In a sleepy Midwestern town on the banks of the Fox River lives one of the greatest fictional detectives ever created. Father Dowling, the benevolent, brilliant priest of the St. Hilary church, leads and cares for his congregation and also finds the time to unravel the knottiest of mysteries. Ralph McInerny’s sleuthing priest has appeared in more than twenty-five novels, and his exploits were also made into a television series, The Father Dowling Mysteries. But Father Dowling has also appeared in many short stories as well, solving crimes no less complicated for their brevity.

Following the first celebrated collection, The Wisdom of Father Dowling, here are sixteen more of the best Father Dowling Mystery Short Stories, all collected for the first time. Each cunning case is carefully examined by the good father, accompanied by the cast of characters that fans around the world have grown to know and love. Whether unraveling the identity of a mysterious benefactor who left a suitcase full of money on the church’s front steps or arbitrating between contesting relatives to determine who is the real beneficiary of a large inheritance, Father Dowling brings his unique perspective and quiet determination to bear on each crime he encounters, leaving the guilty nowhere to hide.