Snow, by John Banville, is a historical police procedural, set in midcentury Ireland, a land indepedent of Great Britain, while still exhibiting many class and prejudicial differences between Catholics and Protostents. This is not, however, without its very dark and disturbing moments. Perhaps I should have seen them coming, since the victim is a Catholic priest, but I clearly didn't think that through. Very much worth the read, but this goes beyond the procedural and into cultural commentary - one that is needed and well handled. Recommended.

A well-crafted Irish mystery in which we encounter Lt. Strafford the detective from the big city [Dublin], and a host of characters - odd and unusual. The local priest has been murdered, in a most grisly way. It's winter, and the snow falls daily to obliterate any overnight activity. An unexpected conclusion.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Faber & Faber and Net Galley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. pub date 10/01/20

I would like to thank Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for an advance copy of Snow, a stand-alone police procedural set in County Wexford in 1957.

Detective Inspector St John Strafford is called out to Ballyglass House, home of the Osborne family, where a priest, Father Tom Lawless, has been murdered. His task is made more difficult by the secrets the family is reluctant to divulge.

I enjoyed Snow which is an atmospheric novel, full of hints and half glimpsed secrets. I hesitate to say it’s a profound novel because it covers old ground and doesn’t delve too deeply but it certainly isn’t a superficial covering of events. It is told mostly from Strafford (with an r)’s point of view so the reader sees what he sees, mostly, as I said, hints and innuendo hidden behind a veil of reticence. This reticence comes more from the fact that priests and their conduct were not discussed in 1950s Ireland than an innate secretiveness, even Strafford gets a not so veiled warning from the Archbishop. The snow and the Church’s long reach give the novel an oppressive feel, as if they’re conspiring against him.

The novel is set up to give the appearance of a Golden Age mystery, country house, limited number of suspects, treacherous conditions to disallow strangers, detective as the outsider and a body in the library and then it changes. This novel has far darker themes and a more descriptive level of violence. It is clever in that what is done to Father Tom points the reader towards a potential motive.

Nearer the end of the novel there is a chapter where Father Tom looks back over aspects of his life. This is extremely well done in its pseudo reasonableness. It is self serving and, quite frankly, horrifying but captures his mindset perfectly. It adds nothing to Strafford’s investigation as he doesn’t learn of it but it illustrates the prevailing attitude of the Church, not that that will be much of a surprise to readers.

Snow is an interesting read as, while it has a murder and a detective, its preoccupation is more about the mores of the time and how the characters relate to it. It is strangely compulsive in parts.

Snow by John Banville
A treat of a tale based in winter in Southern Ireland in the late fifties. Featuring the local police DI Strafford who comes to investigate the murder of a local priest who has been staying with Colonel Osborne in his big country estate Ballyglass House, outside Dublin.. With the limited list of suspects from the household including a wayward daughter, a mentally unstable wife and a young stablelad who lives in a caravan in the woods, the story unfolds nicely as we suspect one then another as things from the past are gradually revealed. Similarity to the Benjamin Black books are confirmed with the occasional reference to Quirke the pathologist who features in them.
A great read -highly recommended

A priest is murdered, a missing policemen, a drugged up wife and a cast of over the top characters. It would all point to an enjoyable whodunnit. Unfortunately the sum of the parts did not add up - there were patches which seemed to drag and other parts where I struggled to work out whether the characters were of interest or just passing by.

It was OK but not as exciting as I had hoped.

Thanks NetGalley, Faber and Faber Ltd and John Banville for a free copy to review.
As one of the characters exclaimed early in the book ( Jesus Christ, will you look at this place? Next thing Poirot himself will appear on the scene!). I couldn't believe this book is written in 2020, it's a classic British mystery as if you are reading one of Agatha Christie books all with a body in the library of all places! Though I have to admit Agatha Christie might have discussed twisted human behavior but I don't believe she portrayed a murder scene like our late priest!
I found it a little difficult for me to get the religious and Irish references. I enjoyed lots the writing style.
It is my first book by John Banville but I will seek the rest of his work.

Veteran Irish novelist John Banville is best remembered as the winner of the Booker Prize in 2005 for his reflective journal “The Sea” and he also writes successful crime novels under the pen name Benjamin Black.

