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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
Maybe because I listened to the audio book while commuting, it was difficult to keep track of the stories, some of which are in the past to give context. After reading another review that said this isn't so much a mystery as a description of the dark sides of all the characters -- and some are pretty dark-- I stopped trying to keep track of the plot.
Excellent writing, as one might expect from an author who's won the Man Booker prize under his proper name. The relationship between Quirke and his daughter Phoebe continues to rise like a lump of sourdough. The mystery was well constructed enough, but sordid.
despite being one of the more edgy volumes in this series, it wasn't one of my favorites.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder
It's a good mystery read about a Dublin pathologist named Quirke who can't let questions go unanswered. This one develops his character and his complex personal life nicely following the first in the series, Christine Falls. Think I'll try another. A good escape.
I absolutely hate a mystery where the protagonist screws everything up. If I wanted to read about people getting, I would not be reading a murder mystery. I would be reading the author's straight up fiction work.
We read mystery (and, for that matter, fantasy and to an extent romance) novels to see justice done. The real world is rarely so tidy. We want evil vanquished and the good rewarded.
Sure, we can choose something grittier. Where the lines aren't so clear and there are shades of grey. But at the end of the day, the investigator is supposed to actually know who committed the murder. They are supposed to do something about it, even if they can't do much. In the end, there is closure and resolution, even if it's imperfect and Spade goes home to drink alone.
Not so much here.
We read mystery (and, for that matter, fantasy and to an extent romance) novels to see justice done. The real world is rarely so tidy. We want evil vanquished and the good rewarded.
Sure, we can choose something grittier. Where the lines aren't so clear and there are shades of grey. But at the end of the day, the investigator is supposed to actually know who committed the murder. They are supposed to do something about it, even if they can't do much. In the end, there is closure and resolution, even if it's imperfect and Spade goes home to drink alone.
Not so much here.
Hoping this isn't a tread in the recent series I've read. Not terrible but not nearly as good as the first one. Also, it concerns me that the main character isn't always in the right place to investigate these crimes. Which makes him sort of a peripheral character looking in.
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2023/08/25/review-2227-the-silver-swan/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2023/08/25/review-2227-the-silver-swan/