The Rosary Murders (Father Koesler #1) 2 of 5 stars ⭐ Not as good as the movie…

 Not as good as the movie…

The Rosary Murders (Father Koesler #1) 2 of 5 stars ⭐ 

By: William X. Kienzle

Great premise that never materializes into anything interesting…

WHAT WORKS:

*The book is written well, it's easy to read. 

*Several good character studies (that unfortunately go nowhere).

WHAT DOESN'T WORK:

*The reporters never come to life, they're like paper dolls, with no depth.

*The cops are just as one dimensional as the reporters, few of the characters seem believable. 

*No interplay between Father Koesler & the killer (like in the movie), which makes for a boring, plodding book.

GOOD CHARACTER STUDIES THAT GO NOWHERE

Mother Mary Honora is a good example. The descriptions of her home, the other nuns she cohabitates with, and her daily good works, are all more than engaging. Her struggles to understand the language of the streets, and even her prayer of forgiveness as she is murdered, gives her character depth. But then that's it. Just as we know and care about her, poof! She's gone! 

This happens again with the portly Father Fred Palmer. A likable fellow, who's love of pancakes and sausage is hurting his career. He believes going to the gym once or twice a week, and swimming a few laps, is enough to work off those syrup soaked sausages. He's the one character (other than Father Koesler) who really comes to life, and is enjoyable to be with. I wanted more of his silly antics, but again, as soon as you get attached to him, poof! He's gone! 

At least these two characters came to life for me, it never happened with Lieutenant Walter Koznicki, the officer in charge of the case, or with Joe Cox, the reporter assigned to cover the case. They were flat, one dimensional, cardboard cutouts, and occasionally, I would get the two of them confused. That shouldn't happen, they are main characters!

BOOK VS MOVIE

Donald Sutherland as
Father Koesler

There are several scenes that don't come to life in the book, the way they do in the movie. This is mostly due to Donald Sutherland's enormous talent as an actor. He brought Father Koesler to life in a way that William Kienzle was never able to accomplish on the page. 

But even in the scenes where Father Koesler is not present, the movie is better than the book. There's a scene in the Carmelite convent (cloistered nuns), where the killer poses as a telephone repairman, so he can dispatch Sister Margaret Mary. In the movie, it's taught and nerve wracking, but in the book, it's just another scene where clergy is killed. 

In the movie, there's a bond between the killer, and Father Koesler, a secret connection.

The killer confesses to Father Koesler, and this disclosure both terrifies, and motivates the priest. He's a cleric who believes in his holy covenants, it's his responsibility to save this man, no matter his crimes, or even if it puts his own life in danger. 

In the movie, there are several frightening scenes where Father Koesler knows he's being followed, and menaced by the killer, but can do nothing to protect himself. If he goes to the police with what he knows, he'll be breaking the sacred vows of the confessional. In one scene, Father Koesler (Donald Sutherland) has broken into the killer's house, thinking no one is home. He's hoping to learn more about the evil that's driving the killer's merciless crusade. But as he opens the door to the next room, the madman is standing there, smiling. Father Koesler can do nothing but slam the door, and run. It's the best scene in the whole movie, and it's both a jump scare, and a bone chilling look into the eyes of a killer, and his murderous rationalizations. 

The book offers none of these types of nerve shattering interactions. There's just a lot of banal looks at a day in the life of the Detroit clergy. There's nothing interesting about it.

There was one thing I did not like about the movie, and it was the implied relationship between Father Koesler & the reporter, Pat Lennon (Belinda Bauer). It's not in depth enough to be interesting, and so it just peters out, much like the short character studies in the book. By trying not to offend anybody, with a priest in a relationship story line, they ended up just boring everyone with another pointless, dead end plotline.

Even with that said, the movie is so much better than the book, and that's down to the two writers. Elmore Leonard adapted William X. Kienzle's book into a much better screenplay. The movie I would recommend, the book, not so much.

Ratings:

The Rosary Murders (Father Koesler #1) 2 of 5 stars ⭐ (book) 

The Rosary Murders 6.4 of 10 stars ⭐ (movie)

To be honest, I've been dreading finishing this book, and starting the next in the series. I know I will, but it's not something I'm looking forward to. I wouldn't mind watching the movie again, though.