When Phoebe Griffin, still haunted by the horrors of her past, is unable to discover news of her friend; Quirke, fresh from drying out in an institution, responds to his daughter’s request for help.

But as Phoebe, Quirke and Inspector Hackett speak with those who knew April, they begin to realise that there may have been more behind the young woman’s discretion and secrecy than they could have imagined. And while Quirke finds himself distracted from his sobriety by a beautiful young actress, Phoebe watches helplessly as April’s family hush up her disappearance, terrified of a scandal; and all possible leads seem to dry up, bar one she cannot bear to contemplate . . .

When Quirke eventually makes a disturbing discovery, he is finally able to begin unravelling the great, complex web of love, lies, jealousy and dark secrets that April spun her life from . . .

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Mantle
Publication date

1 Oct. 2010
Dimensions

13.5 x 2.5 x 21.6 cm
ISBN-10

0330518054
ISBN-13

978-0330518055
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Product details

Publisher : Mantle; 2nd edition (1 Oct. 2010)
Language : English
Paperback : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 0330518054
ISBN-13 : 978-0330518055
Dimensions : 13.5 x 2.5 x 21.6 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 1,960,271 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 128,646 in Thrillers (Books)
- 142,192 in Mysteries (Books)
- 146,148 in Contemporary Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews:
257 ratings

Product description

About the Author

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.

Customer reviews

5 star		46%
4 star		33%
3 star		13%
2 star		5%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

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Donny Rock

1950s Dublin

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 February 2021

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This is the third Dr Quirke story in which he is on the trail of his daughter's friend who has gone missing. The plot is largely driven by Quirke's alcoholically depressed intellect which still shows flurries of inspiration and kindness. The author shows his usual familiarity with and love of the Baggot Street area of Dublin. he also shows his distaste for the then archbishop of Dublin. One of the great pieces of writing in this, I feel, is the drive out to Howth balancing the erratic driving of Quirke with the evil intent of Oscar Latimer. The descriptions of canal life are just so interestingly worked.

This book is well worth a read.

Helpful

Marguerite

My third Quirke and he keeps getting better and better

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 February 2017

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My third Quirke book, and I loved it even more than the first two. Quirke has been drying out, and of course he's telling himself he'll turn over a new leaf even though he knows perfectly well he's not only not addressed any of his 'issues' he's deliberately turned his back on them. But one of them, in the form of his daughter, who comes to him for help when her friend seems to have disappeared, will not be ignored.

I love Quirke. I love his slow, lumbering inability to deal with life, and at the same time, his ability to see through shadows which obscure life from other people. He's helpless, but he doesn't need help. He could have been so many things, but what he's chosen to specialise in is being a failure - as a lover, a husband, a father and a doctor. In this book, he buys a car, a top of the range, fancy thing that challenges him in an odd way, like a woman. His driving is appalling and hilarious, as seen through the eyes of his terrified passengers, and this is another thing I love about the Quirke books, the contrast of dark and light.

As with the previous two, we're left with a load more questions rather than answers, with fleeting, tantalising insights into the Quirke psyche that leave us desperate for more. How I resisted downloading the next one straight away I'm not quite sure, but I can guarantee it will be appearing on my Kindle really soon. If you expect murder mysteries, this is not your sort of book. If you like tortured souls, dark stories and a bit of sleuthing on the side, it is perfect, and I highly recommend it. But do read them in order, else you'll miss out.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Quirke Mysteries 3: Beautifully written but a little light on plot

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 July 2017

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Benjamin Black cannot be accused of over-plotting the third novel in the Quirke series. A doctor - April Latimer - has gone missing, and through not very much happening at all, Black peels back the layers of the story to finally reveal what has happened to her. The book is essentially a vehicle to explore Quirke's ongoing difficult relationships with drink, his daughter, and his brother-in-law. The writing is beautifully done, with fog-shrouded Dublin coming across in succinct, poetic phrases that add layers of atmosphere to the story. Black is as good as Ian Fleming in his ability to describe places with spare, telling words. The Quirke series is a refreshing change from the numerous fast-paced and violent crime novels that make up so much of the genre these days. Quirke is a flawed, highly believable character, and these books are more about people and motivations than the violence that often accompanies crime. Occasionally slow-paced, but highly recommended.

Helpful

Podraigh O'MacFlabberty

Quirky (obviously)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 April 2013

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This was my first Quirke (indeed, my first Banville), and perhaps for that reason, it took a while for the setting to establish itself in my mind's eye. But once I realised this was 1950s Dublin, all came into focus and began to make much more sense. Perhaps I should have started at the beginning.

Anyway, although I concede that the plot is rather gentle for this genre, at least for the 2013 reader, the writing is beautiful, far superior to that of most of the crime novels with which I spend my time, and Quirke is a pleasure to meet.

As long as you know you're getting a crime mystery, rather than a police procedural thriller, you won't be disappointed by this. A whole world is convincingly presented, and I'll certainly be heading back there soon ...

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

From strength to strength.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 August 2014

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This is the third in the series of Quirke crime novels, and like its predecessors is set in 1950s Dublin. Once more the aptly named Quirke, pathologist, in cahoots with the redoubtable Inspector Hackett unravels the complexities of an original and intriguing case, triggered by the disappearance of a young woman associated with Quirke’s daughter. Phoebe, the daughter, has her own story to be told. She is a most refreshing character, who adds a great deal to all the stories, never so much perhaps as here, where she is more directly involved with the events of the plot.

What most specially sets this series of books apart from so many crime novels is the texture of the writing. Black, as one would hope from someone whose more obviously literary work written under his true name of John Banville has won awards and plaudits, has impressive descriptive powers and deals with relationships in a far more subtle way than is often found in the genre. I have become increasingly addicted to the Quirke novels and each seems to me stronger and more gripping than the one it follows. Strongly recommended.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Tara

So sorry but got bored!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 April 2013

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'The Sea' is such a beautiful book that I was expecting great things from Banville's alter ego Benjamin Black. This book was on an Amazon offer so definitely worth a try but, when I'm reading a murder mystery type of book, I want it to be easy, pacy reading and this was not. Lovely writing of course but it seemed to be swathes of characters' thought processes and scenery with brief explosions of 'action' in the form of sudden revelations of information pertinent to April's demise. I found myself skipping through looking for these, determined to find something to enjoy but failing. I think I approached it in the wrong way, expecting a thriller and getting something else entirely!

3 people found this helpful

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