Member Reviews

Strangely compelling!

Bizarre and yet not? The thinking person’s mystery novel or not? A tangled mystery novel from Booker prize winner John Banville.
Downtrodden, slightly worn ex private school characters, come together in this murder mystery that seemingly no-one solves, yet maybe they do! Set in Ireland in the early 1959’s
A middle aged, separated Detective Inspector (Garda) Strafford, a middle aged pathologist, his daughter who’s been dating the detective, and various strange or deadly characters, linked by a previous murder and school days. Then there’s the pedophile!
A Mercedes sports is spotted doors open, light’s blazing. A man approaches it feeling he shouldn’t, suddenly a man emerges from the night claiming his wife has gone missing. Admittedly the man’s behaviour is strange.
The plot becomes more twisted as memories are flayed, even if only to the character.
And yet, despite the half finished conversations and thoughts I found this complex mystery weirdly fascinating!

A Harlequin Trade ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

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Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Killer Crime Club.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

A husband who claims that his wife has thrown herself deliberate into the sea and an inspector who is called to work on the case collides. The inspector and his collegue will discover the truth behind the missing wife disappearance. Did the wife drowned or is there more sinister cover up involved? A thriller that jeep you guessing.

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Thank you Netgalley & Hanover Square Press for an eARC ♥️


John Banville's latest novel, The Drowned, is a gripping tale that will definitely keep you up late🔥
A woman disappears in Wicklow, Ireland, and suddenly everyone's got secrets.
Was it an accident or something shady? You'll be guessing alongside the detectives and forensic experts as they dig into the mysterious circumstances. The woman's husband is hiding something, the locals are tight-lipped, and the stranger with the fancy BMW seems suspicious.
But here's the thing: this isn't just a whodunit. Banville's got a knack for crafting characters that are messy, relatable, and totally fascinating. You'll get tangled up in their lives, motivations, and dark pasts.
Throw in some small-town drama, mysterious strangers, and a dash of Irish atmosphere, and you've got a story that'll keep you hooked. The writing's lyrical, the pacing's spot-on, and the twists will keep you on your toes.
Five stars, easy.
If you're in the mood for:
🔥•⁠ ⁠A character-driven mystery that'll keep you guessing
🔥•⁠ ⁠Literary fiction with bite and depth
🔥•⁠ ⁠A story that explores the complexities of human nature
🔥•⁠ ⁠Atmospheric settings that'll transport you to Ireland's coast
Give The Drowned a shot!👍🏽

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This book doesn’t state anything about being in a series. But I believe you need to have read the other one to completely understand what is happening. I found this book very confusing, and slow . You think the story will revolve around a missing and presumed drowned woman. But unfortunately most of the book is about other characters in the book. The story of the missing woman does get solved but the ending will leave you hanging for another story.
I’m sure if you have read the other books in the series it would tie more together for you but for me it fell short.

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Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

John Banville’s “The Drowned” is a masterful blend of literary elegance and gripping suspense, set against the atmospheric backdrop of 1950s rural Ireland. This novel, part of the Strafford and Quirke series, showcases Banville’s unparalleled ability to weave intricate plots with profound character studies.

The story begins with Denton Wymes, a reclusive figure living in a caravan, stumbling upon an abandoned Mercedes SL in a field. The car’s headlamps are on, but there’s no driver in sight. Enter Armitage, a man claiming his wife has gone missing and may have drowned herself1. Detective Inspector St John Strafford is called in from Dublin to investigate, quickly realizing that nothing about this case is straightforward, as the secrets are unveiled.

Banville excels in creating complex, multi-dimensional characters. DI Strafford is a man grappling with his own personal demons, including a strained marriage and a complicated relationship with his lover, Phoebe.

Banville’s prose is both lyrical and precise, capturing the bleak beauty of the Irish landscape and the intricate nuances of human emotion. His ability to create suspense through subtle details and psychological depth is remarkable.

