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The Bishop in the West Wing by Andrew M. Greeley Rating: ••• (Recommended)
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Unnecessarily Gracious Father Andrew Greeley’s favorite hero, Blackie Ryan, returns to solve another mystery in a new novel, The Bishop in the West Wing. When a poltergeist roams the White House following the inaguration of President John Patrick McGurn (code named “Kerryman” by the Secret Service), an Irish Catholic from Chicago’s South Side, Cardinal Sean Cronin dispatches his Auxiliary Bishop John Blackwood Ryan from Chicago to Washington to get rid of the poltergeist. While living in the White House, Father Blackie takes us all inside the workings of a new administration and the relationships among different players and the media. Here’s an excerpt from early in the book, as Blackie arrives at the White House, escorted by Secret Service agents Chick and Wholley who picked him up at National Airport: “A woman in her middle years and at peak efficiency introduced herself as the president’s social secretary. She would have made a good mother superior in the old days. ‘Welcome to the White House, Bishop Ryan,’ she said. ‘We hope that you enjoy your stay here. This is your White House pass, which you must wear around your neck at all times …’ ‘I will endeavor not to lose it,’ I replied. The letters on the pass were red. ‘It is a high clearance pass. It will get you anywhere in the building except the Oval Office.’ I gave it back to her. ‘It won’t do,’ I said. Time stood still in the diplomatic reception room. ‘Won’t do?’ ‘It will be necessary for me to enter the Oval Office whenever I wish.’ ‘I’m sure that I won’t be able to arrange that.’ ‘Then I will be forced to ask my good friends Chick and Wholley to take me back to National Airport.’ I thought that I heard a snicker behind me. If I were to war with the mischievous spirits who are badgering the Kerryman, I would have to be able to go anywhere I wanted. Besides, early on it was necessary to communicate to the diligent staff that I had clout. The woman turned away from me and spoke into her cell phone. I retreated to an easy chair and rested my eyes again. ‘We will have a pass for you shortly, Bishop.’ ‘Excellent,’ I said. An African-American gentlemen with a flawless Harvard attitude appeared after several minutes with the pass. It was, appropriately, green. ‘We don’t give these out very often, sir,’ he explained. ‘Most prudent,’ I agreed. I shook hands with my two agents from the airport. ‘It was an unnecessarily gracious ride,’ I assured them. Agent Chick grinned in response. Agent Wholley tipped her head. Another victory for the harmless little bishop.” In many ways, this novel presents Greeley at his very best. Jack McGurn is a highly intelligent and articulate President who uses humor and straightforward speaking to disarm his critics. As a populist, he cares less about those inside the Beltway, and allows them to fall in place behind himself and the will of the people. Cronin and Ryan impishly play the not-too-bright Cardinal Archbishop of Washington like a fiddle. When McGurn’s enemies try to derail his presidency, more Chicago friends set up the bad guys to fall on their own swords. There’s romance, but without the sex scenes that Greeley readers have come to giggle about. Best of all, the book is full of good feelings, a positive outlook, and people trying to do what they believe is right. If you’re looking for a light pick me up, read The Bishop in the West Wing. Steve Hopkins, July 10, 2002
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