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reads_eats_explores's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Detective Strafford and pathologist Dr Quirke meet again in 1950s Dublin to investigate an apparent suicide, which of course, was still a criminal act.
Rosa Jacobs is found dead in a garage, and it initially looks like an open-and-shut case. The body of the 27-year-old Jewish woman, a history scholar at the prestigious Trinity College, is discovered behind the wheel of a car, with its hood up and most of its windows closed, a hose connecting the exhaust pipe to the gap in the driver’s side window.
Of course, life and death cannot be so simple in a crime novel, and it soon transpires Miss Jacobs's cause of death is, in fact, murder. Most likely, she was gagged and anesthetised before being put in the running car to lay red herrings for any investigators to come.
Thankfully, Strafford and Quirke are not afraid to upset the apple cart and ask uncomfortable questions, much to the disquiet of the Chief Inspector, who feels the power of Church and Government much more fiercely.
Their investigation leads them to a wealthy German family with businesses worldwide, including in Israel. Rosa apparently knew this family well, and there are rumours that Rosa was romantically involved with one member, Frank. The plot thickens as the investigators discover that a hit-and-run driver has killed a friend of Rosa’s from Tel Aviv. Are these two deaths connected?
Throughout the novel, the strained relationship between Strafford and Quirke is probed; Quirke’s wife was shot to death in Spain, and Strafford killed her killer (and I feel I missed out a doonshie bit, having not yet read April in Spain). Still, there's much more to their discomfort, with neither man really understanding the making of the other - Strafford, a wealthy Prod, Quirke, a Catholic foundling who made good of himself.
The Lock-Up has a solid plot which will have you second-guessing your speculations on whodunit, but it's the prose and dialogue that are top-notch, perfectly fitting for the era in which these books are set.
The ending was a little disappointing but overall a solid read. I look forward to more of this rather quirky (sorry, I couldn't resist the pun) pair. 4⭐
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy in return for an honest review, as always.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy in return for an honest review, as always.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Blood, Confinement, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, War, Abandonment, Classism, Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, Hate crime, Xenophobia, and Death
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