This book was not for me. It was very slow for a mystery and reading the story felt like torture. Many people said this book reminded them of a male version of an Agatha Christie book but I did not see that. The premise was great and I do think this book would be great for many people but this book dragged for me.

I enjoyed this slight, yet atmospheric mystery. I read it while in Ireland and it was the perfect touch. Banville has a way of creating characters you don't necessarily like, but certainly like to read about. I'll definitely be reading more of his books.

Detective Inspector St. John Strafford has been called to Ballyglass House in Ireland. The year is 1957 and the country is still heavily Catholic. The family who lives in Ballyglass House, the Osbornes, are Protestant as is Strafford. Ballyglass House is the house of title and prestige in the village, the place where hunts are done. The man of the house is a former Army man. His wife is his second wife and is one of those vapid, nervous women who seem to find life too, too difficult. There are two children, both almost grown. Dominic is at university to start his journey to a medical degree and Lettie is out of control, doing what she wants, including drinking and having sex with anyone she wants.

A murder is the cause of DI Strafford's call. The town parish priest, Tom, had stayed over the night before due to the snow. It is snowing everywhere in Ireland with blizzard conditions. Sometime during the night, someone jabbed the priest in the neck and watched him stagger down the stairs and make his way to the library. There he was castrated and finally died.

Who would do such a thing? Father Tom Lawless seemed popular with his congregation. His father had been an IRA higher up during the Troubles and Tom seemed to be making up for his father's sins. But Strafford soon finds there were enemies. Lady Osborne has a scandalous brother, who is forbidden the house and desperately wants Father Tom's thoroughbred horse. The local doctor calls on Mrs. Osbourne daily and seems to resent Tom's presence. Tom was assigned to the juvenile delinquent house of correction and one of his former charges may have come to call. Plus the deeper Strafford digs into the past, the more he starts to hear rumors about Father Tom's relationships with young boys. Can the D.I. solve the murder?

John Banville is an Irish writer who was born and grew up in this part of Ireland. One of his earlier novels, The Book Of Evidence, was longlisted for the Booker Prize. This novel was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger Award and was a New York Times Editor's Choice Pick. The character of D. I. Strafford is an interesting one and readers would be glad to read more about his cases. The atmosphere of the claustrophobia causes both by the snowy blizzard and the social mores of the times is done to perfection. This book is recommended for mystery writers.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, but it was not for me. I had to stop at 50%. The premise was great; the execution not so much. The pacing is way too slow for my taste in mysteries.

So, this is a mystery, but it's by a literary author, so I've got to talk a bit about symbolism. In this book, cold and snow are symbols for isolation and cover-ups. You might say that the white snow blotched on people's shoes, covering the ground, falling while the detective searches, is a bit like the snow-white morality that the Irish Catholic Church espoused while covering up priests who abuse vulnerable children and then are shuttled into different parishes to avoid the consequences of their actions (which then gives these priests a whole new set of prey). When you look at snow in this book that way, it's a clue as to who is lying or untrustworthy.

That's possibly the most interesting part of this book. It's no secret at this point that the Catholic Church has covered up monstrous amounts of horrendous abuse and the fact that the murdered priest was castrated is a pretty strong hint of the killer's motivation. In case you aren't sure, you get to read a chapter from said priest's POV (in the only flashback in the book) and can read about exactly how he justified his rapes. The only question is: exactly which victim of the priest decided to kill him?

This book is set in the 50's and the author seems to have gone in for a lot of the psycho-sexual mumbo-jumbo that white male authors often did during that time period. Our hapless and diffident detective has every single woman in the book panting after him and trying to seduce him (except for one woman who was obviously very abused), from the psychologically fragile step-mother to the "bold" daughter to the maid/waitress at the inn where he stays. He can hardly keep them off of him! All of these women (except for the "lower class" server?) are after power as much as sex and are repulsive in their attempts at seduction. There were also some sex scenes in the book that were incredibly un-sexy. It doesn't read like a book by an author who likes women much. Maybe all women really were this damaged in the mid-20th century- certainly their lives depended upon the men in them- but I really have a hard time believing that sexual provocation would be a strategy so commonly employed. I had a hard time getting past all this and ultimately ended up skimming the last part of the book because all the characters were so unpleasant.

The whole book is dark and disturbing, without anyone to root for. Each character in the book is playing an archetype with varying degrees of awareness that they are doing so. Even the detective admits to himself that he's not good at reading people and is not a very good detective, despite how he tries to appear. The author seems to be making the point that we are all more than stereotypes and are more complicated than we allow others to see. This is also an interesting point, but no one in the book seems to be interested in anything but their own interior drama and it all seems pretty hopeless. It's as bleak as midwinter. It's a well-written book with some things to say, but I can't recommend the experience of reading it.

Well-written but very dark, with issues at the heart of the novel that have affected Ireland, not just in the 1950s setting, but throughout the last century and into the current one: the Protestant-Catholic divide, the powerful grip of the Church, the influence of wealth and heredity, the hypocrisy of both political and ecclesiastical leadership. The "Interlude" chapter, written from a different POV than the rest of the book, is realistic, but stomach-turning.
Detective Strafford is an interesting character; he lacks direction and purpose in his personal life, and we see the places where that spills over in his professional life - his lack of connection with and responsibility for his sergeant, Jenkins, was one that struck me, since in most police procedurals, that is a sometimes tense but always strong bond. I found him remote and couldn't always accurately assess his motivations.
I appreciate the quality of Banville's writing; this is the first mystery written under his own name, although I've read two of the Quirke novels he wrote as Benjamin Black. He has profound insight into cultural and personal struggles, and I'll look forward to the next book, especially if it gives the reader more than a glimpse of the depths of his main character.

