Christine Falls

CHRISTINE FALLS: Benjamin Black: Holt: Mystery: 340 pages

This is the first book in a series about 1950s Dublin pathologist, Quirke. The author, Benjamin Black (a pen name for John Banville) who was nominated for an Edgar award for his first foray into mystery fiction.

Hard drinking Quirke has always felt the world was against him. His first love married his adopted brother and his wife died in childbirth. When Quirke drunkenly stumbles upon his brother changing the cause of death records of a young woman named Christine Falls, he finds himself almost unwillingly searching for the reason for this cover-up and soon gets in deep enough to receive threats.

Black’s lyrical use of language and psychologically complex characters is a divergence from the typical fast paced detective novel, but in my opinion offers much more to think about after finishing the book.

AJ