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angus_mckeogh's review
3.0
The apparent start of a new detective and series. However, there wasn’t a whole lot of mystery in the murder. Ended up being more of a period piece about Ireland in the 1900s and the church and its position on clergy abuse. Pretty good on the whole.
natashaball's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship
bookward's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
jess_mango's review
4.0
The year is 1957 and Detective Inspector Strafford has been summoned from Dublin to investigate a murder in County Wexford. The local priest has been found dead in the estate of the Osborne family. The Osborne family are the local aristocrats and not very open about outsiders poking into their business. As Strafford conducts his investigation despite local resistance he uncovers many local secrets and in the process his young deputy who was helping in the investigation goes missing.
This reads like a classic cozy mystery but with a much darker twist. It is all set during the time when the Catholic Church ruled Ireland with a heavy hand and there are tensions between Strafford and the locals since he is not only an outsider but also a Protestant. It's all set amidst winter snow storms at an old Irish manor. Very atmospheric! Banville did a stellar job with this one! I recommend this one to anyone looking for a dark, mysterious winter read.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
This reads like a classic cozy mystery but with a much darker twist. It is all set during the time when the Catholic Church ruled Ireland with a heavy hand and there are tensions between Strafford and the locals since he is not only an outsider but also a Protestant. It's all set amidst winter snow storms at an old Irish manor. Very atmospheric! Banville did a stellar job with this one! I recommend this one to anyone looking for a dark, mysterious winter read.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
skconaghan's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
geeyouknit's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Pedophilia and Child abuse
robin57's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
coffeeandbooked's review
2.0
I read this book for a book club and I thought this was an interesting murder mystery but this wasn’t for me.
First posted on my blog here.
I thought the story could have been told better, it felt more like a story of a priest who sinned than a full murder/crime novel. I found it interesting as a whole but something didn’t quite click with me fully.
The mystery parts of the plot seemed to be sprinkled in amongst the rest of the story, parts of the story felt thrown in there because they were mentioned at the beginning but not again.
The author used an interlude, to explain who the murderer was without actually giving the name but this interlude completely gives the game away, because of all of this, you end up finding out the ending and working it out before the big reveal.
I will give this author another go.
First posted on my blog here.
I thought the story could have been told better, it felt more like a story of a priest who sinned than a full murder/crime novel. I found it interesting as a whole but something didn’t quite click with me fully.
The mystery parts of the plot seemed to be sprinkled in amongst the rest of the story, parts of the story felt thrown in there because they were mentioned at the beginning but not again.
The author used an interlude, to explain who the murderer was without actually giving the name but this interlude completely gives the game away, because of all of this, you end up finding out the ending and working it out before the big reveal.
I will give this author another go.