From title page to final line, Mom and Dead shines with the irresistible humor and deft touch so loved by fans of Ralph McInerny. It also marks the return of successful lawyer Andrew Broom, who casts a watchful eye over the goings-on in Wyler, Indiana. Years ago Broom left the big city for the comforts of his native town. But being the top lawyer in Wyler isn't all fun and games. While the golfing is great, the outside world does intrude from time to time. And much to Broom's dismay, he's often the one to sweep everything up and sort it all out. Here, Broom finds himself confronting his old nemesis, Frank McGough, over the sale of property lying along the Tippecanoe River, just west of town. The potential buyers? Some shady out-of-town characters who are willing to pay a king's ransom for what the locals nostalgically think of as common land belonging to hunters, kids, and fishermen. Broom is skeptical of the deal, especially because McGough is involved. If McGough's clients have an interest in the river acres, then Broom is instinctively opposed to the sale. His suspicion deepens when a human skull turns up on the property. Remains from an old Indian burial ground, or something more ominous? A possible homicide is just the worst of Wyler's problems. There is also talk of drugs in the schools and even a growing movement to ban bingo. Nothing, it seems, is sacred. Veering from the local truck stop to the halls of the state legislature, Ralph McInerny takes us on a whirlwind adventure that involves a score of plot twists and diverse characters, each more pointedly depicted and brilliantly captured than the next. In short, a feast of devilish wit.

Genre: Mystery