John Banville returns with his popular character Quirke.who is on a reluctant holiday in Northern Spain with his second wife, Evelyn, Ever alert
Quirke thinks he recognises an Irish woman who was reported dead years before back in Dublin. As the supposed dead woman was a friend of his daughters, he calls her and asks her to travel our to Spain to verify his suspicions. The mystery unfolds from here revealing a chain of abuse, manipulation, and murder that goes to the very heart of the establishment. Atmospheric and thoughtful this story unfolds slowly but is intriguing nonetheless with interesting characters both in Dublin and Spain.
An enjoyable, though troubling read as we leave Quirke after another adventure and well worth the investment of time.

This is my first book by this author and not recognising characters from his previous books didn't spoil my enjoyment of April in Spain.

The plot is set in Dublin and continues in northern Spain. The time is the 1950's, no modern technology, high speed car chases or gangland warfare, quite a change from modern police investigations. The author's descriptions initially seemed lengthy but were all essential to the story.

The two main characters are the moody and constantly pessimistic Irish pathologist Quirk, who, while on holiday in San Sebastian, Spain, recognises someone who was presumed murdered and declared dead four years ago back home in Dublin. He can't resist probing …..
And Terry Tice, an intensely unpleasant man who kills for financial reward and is completely without conscience. After receiving orders from someone high up in the Irish government he's heading to San Sebastian with instructions to liquidate a problem.

I found the slow speed an interesting change and was soon riveting as the plot unfurled. This is less a police investigation and more uncovering the reasons why someone would disappear, all culminating in a dramatic end.

My first John Banville book and certainly not my last, I have no problem recommending it, and look forward to reading more in the series.

NetGalley and Faber & Faber generously supplied this advanced readers copy, this review is my honest opinion and completely unbiased.

This is the first Doctor Quirke book I had read and didn't realise it was actually the 8th. I'm not sure you need to have read the previous books as there is enough background to keep you up to date with the characters and what has happened previously.

We are in 1950s Spain, Franco is still in power and Quirke is on holiday with his psychiatrist wife Evelyn when he has an accident trying to open an oyster with a pair of nail scissors, he goes to the local hospital and the doctor is Irish, the same as Quirke and he is sure he knows her from somewhere.......

It was well written but I think was quite dragged out, the story seemed to take ages to get anywhere, whereas the ending seemed to be wrapped in seconds!

Definitely interesting characters, and I did enjoy the book but felt almost cheated at the end.

April in Spain by John Banville
Rating 4/5
Set in the 1950s in Spain as the titled suggests although there is a fair amount of action in Ireland. Dr Quirke, the Irish Sate Pathologist is on holiday in a small village in Northern Spain with his psychiatrist wife, Evelyn. Due to a stupid accident Quirke ends up at the local hospital where he chances up on an Irish doctor who looks familiar. Could it be April Latimer? But she is dead, murdered by her brother.
Quirke contacts his all but estranged daughter Phoebe; if anyone knows it’ll be Phoebe, April’s friend.
A slow burning mystery/drama. The characters are enigmatic quite often hiding brutal tendencies. Although the love between Evelyn and Quirke is endearing, she honestly has the patience of a saint to put up with him, there is no other straightforward relationship in the novel. Indeed, there are many warped and disturbed characters.
Banville is skilled in the narrative, at times funny at others menacing. The plot took a number of twists and turns but always lurking were the underlying threats.
A good read.
I would like to thank you John Banville, Fabre and Fabre Ltd and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read April in Spain, for which in return, I have given an unbiased and honest review.

Quirke is on holiday in San Sebastián, Spain with his wife when he meets a woman from the past. This sets in motion an uncovering of past misdeeds and cover ups. Lives were put in danger and some will be changed forever.
So well written with great characters. A showdown is inevitable but will the truth come out and Will lives be lost?

I have not read anything by this author before, but I will definitely read more. I loved this book. To begin with I felt it was a little slow, and nothing seemed to happen. However, the author's skill at conjuring up a particular time and place drew me in, and once the pace of the story increased I was hooked. The book is well-written with very believable characters, and the story is compelling. I will definitely be recommending this book.

Orphanage Boys

Four years after Benjamin Black’s final Quirke novel and even longer since the disappearance, presumed death, of April Latimer in Elegy for April, John Banville has written this belated sequel. While it might be best to read Elegy for April before reading this, it is by no means necessary to do so.

The setting is San Sebastian and Dublin in the 1950s. The story follows on from Snow which also features Garda detective Strafford, who plays a more minor part this time round. Recently married to his psychiatrist, Quirke is on honeymoon in Spain. One evening he spies a young Irish woman who seems oddly familiar to him; soon after, when attending the local hospital, he finds the young woman, a doctor, unwilling to treat him. Why not? Who is this mysterious lady?

Well, her identity is not difficult to work out. The mystery is not who she is, but why she has removed herself to Spain with a new name and career. And what unfinished business has she left back in Ireland?

