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A review by jmatkinson1
The Lock-Up by John Banville
5.0
When the body of a young Jewish woman is found in an apparent suicide, Dublin believes it as a result of her controversial views or a failed romance. However Pathologist Quirke thinks she was murdered and clues lead to a rich german industrialist and horsebreeder. As Quirke becomes more entangled with the dead girl's family he persuades Strafford to take him seriously and investigate. The German is connected to the Catholic Church and both Quirke and the police are put under pressure as the conspiracy theories spiral.
This is the latest episode in Banville's series set in 1950s Ireland and featuring the protestant detective Strafford. here Quirke takes more a central figure and his excessive behaviours are explored in more detail. I loved the plot, going from escaped Nazi criminals to the development of nuclear armaments in Israel, yet Naville does not write in a typical way for a thriller. He is an accomplished literary writer and as such this is an intelligent and understated piece of writing that succeeds in both genres.
This is the latest episode in Banville's series set in 1950s Ireland and featuring the protestant detective Strafford. here Quirke takes more a central figure and his excessive behaviours are explored in more detail. I loved the plot, going from escaped Nazi criminals to the development of nuclear armaments in Israel, yet Naville does not write in a typical way for a thriller. He is an accomplished literary writer and as such this is an intelligent and understated piece of writing that succeeds in both genres.