DI St John Strafford is called from Dublin to investigate the murder of a popular parish priest at Ballyglass House, the County Wexford seat of the Osborne family. Like the family, Strafford is also of a posh, aristocratic upbringing, albeit Protestant, which brings about tension from the locals during the investigation. But Strafford continues doggedly in his pursuit of the truth and while the snow continues to fall, the Ballyglass local residents continue to keep tight lipped.

Although written in an easy readable style and is wonderfully descriptive, I found this book very difficult to get into and quite slow if not plodding at times. I am sure there are many who will love the murder mystery aspect of the novel and no-one can deny that John Banville is a master of his trade, but this one really wasn’t for me I’m afraid.

My thanks go to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for the ARC

The only other book I have read by John Banville was The Sea so I had no idea what to expect from him writing a murder mystery (that he has done others you can google for yourself in addition to how to pronounce St John if for the remotest reason you are unsure-this is a book review so I won't bore you with the blurb either)
Banville is clearly a talented writer. The book is set in 1957 and the past, as they say, is another country and they did indeed do things differently then. Some of the things if found in a 2020 set police procedural would you have you howling but somehow they did fit with the book's ethos. A well crafted book, Slow paced. I did understand the interlude, I found it very effective at demonstrating the enormous turmoil within. You won't win any prizes for guessing the killer/s as it's fairly obvious but that isn't the point of the book in my opinion. I feel it has a greater tale to tell about the whole issue of Catholicism and the way that abuse was rife and swept under the carpet. There is a little bit about Irish politics but mostly religion dominates. I'm wondering whether the epilogue was meant to shut down suggestions of a sequel. If so I think very wise. This book should be allowed to stand alone. It's more than capable.
I might well read more of his mysteries and see how they compare
I have one note for the publisher

“The body is in the library,” Colonel Osborne said. “Come this way. “


From the first line we are transported into the well known territory of the classic British mystery. Except that we’re not in Britain, we’re in post-war Ireland, in a small village around Christmas time. The body of a priest is discovered at the bottom of the stairs, but the nature of his injury leaves no doubt as to whether it was murder or accident.

The house belongs to a formerly well-off Protestant family and the Catholic priest, weirdly enough, was a frequent visitor. St John Strafford, the detective sent from Dublin to investigate, is also from the Protestant aristocracy, but to say that it helps him get to the truth faster is not really the point. Without a winter coat or boots, the detective seems fully unequipped to confront the blizzard, just as he seems awkward and uncomfortable to interview the suspects.

Frankly I struggled to understand what the author wanted to achieve with this book. It is well written (John Banville) and very atmospheric (John Banville / Benjamin Black) and I liked Strafford, who is both lonely and lost (forever wishing he was somewhere else doing some other job). I enjoyed the ending too, which I won’t spoil, obviously.

But if you come for the mystery, even by cozy standards, you’re in for a disappointment, because the whodunnit (and why) is rather easy to guess. And if it’s about the social commentary, then it’s hardly groundbreaking. What remains is the atmosphere and the clever literary allusions to the classics, but in my mind it’s not enough to make a great mystery. I still prefer a good ol’ Dr. Quirke novel.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book for review consideration.

Banville has led a double-life as a writer. Under his own name he has written literary fiction, netting the Booker; under the pen-name Benjamin Black he has written crime novels and netted a larger audience. With Snow, he wears both his artist and craftsman hats at the same time.

Pacier read than normal., even if the killer's motive was obvious from the off. If not the equal of his two masterpieces, The Book of Evidence and The Untouchable, it's highly enjoyable.

This is the first Banville I have read; it won't be the last. It is a masterful story of a murder of an Irish priest at a quintessential country house. The atmosphere, the house, the village, the weather and the characters are equally claustrophobic and unsettling. I loved the study of the characters and Banville plays with the genre and there are lots of nods to the golden age of crime- but this is much more than a whodunit- it is a contemplation of evil, class, religion and revenge.

Sin of the Father

With this novel the two John Banvilles, himself and his alter ego, Benjamin Black, become one. Personalities from the Quirke novels, such as Inspector Hackett, now Chief-Inspector, and even Quirke himself make appearances. Themes from the same novels, such as the corrupt power of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland during the 1950s and 60s, are revisited.

Now this is interesting, as Banville has previously poured some scorn on the crime fiction genre and it is hard to know, at least initially how seriously to take the plot, the characterisation and even the style of this latest venture. With its references to potboilers of the period, to the fiction of Agatha Christie, with its red-herrings and caricatures of Irish personalities and life, its constant references to the theatricality of the plot, the reader is tempted to see the whole enterprise as an intellectual comedy. Its outsider detective, the only Protestant in the Irish police force, the shabby Irish country house with its colonel Blimp owner, its Flann O’Brien inspired publican, spouting lines from Samuel Beckett and the Old Testament, its hackneyed plot reveals (‘The body is in the Library’) all spark considerable amusement.

