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| The Bishop in the West Wing: A Bishop Blackie Ryan Novel (Bishop Blackie Ryan) | 
| Author: Andrew M. Greeley
Publisher: Forge Books
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 189993
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4 x 0.7
ISBN: 0812575989
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780812575989
ASIN: 0812575989
Publication Date: June 16, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Good condition, wear from reading and use. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact and has some creases. The spine has signs of wear and creases. This copy may include "From the library of" labels, stickers or stamps and be an ex-library copy.
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Product Description
Andrew M. Greeley’s bestselling sleuth meets The West Wing . . .Blackie Ryan gets a call from his friend, the newly-elected Democratic president Jack Patrick McGurn—whom the media has seen fit to call “Machine Gun McGurn”—but of course the call is interrupted by Blackie’s boss, the autocratic Cardinal Cronin. Cronin, without consulting Blackie, sends him off to the White House to solve a poltergeist problem. Ghosts in the White House? Of course.Blackie encounters a great deal more than ghosts; an evil spirit out to get the President, a right wing conspiracy, and four beautiful women, any one of whom could be contributing to the mischief in the West Wing.How Blackie solves the problem of the ghosts and the conspiracy, and perhaps even finds a beautiful wife for the lonely, recently widowed President makes The Bishop in the West Wing the best Blackie Ryan novel yet.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 Blackie and POTUS March 11, 2008
This fun, humorous, jaunt through the White House, is pure entertainment. However, to really enjoy this novel realize that the author is a liberal Roman Catholic, Democrat from Chicago who loves his faith, politics, and the Chicago Cubs. Greeley is a true humorist who has fun with Republicans, but also gets readers to laugh about his Irish heritage, the quirks of his faith, his family and himself.
Bishop John Blackwood Ryan, who prefers to be called Blackie, is a priest detective and the Cardinal's flunky for all troublesome problems. In this case Blackie is given the mission to visit Washington and fix two difficulties for a friend of the Cardinal, the President of the United States. The first task is to handle poltergeists that haunt the White House. The second is to resolve an embarrassing sexual harassment case filed against the President by former female campaign workers. Surprisingly, poltergeists are not asserted to be Republicans but rather teenage girls.
Although the "mystery" is rather simple, the descriptions are magnificent. Blackie's view of the Inside of the Executive Mansion is clever, clear and often funny. For example, he observed a "wide corridor which was arranged like a hotel lobby or perhaps the biggest drawing room in the world", and after learning that Winston Churchill had occupied his assigned bedroom, he noted that an "orotund English gentleman . . . just emerged naked from the bathroom smoking a cigar."
Greeley's descriptions of the main characters are clear: Jack McGurn is perhaps five feet ten with a square dimpled face that seems impeccably honest. His blue-green eyes dance with charm ... his black kinky hair parted in the middle over a low forehead edges into silver suggesting a mix of youthful vigor and mature wisdom. In Greeley's terms most of the women are beautiful, but of course most women are gorgeous to their lover and to healthy, single, celibate priests.
This is the first of Greeley's Blackie series novels that I read. I was fascinated by some of the minor characters, like his sister Mary Kathleen Ryan Murphy and Mike "the cop". There seemed to be more to them than the novel revealed. When I learned that this is the thirteenth novel in the Blackie series, I understood. Many of the minor characters were introduced in detail in earlier editions. Accordingly I found the earlier books and decided to read them in order. That has made a huge difference. Blackwood's family and friends have become almost "real." They are now like part of my family. I read Bishop in the West Wing again, in its proper place, and enjoyed it immensely the second time around.
Political but still entertaining July 9, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Greeley's political views come out a bit strong but the history is entertaining as is the story. I would not recommend this a your first Blackie Ryan Mystery, Begger Girl and Missing L Train are better.
 The Bishop in the West Wing February 27, 2006
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Enjoyed the book, even though it was from the liberal standpoint. I am a big fan of Andrew Greeley.
 Book of Bias and Hate December 29, 2005
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Like many, I have been a long-time fan of Father Andrew Greeley and especially his Bishop Blackie Ryan series. The good Father, however, has now betrayed the trust of his readers with this book of bias and hate.
Throughout the book, the author accuses Republicans (not some or a few but all) of being wealthy, corrupt, and crooks. He does not miss an opportunity to level an attack againsts all Republicans, even those who died well over one hundred years ago. One might expect that from a partisan book written by political lackeys. One expects more, however, from a novel written by a priest.
What is most disturbing is that a Catholic priest using a fictional Catholic bishop to directly and indirectly debase all Republicans leaves the impression that his views have the imprimateur of the Catholic Church. Unlike the ficitonal church in this book, the real Catholic Church teaches love and forgiveness.
While he condemns the demogogues of the religious right, Father Greeley has adopted the very same tactics of hate and bias which he supposedly deplores.
Perhaps Father Greeley should write future novels with the words of the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, who also hailed from Illinois, in mind: "With malice toward none, with charity for all."
This is one book which should not have been written. Or, perhaps it should have as it exposes the real Father Greeley.
disappointing! May 24, 2005
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
Sadly, Andrew Greeley finally gets his wish, pushes Monica aside, and takes over on Bill Clinton...
silly story of a "vast right wing conspiracy" where Republicans, whites, conservatives, protestants...all evil, plot to blow up the white house, and plant ghosts to spook the new president.
Greeley's characters are straw men; light a match and watch them burn! ok, ok, I get it. Abortion, gay rights, stolen election, republicans are all killers, and Bill Clinton is god....we get your picture! what a silly, uninteresting story by an ego gone wild. Ridiculous cartoon like characters, including the southern politician who denounces all as "de-generates"---the transparency leaves little to the imagination...Even the NY Times, PBS, and Washington Post are all in on the vast right wing conspiracy because, as we all know, they are responsible for all the evil in the US and just disguise themselves as liberal.
Liberal or conservative, this book is a bore and is childish in its theme. Poltergeists in the white house, planted there by republicans to get back at bill clinton! Father Andrew has run out of ideas! At least we get all the token characters...
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