Commissioned as a high-profile serial by the New York Times Magazine, The Lemur is a stylish new thriller from a rising star of literary crime
The Lemur
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Amazon Review
John Banville’s credentials as a literary novelist are, of course, impeccable – but his track record in that field hardly guaranteed him success in the crime novels he decided to pen under the nom-de-plume of Benjamin Black. Despite some initial resistance, the first two Black novels, Christine Falls and The Silver Swan, gleaned a considerable following, with Black/Banville’s Dublin pathologist Quirke quickly established as an eccentric and individual protagonist. The 1950s settings are one of the most striking elements of the earlier books, and in the third novel The Lemur, a standalone thriller set in modern America and Ireland, the earlier strengths are once more to the fore -- but in a contemporary form.
Irish-American billionaire William Mulholland has a past in intelligence, but his chief preoccupation has become the organisation he operates with his daughter Louise, the Mulholland Trust. Realising that a forthcoming biography is planning hatchet job on him, Mulholland plans a counter-attack by commissioning the once-influential journalist John Glass (his daughter’s husband) to pen the official biography - which will, inevitably, be far more sympathetic. The researcher employed by Glass, the youthful Dylan Riley, is the eponymous ’lemur’, so called because of his resemblance to that rodent. But Riley begins to uncover more than he should, and attempts blackmail. He is discovered dead.
The vividness of The Lemur is in its rich and loamy panoply of modern Ireland, both similar to and very different from the country that so many of its citizens moved to, the United States. Very different from the earlier Black books, but distinctive and ingenious. --Barry Forshaw
Review
'Achieves a great deal in a short time . . . It's an edgy read, worthy of Don DeLillo' -- Evening Standard
'Banville is a sophisticated novelist...The characterisation is deft '
-- London Review of Books
'The Lemur has pace and bravado; the writing is sharp and the timing flawless while the prose, naturally, is brilliant.' -- Time Out
'The Lemur is a highly engaging read that should find considerable favour with crime novel aficionados' -- Hot Press
'This is...a masterclass in characterisation, which is spot-on...This is Banville revelling in creative freedom'
-- Waterstones' Books Quarterly
'This tautly written thriller is full of the beautiful observation and clear characterisation that you would expect.'
-- The Good Book Guide
'sleeker than his literary fiction but without any loss of his ability to perfectly describe situations...engrossing reading'
-- Irish Mail on Sunday
'Banville is a sophisticated novelist...The characterisation is deft '
-- London Review of Books
'The Lemur has pace and bravado; the writing is sharp and the timing flawless while the prose, naturally, is brilliant.' -- Time Out
'The Lemur is a highly engaging read that should find considerable favour with crime novel aficionados' -- Hot Press
'This is...a masterclass in characterisation, which is spot-on...This is Banville revelling in creative freedom'
-- Waterstones' Books Quarterly
'This tautly written thriller is full of the beautiful observation and clear characterisation that you would expect.'
-- The Good Book Guide
'sleeker than his literary fiction but without any loss of his ability to perfectly describe situations...engrossing reading'
-- Irish Mail on Sunday
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Read this last night in one sitting - it's a slim volume. I can't help feeling extremely bemused and disappointed. The beautiful prose of the other Black books (which featured Quirke, the 1950s Dublin pathologist) has vanished, leaving a trail of cringey cliches. Set in contemporary New York, it felt like Black trotted out every rotten phrase that could go in a detective novel. (It's about a journalist commissioned to write the biography of his incredibly rich former CIA father-in-law, who immediately gets into trouble doing so.) There were three of the most ill-conceived characters of non-Caucasian origin I've read in a 21st century novel, including an African American journalist of epic-ly distasteful proportions; AND the plot was... lame.
I love everything else I've ever read by John Banville / Benjamin Black, so I can only assume that this is an experiment in genre fiction gone horribly wrong. (Perhaps he was trying to create for today something like the hard-boiled style of noir American thriller writers?) The best bit about the book is the title, which refers to one of the characters, and which really made me remember why I like his writing usually.