But there is a serious side too, and in Banville/Black novels it is not a new one, but as bleak as ever, and that is the corrupt abuse of children by Catholic priests and subsequent cover up. These themes, combined with a sinister portrait of the enormously powerful Archbishop McQuade, the scourge of Irish Protestants, circumscribe the comedy and bring the reader back to Earth with a shock.

As for the mystery, despite an unexpected twist at the end, it is not difficult to solve. The real mystery is why Banville has on this occasion decided to use his own name on the book’s cover.

This is an unusual book. Reads like a cozy mystery, but the subject matter is too dark for it to be that simple. The body of a priest lays in the library, but this is not the bloodless crime scene from other whodunits. The murder was violent and the body emasculated. Who would do that to a highly respected priest? We have a pool of suspects, as usual all hiding secrets. But these skeletons in the closet are dark and the characters not just quirky but unlikable. Strafford, the detective, is not completely sure that he wants to be a policeman and can’t help it when his personal feelings toward the suspects interfere with his investigation. I enjoyed the read, even if I felt the tone was off. It was the atmosphere that I liked the most. The oppressive snow, covering everything and making it beautiful while hiding the ugliness beneath. I wanted to like the characters, but never connected with them and I think this is on purpose. They are all complex and well-defined. The historical aspect is well developed, being set in Ireland shortly after its independence. The tensions still imbuing the dynamics amongst the characters in a dark way. The ending didn’t disappoint. Creepy and atmospheric, seems like the offspring of Agatha Christie and Lars Kepler.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ Faber and Faber Ltd!

Another shocking, unexpected death and unbelievable revelations after the death of wife and mom. Reeling from the loss, dad takes his befrest son to New York from California. Once there they have to learn a new way to live and figure out what really happened to the wife.
Things get complicated, of course, and what we think might have gone on was in fact, something else entirely.
There is tension while we wait to see if she really is gone.
It turns out there is all sorts of awful things just below the surface - what to do?
The end is quite dramatic and intense.
Good story- some depth from the dad, nice extra touch.

<i>Snow</i> is a murder mystery that shines light on the Catholic Church’s need to reform its policy of hiding its misdeeds. Detective St. John Stratford is an unsettled character who is good at what he does but plagued by the feeling that he should be somewhere else. <i>Snow</i> is written by John Banville, a prolific Irish novelist, short story writer, adapter of dramas and screenwriter.

The story is set in 1957 and begins with the gruesome murder of a popular priest. The murder takes place in a dilapidated manor house (Ballyglass House), where the occupants live in a world that demands “dressing for dinner”. Fortunately, Detective Strafford comes from the same world so he is allowed to question all of the suspects without restraint. At the same time, he takes a room in the neighboring village where he learns even more about the manor house and its occupants. The weather is severe so Stratford suspects that the murderer is among the strange set of characters who live in the house.

Banville is a master of character description and development. Detective Strafford is very interesting because, although he is an excellent detective, he doesn’t appreciate his own talents.

<i> “His strongest drive was curiosity, the simple wish to know, to be let in on what was hidden by others. Everything to him had the aspect of a cipher. Life was a mundane mystery, the clues to solving of which were strewn all about … for all to see but for him alone to recognise.” </i>

Banville’s descriptions of people and places are unique and give the story a level of interest above and beyond the story itself.

<i> “He walked with a curious gait, like an orangutan that had something wrong with its knees … He smelled of soap and tobacco smoke, and horses.” </i>

I did find the story predictable. Because the victim was a priest, and the wounds were of a certain type, the motive and murderer were fairly obvious. There was a slight twist at the end but it did not vary enough from the theme to be a significant surprise.