I don't know why but I find British detective novels to be very engaging. Is it a need for foreign travel? Is it varied investigative techniques or is it ...? Quickly paced, engaging, and a great "cast" of suspects and supporting roles. Thoroughly enjoyable journey!

Enjoyable historical mystery set in Ireland. Although i did figure out quite a bit of what was going on, it did trick me up just a little at the end which is always satisfying.

Strafford is an enjoyable narrator, if a bit melancholy at times. But he was a good backdrop for the mystery to unfold against and I could picture him very well in my head.

I don’t read a lot of mysteries but I did very much enjoy this one.

A literary mystery that is more literary than a mystery. Banville is a great writer and that still shows but the central mystery is a dud. One of the best feelings during reading a mystery book is coming up with a theory, being completely wrong, and retracing the steps you foolishly followed to see how you were bamboozled. Imagine my surprise when the suspect and motivation I deduced about 1/3 of the way in was 100% right. Perhaps some of the flaw lies in the marketing of the novel as a "mystery". I expected a challenge and got none. If I had come in expecting a work of "literary" or "historical" fiction, I feel I would have enjoyed it more thoroughly

A priest is killed in a Protestant home in Ireland 1957. Detective Inspector St. John is sent out to investigate. Atmospheric mystery bound in by snow.

Brilliantly ironic take on the timeworn country house mystery. See my review of this title in the Washington Independent Review of Books (linked below).

A mystery like no other yet similar to Christie's brilliant mind and way of putting words to paper in a way that captivates you. To say I enjoyed this read would be an understatement.

Snow, John Banville’s new foray into historical mystery, is set in 1957 Ireland, more specifically, County Wexford, where Garda Detective Inspector St. John Strafford has been called in to investigate the brutal murder of a local priest. Strafford is Protestant in a dominant Catholic country, a fact that has obviously been on his mind for much of his life and which can influence aspects of the case if he isn’t careful. The murder has occurred at Ballyglass House, a Protestant household, a deteriorating home with much history but less funds in the present.

To state one of the major plusses of this story up front, Banville is a wordsmith. His descriptions of the land, the weather, various characters, Strafford’s musings on life, religion and the case at hand are wonderfully done throughout the book. This prose elevates what is essentially a police procedural to another level. The plot is interesting it not unexpected for anyone who knows of Irish and Catholic Church history. I was able to work out some answers myself but found that this didn’t really interfere with my overall enjoyment of the book.

The novel’s subtitle is shown here as St. John Strafford #1. I will definitely plan to read #2. I’m curious where life will take this contemplative detective.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Witty, chilly murder mystery set in 1950s Ireland. A Protestant detective investigates the violent murder of a Catholic priest at a country house in southern Ireland, getting to know the local residents and the strange, secretive family that occupy the manor. This benefits greatly from Banville's witty but detached point of view. The culprit and motive are fairly easy to deduce as the story goes along, but the pleasure is in spending time with Detective Strafford and his oblique view of the world.

2.5 stars

I would give Snow 3 or 3.5 stars for the writing style alone. That definitely wasn't a problem with this book. Banville's descriptions of the weather, the house, the characters and the countryside are literary and well-done, although Snow is pretty much unrelentingly dour. The characters are all downright sinister or bizarre, and the places are crumbly, cold and depressing. I don't usually mind a bleak British mystery, but it was a little heavy-handed here. However, the real deal-breaker for me was the utter lack of surprise in the plot. The murder victim was a Catholic priest. You will think you know what happened very early on. You will most likely be correct.

I am a fan of the Benjamin Black Quirke series and this one, while new, was a nice overlap. Good mystery set in 1957 in Ireland. Some difficult parts to read. I look forward to more.

I found to be incredibly diverting and entertaining. It really put me in the moment and it was easy for me to get lost in the prose.

Snow by John Banville is a murder mystery and police procedural which takes place in County Wexford, Ireland. The year is 1957 and Detective Inspector St. John Strafford has been tasked with investigating the apparent murder of a priest, at Ballyglass House, ancestral home of the Osborne family. A snow storm is raging, the family appears unable to offer precise help in the matter and the DI’s detective has gone missing. As intriguing as this mystery is, what shines here is the quality of the prose. It is a pure pleasure to spend time immersed in this book. Banville is the 2005 Booker Prize winner for his novel The Sea: enough said. I highly recommend Snow to all mystery readers and every other reader. Thank you to Hanover Square Press, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I started listening to this one in audio because John Lee was narrating. Lee narrating an Irish accent was wonderful. I switched to the book because I haven't been having much commute time lately so listening to an audio from start to finish is challenging these days.

Unfortunately, my interest in the story waned and didn't maintain my interest the whole way through. :-( Which is sad-making since this is my first Banville book but I do want to read more of his work as it is very popular.

John Banville has crafted another marvelous mystery in his latest novel, Snow. He is able to incorporate his seamless prose with a fascinating mystery. His characters seem real, awash with self awareness and the angst of everyday life. Imbued with his usual spotlght into the strata of class and the Catholic Church, this is a book to read slowly and with wonder at the skill of this writer!