The Quirke Novels by Benjamin Black

I did a full review, some time ago, of the first novel, Christine Falls, in Benjamin Black’s mystery series featuring Dublin Pathologist Quirke. The second in the series, The Silver Swan, takes place 2 years later.

Reading The Silver Swan in the fall of 2020 during a time of rising cases in the pandemic I found it consoling to read a novel, written in 2008, but taking place in the 1950s. The Silver Swan finds Quirke back at work in Dublin and when the body of a young woman, a supposed suicide, is brought to him, the woman’s husband makes the request that Quirke not perform an autopsy – that it would be an unnecessary indignity to her body.

Quirke’s estranged daughter is also in Dublin, fragile and vulnerable after her experiences in the first novel, but perhaps attempting to make a life for herself – or at least manage to put in time in the land of the living.

I have been slowly doling out this series of books and did not read the 5th, Vengeance, until recently. The perfect book for a couple of days spent at the cottage recently. Once again, immediately, I loved the writing, such a pleasure just to read this writer’s work. In this novel it was very soon apparent that John Banville was thoroughly enjoying being a bit “naughty” writing as his alter ego, Benjamin Black. And there is no doubt about it, Quirke can be quite the bad boy. Drinking and sleeping his way from one side of Dublin to the other. It is a wonder that so many women find him attractive despite his behaviour, but I guess that is the bad boy attraction.

In this instalment Quirke becomes involved in the case involving the suicide of a well-known local businessman, who killed himself in the presence of his business partner’s son. Was there, or was there not, a reason for this? Quirke thinks there must be. Quirke watches  the family members of this man, imagining the possible relationships between them that might have been cause for this death. When there is a second death, one that is very definitely murder the case becomes more complicated – and more dangerous.