Strangely compelling!

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The Drowned (Strafford and Quirke #4) by John Banville         

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Bizarre and yet not? The thinking person’s mystery novel or not? A tangled mystery novel from Booker prize winner John Banville.

Downtrodden, slightly worn ex private school characters, come together in this murder mystery that seemingly no-one solves, yet maybe they do! Set in Ireland in the early 1959’s

A middle aged, separated  Detective Inspector (Garda) Strafford, a middle aged pathologist, his daughter who’s been dating the detective, and various strange or deadly characters, linked by a previous murder and school days. Then there’s the pedophile!

A Mercedes sports is spotted doors open, light’s blazing. A man approaches it feeling he shouldn’t, suddenly a man emerges from the night claiming his wife has gone missing. Admittedly the man’s behaviour is strange.

The plot becomes more twisted as memories are flayed, even if only to the character. 

And yet, despite the half finished conversations and thoughts I found this complex mystery weirdly fascinating!


A Harlequin Trade ARC via NetGalley.                                              

Many thanks to the author and publisher.

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