Christine Falls (Quirke 1) [Paperback]

'Black's narrative seems to unravel of its own accord, echoing the rythmns of Joyce and James'

'the imagery is unforgettable.'

'The plotting's watertight, the setting crackingly criminal and the language a cut above your usual potboiler'

'A breath of fresh air...a potently involving and deftly evolving intrigue...A dark pleasure'

'The beautifully turned plotting and the sensitive and intelligent evocation of 1950's Dublin is pure pleasure'

'...the imagery is unforgettable'

'A strong debu...This is a literary thriller that merits the name'

The first beguiling Quirke Dublin mystery

Quirke’s pathology department, set deep beneath the city, is his own gloomy realm: always quiet, always night, and always under his control. Until late one evening after a party he stumbles across a body that should not be there – and his brother-in-law falsifying the corpse’s cause of death. This is the first time Quirke has encountered Christine Falls, but the investigation he decides to lead into the way she lived and died uncovers a dark secret at the heart of Dublin’s high Catholic network; one with the power to shake his own family and everything he holds dear. ‘A superb stylist . . . His control and pacing cannot be faulted, and the final outcome is almost unbearably moving . . .You’re in for a treat’ Michael Dibdin, Guardian ‘Succeeds sensationally . . . An absorbing plot, beguiling characters and evocative settings . . . His pacing is impeccable’ Marcel Berlins, The Times ‘A gripping, beautifully crafted thriller . . . A one sitting-read, an all-night enticement’ Scotsman

Benjamin Black is the pen name of acclaimed author John Banville, who was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. His novels have won numerous awards, including the Man Booker Prize in 2005 for The Sea. He lives in Dublin.