I recommend this book to people because of Banville’s excellent writing style. It is highly entertaining. For those who like convoluted murder mysteries with a twist this book may not fill the need. I give it a 4 on 5. I want to thank NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for providing me with a digital copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review

'Snow' by John Banville proved to be one of those wonderful, ‘read in one sitting’ books that I dearly love. The story is set in December in 1957, in the fictional village of Ballyglass where the local Catholic priest has met a nasty end. The priest, Fr. Tom has not died in the village, oh no. He has been found dead in the library of the local “big house”. A wonderfully Agatha Christie sounding storyline.
DCI St. John (pronounced Sinjin) Strafford (with an ‘r’) has been dispatched from Dublin to investigate the murder as the local Garda cannot be trusted with such a high profile case. And so begins a case, where almost everyone seems to be pretending to be someone else, while the “powers that be”, otherwise known as the Archbishop, continually infer in the case. It’s no wonder that Strafford soon finds himself alone and under increasingly pressure.
I enjoyed the various characters that Strafford encountered from the complicated Osbourne family to the villagers, both sides revealing their prejudices, with every other sentence. There’s no doubt that Banville has accurately portrayed rural life in Ireland at this time – the civil war politics are still playing a role, while the stranglehold of the Catholic church is clearly evident as Strafford’s inquiry is played down. The majority of humour in the novel comes from these encounters.
There is an interlude from another character towards the end of the novel and if I hadn’t already guessed the solution then this section would prove to be a complete giveaway. As a result, I questioned the place of this monologue and wonder would it have been better dispersed throughout the novel instead? However, it did not take hugely from the overall storyline and there is a splendid mix of ingredients from politics, murder, sex and religion leading to an increasingly tense atmosphere as Banville sets the stage for the finale.

DI St. John Strafford – not Stafford as almost all characters in the novel think – is called to what is essentially a big house murder. But the victim is a local parish priest and the location is Ballyglass House, seat of the Protestant Osborne family. It is 1957 and the control of the church has never been stronger, plus the weather is awful. A few days to Christmas, the snow is barely passable and yet somehow DI Strafford must make sense of what he’s being told (ie, what truths and untruths) and convince this tight knit community to explain what’s really going on. Beautifully written, it was like being transported to a golden age detective fiction with clever characters that you feel something towards. I loved it.

I read this book in one day so it definitely kept my attention. It’s just that the subject matter was not quite what I was expecting. It got a bit raw for me. I was expecting a locked door manor house mystery, but as many have pointed out, the mutilated priest was a strong clue of what was afoot.

Inspector Stratford is called to look into the murder of a priest in the middle of a snow storm. He takes Sergeant Jenkins along and there is the stereotypical body in the library. Stratford himself cannot help feeling like he is on the set of a play when he meets the Osborne family and cook, all of a type.

He takes a room in the town where he meets many of the people in the village and learns more about the murdered man. Was the murdered priest as beloved as Colonel Osborne said?

I liked the style of writing, setting and character descriptions, but I would only recommend this to a friend with a warning about the subject matter. Thanks so much to Net galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

An atmospheric mystery; very of it's time. I thoroughly enjoyed this latest offering from John Banville. We are introduced to detective Strafford at the scene of a crime, the details of which, I would imagine, would have been quite shocking in this time.
Each character within the story was well developed. I could 'see' the incongruent detective, with his social awkwardness, going about his business, trying to solve this crime. I could also imagine all of the characters up at the house and throughout the community. Each had their own part to play and their own story to tell and Banville delivered this within a timely pace.

I was engaged with Snow from the first page and my interest was held throughout.
I enjoyed this book and I would read another book from this author.

A library should be full of books, high back leather chairs and a roaring fire. It should not the resting place of the bloodied corpse of the local parish priest.

Set in 1950’s Ireland, Snow takes us back to a slightly more innocent time. But don’t confuse that with people behaving themselves. DI St John (pronounced Sinjin) Strafford is called to Ballyglass to investigate the death of the local Catholic priest. His body has been found in the library of Ballyglass House, seat of the Osborne family, the nature of his death is gruesome.

Straight away Strafford encounters the almost numb Osborne family, when death occurs he is used to people being emotional, they are not, they are a strange bunch. The lady of the house is drugged up to the eyeballs, the son and daughter are definitely sociopaths and the father is your stereotypical lord of the manor.

As heavy snow falls around Ballyglass, Strafford digs in to the life of the priest, a picture builds of what the man was capable of and then at that point you realise just about anyone could have killed him.

Religion does play a part in this book, the victim is Catholic and the detective is a Protestant, the tensions that go with this pairing are evident throughout the book notably the Catholic Church making sure what they want published in the papers is what they want to see, not the actual truth.

Snow is a good whodunnit, the setting is worthy of an Agatha Christie novel and the identity of the killer is kept close to the authors chest until the end.

A very enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.