The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain

Book excerpt: The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain is Andrew M. Greeley's most beguiling lock-room mystery yet, sure to please and delight his millions of fans. 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 Fr-re 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." To Blackie's chagrin, Cardinal Cronin decides to accompany our hero to Paris. When he isn't making snide remarks about the French, he's dining in three-star restaurants with Nora, his beautiful sister-in-law and the woman who keeps him on the straight and narrow. Blackie soon finds himself being used as a chaperon to avoid scandal. 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-and the investigation Blackie conducts is worthy of Hercule Poirot. and Sherlock Holmes. 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. And as Cardinal Cronin says to him, "Blackie, I'm glad you're on my side."AUTHORBIO: Father Andrew M. Greeley has written numerous bestselling novels, including his Nuala Anne McGrail series, Irish Gold, Irish Lace, Irish Whiskey, Irish Eyes, and Irish Love; his O'Malley family saga series, A Midwinter's Tale, Younger than Springtime, and A Christmas Wedding; his novel of the papal election, White Smoke; Contact with an Angel, Summer at the Lake, and Star Bright! More than fifteen million copies of his books are in print. He divides his time between teaching at the University of Chicago and the University of Arizona at Tucson.