“The Drowned” explores themes of isolation, guilt, and the search for truth. Banville delves into the darker aspects of human nature, examining how past traumas and secrets shape the present. 

“The Drowned” is a testament to John Banville’s skill as a storyteller. It is a novel that entertains and provokes thought and introspection. Fans of literary fiction and crime thrillers alike will find much to admire in this beautifully crafted book. Banville’s ability to blend a compelling mystery with profound character insights makes “The Drowned” a standout addition to the Strafford and Quirke series.

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3.5*
A man is coming back from fishing off the coast of Ireland when he finds an abandoned Mercedes Benz sport car, opened and with its lights on, in a meadow at the bottom of a hill. Later, he encounters the man who claims came with the woman who was driving the car; that man says his wife has just jumped off the cliff to the sea. Two days later the police still can’t locate the woman. Was she a victim of foul play? And if so, what role does the couple who owns the house at the top of the hill, from which her husband went to call the police, has in the disappearance?

The Drowned is a slow-burn mystery, set in late 1950s Ireland—the precise date is never given but historical name dropping and other tidbits provide historical context and enrich the narrative, like the mention of the technicolor era, James Dean, Billie Holliday, and the Mercedes Benz model. There are beautiful metaphors and the narrative has a nice flow to it that it’s easy to follow despite the darkness of the topics (murder, abortion, sexual abuse), which get increasingly darker as the story progresses.

The case is not cut-and-dry and the main witness is a man so twisted that is hard to feel sorry for the way things go down, however, the story reflects the thinking of a small community and a society at large.

Thanks to the publisher for granting me access to a free digital copy via Netgalley.

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Right from the start, the tension surrounding Dee's disappearance had me hooked. The atmosphere/setting was creepy, and the quirky behaviors of everyone involved really kept me guessing. I could have read a book solely focused on this group because the behaviors were completely unhinged, and I ate it up.

The main investigator was a standout character for me. I appreciated how his personal life was woven into the story—it made him feel real and relatable. And 1950s Irish setting was perfect. I felt completely transported to that time and place, which made the mystery even more engaging.

That said, I did find myself wanting a bit more detail about the investigation itself. It felt like some key parts were glossed over, and I was left craving more info about the suspects and what was happening with the case. At times, it felt like I was sitting at a café listening to a group of friends talk about people and things that happened that I didn’t know, which was charming but also left me a bit disconnected from the main plot.

If this is part of a series, I’d definitely want to check out the earlier books for more context. Overall, though, this book was such a fun read! If you love a good mystery with rich atmosphere, I highly recommend it!

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The Drowned left me feeling unfulfilled and unsatisfied. In the last few pages, a cup of coffee became a cup of tea through poor editing. The plot fizzled out without any clear answers and I didn’t enjoy the characters enough to read a sequel.

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William John Banville is an Irish novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. He’s published around a dozen novels to international acclaim, winning a range of prizes. Under the name Benjamin Black he wrote a historical crime fiction series about an Irish pathologist named Quirke in 1950s Dublin, releasing seven books between 2006 and 2015. The series resumed in 2021 under Banville’s name.

The Drowned (Hanover Square Press, 1 October 2024) is the ninth book featuring Quirke. Detective Inspector Strafford with whom he has an uneasy relationship is also involved. A recluse near the coastal town of Wicklow discovered an abandoned Mercedes in a field, with the key still in the ignition and the engine still running. As he lingers in indecision another man wanders up to say that his wife has disappeared and he is looking for her. He fears she has jumped from one of the nearby cliffs into the sea. The recluse draws him to the nearest house for help, where the residents call the local Garda, who in turn quickly call in reinforcements from Dublin.

The writing is possibly the most beautiful I have ever seen: melodic, flowing, and cogent. About a third into the book is a poignant multi-page meditation on grief. It describes the feeling with the clarity and understanding that only someone who has experienced deep sorrow can have.