It is a real pleasure to be back in the company of Quirke and his family, as well as the wider dramatis personae of the Quirke world: Quirke himself, irascible and irritable, unable to see the point of a foreign holiday; his lovely wife, Evelyn, his saviour from the bottle; his daughter Phoebe, who makes a disastrous mistake which could lead to tragedy; Strafford, the Protestant policeman, awkward and out-of-place, but on hand when needed.

In addition, the reader is treated to a tribute to the ‘entertainments’ of Graham Greene, in particular Brighton Rock, through the story of Terry, Irish orphanage boy, and self-styled hitman. At one point in the novel, Terry buys himself a copy of Brighton Rock, realise why his erstwhile employer had referred to him as Pinkie, and argues that the writer really knew much less about the criminal underclass than he thought he did.

There is a lot of fun, but also sadness, even tragedy, in this novel. Justice of a kind is achieved, almost by default, and there is a clever ending which leaves a number of very pertinent questions itching in the mind of the reader.

Originally unbeknown to me, this is the eighth book in a series about 1950s Dublin pathologist Quirke, (with the first seven written by the author under the pen name Benjamin Black). Some of the previous books have been adapted for the BBC and, having worked my way through this novel, I can see why: enticing settings, dubious characters, and a protagonist who veers from addiction to conflict with his superior officers all make perfect food for TV mysteries. The novel starts with Quirke, who has recently got married, on holiday with his wife in the Basque Country. One day, he sees a young woman who strongly resembles a former friend of his daughter’s who was sadly murdered by her own brother. Of course, Quirke has to investigate – and the ensuing enquiries take us to some extremely corners of San Sebastián and Dublin…..
Exquisitely written and plotted, I nevertheless found it hard to ‘get into’ this book, perhaps because I had not read the previous Quirke novels. Something I shall address right away!
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for the free ARC that I was granted in exchange for this honest and unbiased review.

April in Spain written by John Banville has, like all thrillers, a plot but it's not so much about the plot but the people. John has a writing style which is like comparing a VHS recording with a 4k video. He brings the exquisite clarity of words, just the right words, into a sentence which on occasion must take hours to compose. Most thrillers have the plot which grabs you and keeps you reading, April in Spain has a je ne sais quoi which sucks you in like a whirlpool and doesn't let go. It's a five star review from me as it was a joy to read.

I’ve loved the author’s other books but this one was possibly even better. Rich and detailed but so well-plotted. Masterful.

I have previously read several of the Benjamin Black series featuring Quirke the alcoholic pathologist and really enjoyed them. I also love John Banville's writing including The Untouchable and The Sea so I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to access an ARC. I really enjoyed April In Spain immensely, most particularly the characters around him, rather than Quirke himself. A beautiful evocation of time and place. I am now off to read the prequel which is probably the best recommendation a reviewer can give.

I really enjoyed Snow so I was looking forward to this latest outing for Detective St John Strafford.. The first half of the book concerns a pathologist called Quirke, who is the very definition of the word and whilst on holiday with his wife in Spain thinks he sees the dead friend (allegedly) of his daughter..
Very slow going and if it had just been Quirke I wouldn't have enjoyed it very much. Given the introduction of the police officer I felt it got much better and I then enjoyed it much more. I will certainly read more St John books but not sure I will go and read more Quirke books. The misogyny of the era is a bit hard to take but I know it was rampant at the time and the book reflects this..

Thanks to the publisgers and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
This is my first experience of reading a novel by this author.
If this is the usual standard then it certainly won't be the last.
From Dublin to a chance encounter with a Spanish hospital the intrigue and mystery builds and is revealed through the story. Won't give away any more details but a thoroughly enjoyable read.

This was my first John Banville novel and despite it being within a series of the same detective it can be read as a standalone. I picked it up because it is set in my home city and I am not disappointed at all! Loved the mystery and felt it portrayed San Sebastian (even if the Donostia of sixty years ago) very well. A super atmospheric novel with a mystery that will keep you reading and reading and reading!

This is the first I've read in this series and didn't realise that this is the eighth book by John Banville (but only the second in his own name) set in the 1950s and featuring Quirke, the Irish pathologist. I was attracted by both the reputation of the author and that it was billed as a mystery, also featuring a detective - DI Strafford.

I really enjoyed the book but in some ways the mystery/detective element is relatively minor. The characterisation and relationships are what seem essential to the plot, along with the languid descriptions of San Sebastian in summer, the food and drink. The mystery, such as it is, begins when Quirke sees a young woman in San Sebastian and thinks that she is a friend of his daughter Phoebe, from Ireland, whilst also knowing that she can't be as this young woman is dead. Along the way Irish politicians and DI Strafford become involved in finding out where the truth lies.

The writing is excellent; I will go back and read more of this series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy.