Anyway, I didn't like it, and I wouldn't recommend it!
I love everything else I've ever read by John Banville / Benjamin Black, so I can only assume that this is an experiment in genre fiction gone horribly wrong. (Perhaps he was trying to create for today something like the hard-boiled style of noir American thriller writers?) The best bit about the book is the title, which refers to one of the characters, and which really made me remember why I like his writing usually.
Anyway, I didn't like it, and I wouldn't recommend it!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This is very short story. John Glass, the main character, is a journalist who was once revered, tasked with writing the biography of his Father-in-Law, a colourful character but with skeletons in his closet. The tale opens with Glass recruiting a researcher to assist with the book, and everything unravels from there, once that researcher is murdered.
The eventual resolution comes as no real surprise, but I was left with the impression that the writer had something to say, and couldn't quite make up his mind what sort of book he should use to say it. There are severaL treads that are left hanging - the relationship with the investigating officer is clunky to say the least - and the stereotypical characters don't help.
Either the book is too long and should have been a short story, or too short, because the pace destroys any real character development.
Whatever, if you do decide to read the book, you won't waste too much of your time making up your own mind on it's merits
The eventual resolution comes as no real surprise, but I was left with the impression that the writer had something to say, and couldn't quite make up his mind what sort of book he should use to say it. There are severaL treads that are left hanging - the relationship with the investigating officer is clunky to say the least - and the stereotypical characters don't help.
Either the book is too long and should have been a short story, or too short, because the pace destroys any real character development.
Whatever, if you do decide to read the book, you won't waste too much of your time making up your own mind on it's merits
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I'm sorry, but I have to agree with other reveiwers in that I didn't really enjoy this book. Too short, light on content, lame story line, unbelievable characters... I've not read anything else by Benjamin Black, but by all accounts his other books were excellent... so, overall, I'm very disappointed.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
3rd from John Banville's crime fiction alter ego... this one's a bit...
Basic story goes like this: ex-journo (John Glass) is appointed by his rich father-in-law to write his biography... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Andrew Sutherland
3.0 out of 5 stars
Better than writing under his real name
This refreshingly short and direct novel from John Banville writing as Benjamin Black is much more engaging than the usual angst-ridden stuff he churns out. Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2011 by Jl Adcock
2.0 out of 5 stars
Too Many Skeletons, Not Enough Closet
This is the first Benjamin Black (aka John Banville) book I have read and my advice, quite frankly, is 'stick to what you do best, John'. Read more
Published on 20 Aug 2010 by Graeme Wright
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing and lacking development
This very short novel started quite well and when I started to read it, I looked forward to a good thriller. Read more
Published on 15 April 2010 by Mr. Nadim Bakhshov
3.0 out of 5 stars
Short!
If you're looking at this book then you'll be well aware that it's a slim volume, and to some extent this defining feature gets in the way of the novel. Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2010 by Mr. Di Zendle
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
John Banville is undoubtedly a great writer, but I didn't enjoy this book. Banville is known for his literary works, and in "The Lemur" he produces a crime thriller under the... Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2010 by S. Diment
2.0 out of 5 stars
A weak tale
John Banville is a writer of legendary proportions who has chosen to write under the pseudonym of Benjamin Black. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2010 by J. Cronin
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't waste your time
A very, very disappointing book. The Lemur is really a long 'short' story rather than a novel, and is easily finished in one sitting. However, some may not even get that far. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2010 by V. Warrington
1.0 out of 5 stars
Were I a Lemur I'd be considering Legal Redress
This is one of the most turgid and least involving books it has been my misfortune to read.It has infinitely less depth of characterisation to its wafer-thin, opaque,... Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2009 by Captain Chaos (Semper Vigilans)
1.0 out of 5 stars
good story badly told
This book was actually very disappointing. The best way to describe it is lazily written. The plot which is created is intricate yet extremely strong and something as a reader... Read more
Published on 17 Dec 2009 by S. Warren
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