On the other hand, the characters conveyed by this exquisitely beautiful writing are among the most unhappy I have ever seen stroll across the pages of a book. They are caught up in sordid situations, some of their own making, and it speaks volumes for the quality of the writing and the intricacies of the plot that I continued to read about these deeply unpleasant people.

The resolution is neatly imagined and completely unexpected, another plus for this complicated book.

Starred review from Kirkus: "Banville remains a master of suspense; it’s not easy to stop turning the pages until the novel’s genuinely surprising end. This is yet another fine thriller from an author at the top of his game. Excellent writing and a clever plot make this one stand out."

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The Drowned by John Banville

This book begins slowly, but having read a few of Banville’s Strafford and Quirke books, it was expected. I like his writing style and appreciate the details (about the main characters, their personal history and relationships; and Ireland at the time). If you are someone who prefers to delve right in to action, this may be a bit of a slow burner for you.

While it can be read as a standalone, I found myself wondering what was it about the Rosa Jacobs case. Strafford reminds us that he has met Armitage (husband of the missing woman) before - during his investigation into the Rosa Jacobs case. I pulled out my copy of The Lock-Up (Quirke #9) to refresh my memory as it was nearly a year ago that I had read it (reading the epilogue was enough). Now that I’ve finished the book, I recommend that you read The Lock-Up first, mainly so that you can draw your own conclusions about Armitage (rather than rely on Strafford’s memory and observations.

This is less a police procedural and paints more of a picture of the relationships between the main characters (Strafford, Quirk, the suspects), each other, and with their partners; their personal lives – past and present; and the societal “norms” of the time - 1950’s, Dublin, Ireland. This exploration into these relationships and the times is why I enjoyed this book. The resolution of the mystery of Deirdre Armitage’s disappearance was a bit of disappointment (to avoid a spoiler, I won’t say more), resulting in the 4 star review.

Thank you to NetGalley; John Banville and Harlequin Trade Publishing, for the advanced copy.

Review posted on Goodreads and will be posted on Amazon at the time of US release.

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I liked the mystery of Armitage and his wife throughout this read, but thats about it. I did not like this book, as I felt like it was all over the place with characters and with the plot.

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John Banville started the Quirke series under the name of Benjamin Black, crafting well thought out mysteries in the setting of 1950's Dublin, featuring a pathologist with troubles of his own. As he expanded to include DI St. John (Sinjin) Strafford, he dropped the nom de plume and went back to using his own name, that of a Booker prize winner of extraordinarily literary novels featuring deep psychological insights not only of the major characters, but secondary ones as well. Giving the reader pleasure and satisfaction and a total immersive experience. Such is the case here. Those who have complained that they didn't realize this was part of a series should not blame the book or the marketing. Those of us familiar with Banville can rejoice with every installment. After all, the backstories are what make these series so enjoyable.

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Three years ago, reviewing JohnBanville’s “April In Spain,” I wrote “Banville is an outstanding writer, and he is great at developing both setting and character — but you have to be REALLY patient or just one of those readers who likes to savor a well-written story. The ending was a surprise, which is generally the case for me — and Quirke’s story is unfinished at the end, presumably to set the stage for more about him.” So I was pleased to receive a copy of Banville’s The Drowned from Harlequin Trade/Hanover Square Press in exchange for my honest review.

This latest book features Detective Inspector St. John Strafford (“Sinjun” and “with an R”) as an Irish Detective Inspector. As noted then, Strafford “didn’t really know himself and didn’t care to.” Although he’s apparently a good detective, he “…wasn’t good at solving puzzles…always the danger, in his job, of seeing things that weren’t there, of making a pattern where there wasn’t one.”Also in this one is Dr. Quirke, a pathologist who is Strafford’s buddy…or is he? Now that Strafford is involved with Quirke’s daughter Phoebe, things may need to change.