Dublin pathologist Dr Quirke is on holiday in northern Spain, with his wife Evelyn and whilst at a restaurant, hears an Irish accent and thinks he recognises the woman speaking from somewhere. Whilst in hospital with an injured hand, the same woman is a doctor at the hospital and Quirke thinks she is April Latimer, a friend of his daughter Phoebe, who he thought was dead. He phones Phoebe and invites her out to Spain to confirm his suspicions and this triggers of a chain of events, including the hitman Terry Tice being sent to Spain.

This is a slow burner, building up to a dramatic ending. Good characterisation and very descriptive. The first book I’ve read in the series and although I enjoyed this mystery, I felt the ending was a bit abrupt.

My thanks to the publishers for a copy of this book to review. I had not come across the aptly named Quirke before. He is a dysfunctional, practising alcoholic and apparently an eminent pathologist as well. I think I will try another in the series of stories which feature him. Clearly he would be a man to avoid in real life and his new wife, a psychiatrist, would drive a teetotaller to drink!

This particular story, which revolves around the identity of a hospital doctor in San Sebastián, is brilliantly written - as usual with Banville - and strewn with memorable and entertaining episodes. The collision between shipshape orphanage survivor and killer for hire, Terry Tice, and Quirke’s holiday world in the Basque Country of Franco’s Spain is built with absorbing tension. The characters are all strikingly engaged originals and they are often quite funny too. Terry’s critique of Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock, his holiday reading, is a great touch - and I agree with him!

The story may give the impression that Irish political life is full of corrupt dynasties with criminal connections basking in maudlin nationalist sentiment and prone to extreme child abuse. Thank goodness this is fiction!

This book flows seamlessly between Ireland and Spain weaving a web of mystery and intrigue throughout. The characters are so beautifully described you know you would recognise them in the street. There is Terry the cocky criminal who feels invincible but actually comes across as a pathetic lost soul. Quirke the grumpy pathologist isn't a likeable character, but his wife loves him anyway! I didn't feel I needed to have read Banville's previous novel Snow to for further background, but will definitely be trying more of his novels now. Beautifully written and absorbing. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

John Banville writes his latest historical offering in the Dr Quirke, Irish State Pathologist series under his own name, featuring DI Strafford from Snow in a minor yet instrumental role. The curmudgeon and old soak that is Quirke is not a man for holidays, but he is a married man, dare one even say happily married, to the Austrian psychiatrist, Evelyn, and she is a force of nature in her own right. So there they are in Franco's Spain, at the beautiful Basque coastal town of San Sebastian, with Quirke who can't quite trust his happiness as he frets and wonders if Evelyn will leave him. Banville paints a complex and intimate picture of their marriage and love, but a serpent is about to enter their paradise when Quirke thinks he recognises a ghost from the past and an old Irish scandal, a friend of his daughter, Phoebe, April Latimer, dead at the hands of her brother, Oscar. Could it be April going under the name of Dr Angela Lawless?

Quirke, being an obstinate and stubborn fellow, can't let it go, something he will live to regret as he opens a can of worms that is slowly and inevitably going to spiral into tragedy. He goes as far as inviting Angela to a toe curlingly socially awkward dinner that he revels in, asking Phoebe to come over to see if it is April. Phoebe has been in a relationship with Paul Viertel, a cold fish of a boyfriend for a while, and she makes a fatal error when she takes it upon herself to let powerful political forces know about April resurfacing, forces that cannot let April live to air a family's dirty secrets. Phoebe travels to Spain, with an armed DI Strafford accompanying her, with an underlying certainty that April is alive. However, someone else is coming too, a hitman, Terry Tice, a dangerous man who has never failed to carry out any of his past assignments.

Banville expertly weaves a spellbinding mystery with his beautiful prose and stellar abilities when it comes to complex flawed characterisations and complicated relationships. He hits all the hot buttons when it comes to Ireland, the abuse and cruelty within the Catholic Church as illustrated by Tice's childhood as a orphan. There are the horrors of what can go on in powerful Irish families behind closed doors, as can be seen with what happened to Oscar and April, and corrupt politicians who believe they are untouchable. Then there is, of course, little chance of Irish storytelling being complete without a mention of terrorism and the IRA in this historical period. I found this to be a wonderfully engaging read, so well written and so riveting, and particularly liked the references to Pinkie from Graham Greene's Brighton Rock. I think this historical novel will appeal to a wide range of readers, including those who love mysteries and literary fiction. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

The follow up to 2020’s Snow, a gem of a novel, sees pathologist Quirke holidaying in San Sebastian with his wife. He’s finding it difficult to unwind and wonders if he’s seeing things when he spots someone from his daughter’s past – someone who meant a great deal to her. It’s not possible that who he saw could be who he thinks it is… isn’t it? And does this person have a connection with a crime tied into an Irish political dynasty? Unable to shake it, Quirke rings home and soon Detective St John Strafford is dispatched to Spain (with a guest). While two board the plane, there’s someone else also preparing for foreign travel, their first time in a plane and someone who isn’t afraid of a brutal showdown. Although it’s a short read, there’s plenty in it and the writing is so incredibly beautiful and considered; each word is carefully chosen. Wonderful.