Holy Orders

June 24, 2013
“Love was love, and always demanded more than a lover was capable of giving.” The profound melancholy of that sentiment permeates Black’s sixth Quirke novel set in 1950s Ireland (after 2012’s Vengeance). The discovery of the badly beaten body of journalist Jimmy Minor, a friend of Quirke’s daughter Phoebe, in a Dublin canal presents the pathologist with a highly personal case. Quirke, for whom happiness is one of “those words… the meaning of which he could never quite grasp,” and his friend on the force, Inspector Hackett, follow a trail that brings them into conflict with the Catholic Church. The solid detecting, as the doctor and the detective try to figure out what story Minor was pursuing that may have led to his death, will keep readers engaged, but the book’s power stems from its multifaceted lead. Black is the pen name for Man Booker Prize–winner John Banville. Agent: Ed Victor, Ed Victor Literary Agency (U.K.).

At first they thought it was the body of a child. Later . . . they realized their mistake. With a lilt of Irish in his voice, John Keating sets the unrelentingly grim tone of Benjamin Black's sixth Quirke mystery, set in 1950s Ireland. Black, the pen name of literary author John Banville, offers a strong plot and characters. Moody, suffering from panic attacks, forensic pathologist Quirke finds himself embroiled in the murder of an investigative journalist, a situation that brings out painful memories of childhood abuse he suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church. Keating makes each minor character substantial, and he delivers a vivid portrait of the depressive detective, complete with alcohol-induced maudlin ponderings. Familiarity with the earlier books will be helpful. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine