hierarchy, the church, state, and television community.The Archbishop of Paris, familiar with Bishop Blackie's impressive sleuthing skills, asks the Archbishop of Chicago and Blackie's boss, Sean Cardinal Cronin, for help in finding this missing priest. As usual, Cardinal Cronin resolves the matter with a brusque "See to it, Blackie?'At the door of the church of St-Germain-des-Pres, Blackie meets a young and beautiful woman begging for money. When he hires her as a translator, she turns out to be an excellent Dr. Watson and a brilliant musician as well. She is at his side for the entire investigation. He soon learns that the Church isn't eager to have the young, innocent, and saintly priest returned, nor are the police. Once the public discovers the disappearance of their beloved priest, the miracles start, and nothing scares the Church more than miracles.Undaunted, Blackie - with the help of his beautiful, young, smart sidekick - defies the cynical and uncooperative Paris police, an unbending church, and reluctant witnesses to find the bizarre solution to one of the most fascinating puzzles he has ever encountered.