Interestingly, this book is sometimes identified as being part of the Quirke-Strafford series. What, what? There’s a series? Both of them are repeat characters in Banville books, and this book, while not exactly a sequel to the earlier Lock-Up, is definitely a continuation of the events in that earlier book and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND reading the earlier book first. It isn’t bad,or impossible to follow, but there are many instances where mention is made of characters, events, etc.and their actions, and the reader needs to infer relationships and connections. Not impossible to follow but there are definitely benefits from knowing who is who and what happened earlier.

In this story, a somewhat weird loner comes across an empty car in a field by the ocean. It becomes a missing person case, as the man claims his wife may have thrown herself into the sea. Detective Inspector Strafford is called on to come down from Dublin to unravel the strange events, and Quirke works with him to try to unravel the mystery.

I suspect that if I had read the prior book recently I might have had an easier time following the people and events, and I felt like I had to look up characters and events as they came up to get who they were and where things were going. The mystery unravels slowly and might be a bit slow for many but as usual Banville’s language is beautiful and his storytelling unmatched. I am unsure about the stars on this one. The writing deserves 5, but I just wish there had been more explication before the story unraveled at its pace. So: 4 *s.

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I feel that I would have enjoyed this more if I was familiar with the series. A missing woman and how she is linked to the players is the premise of this character driven novel. The side stories are more compelling than the mystery as they interact in unexpected ways. I cringed a bit on the ethnic slurs of the time period but no doubt that Banville is a strong story teller.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

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I'm always excited to see the publication of a new Quirk novel. The Drowned did not disappoint! Lots of twists and turns, and no sense of resolution at the end...Not for those who need a happy ending or even an ending with everything tied up neatly, but more a sense of real life and real, fallible people. I look forward to the next Quirk novel!

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The description of this book made it seem like a stand alone novel mystery novel, but I that isn't really what this book was.

I think readers might enjoy this book a lot more if they have already read The Lock-up since the case and characters from that previous book are constantly mentioned.

Also, I don't think I would have picked this title up if I realized one of the main character was a pedophile. It seemed like readers should feel some sympathy for the character and I could not. Perhaps if the mystery was really gripping, I would have stuck with this book, but that was also not really a focus in this story. I ended up not finishing this one.

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Banville takes us to 1950s Ireland and brings back familiar flawed characters. DI Strafford sweeps into a rural town to assist with a missing woman and later a missing child. His presence forces interactions with his nemesis and colleague Quirke and a previous case of the death of Rosa Jacobs. This is the second novel but can be read successfully as a standalone. Banville is so incredibly talented in his writing that you quickly feel that you know everyone in the story and can easily picture the town in your mind. It's a strange story filled with unlikeable characters and it is clearly book 2.

That being said, I was magically transported to the town and invested in the conclusion. Banville wins again!
.#harlequintrade #harlequin #thedrowned #johnbanville

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This is a mystery thriller set in the stormy landscape of Ireland. Unfortunately, this appears to not be a stand-alone book but part of a series, or interconnected books, by the author. While the writing is effective, it is hard as an entry book for this author. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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While listed as a follow up to Snow involving Detective Stratford, which it is, it is also very much a Quirk novel so knowledge of that series (which I do not have) helps. Banville's prose is beautiful, but this is not a traditional police procedural - it's as much a character study and examination of a community and the series regulars. I'll be going back to delve into the Quirk series soon.

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In my down time today, I wrapped up my E-ARC of The Drowned by John Banville. Not my favorite book. I hate to say it, but I didn't even like it a little bit. It was a slow read and took a couple of weeks for me to finish. Probably because I kept putting it down in favor of about 15 other books.

First off, it's not marketed as the continuation of a series. But apparently it is somehow related to his other series. Which explains why I didn't follow the backstory on some of the characters. Secondly, it is supposed to be about a missing woman, presumed drowned. There is about 5 minutes worth of missing woman. And 5 hours worth of other people and their lives. And then there is the pedophile... I can't even with this one.

I really appreciate the opportunity to review this book ahead of time. Also reviewed on Goodreads.

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