The Ablative Case

It seemed like such a simple task. Dwayne Navrone wants his wife, Mavis, out of the way so he can marry his voluptuous mistress, Jennifer Bailey. He finds two men, Calvin Harris and Ambrose Ruffle, both psychiatrists with issues of their own, to stage a kidnapping and murder, which will leave him free to restart his life with no entanglements. Then the kidnappers snatch the wrong woman, and everything goes downhill from there ... Ralph McInerny's new novel The Ablative Case introduces us to a quirky cast of characters, from the detective investigating the supposed kidnapping/murder which quickly spirals out of control, to the wife and supposed kidnap victim, who feels her life has been suddenly invaded for reasons she cannot explain. The two kidnappers, one an expriest, the other a sociopathic counselor, each begin to try to implicate each other and the husband of the original kidnap victim in their crimes, which grow more and more tangled as the investigation broadens. Cars are stolen, people disappear, and bodies begin popping up everywhere, from car trunks to office chairs. Drawn into the middle of it all is the staff of the financial aid office of placid Lyndon Johnson Community College. Anthony Award-winning author Ralph McInerny masterfully weaves together his most compelling story yet, complete with unique characters, a crackling plot, and an ending that will surprise and delight any mystery reader. Book jacket.

Ralph McInerny is best known for his Father Dowling character, who went on to have his own successful television show, Father Dowling Mysteries. But he is also a remarkably diverse author who has written more than twenty-five books. Four of his mystery series flourish, featuring Father Dowling, Sister Mary Theresa, Andrew Bloom and Roger Knight. The Knight series is set at Notre Dame where McInerny has been a professor of philosophy since 1955. He is also Director of the Jacques Maritain Center at Notre Dame and a noted Thomas Aquinas scholar. In recognition of his contributions to mysteries, McInerny was awarded The Lifetime Achievement Award at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention in 1993