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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

This book is being marketed as a standalone and as a mystery. It is neither. There are constant references made to the Rosa Jacobs case that was investigated a year earlier by Dr. Quirke, the pathologist, and DI St John Stratford. THE DROWNED appears to be the second instalment of the Rosa Jacobs case, which occurred in a novel entitled “The Lock-up”. Unfortunately, the marketing blurb fails to mention this. So a reader who has not read “The lock-up” flounders almost immediately when information about the Rosa Jacobs case is causally introduced early in the story.

After a short interesting introduction to the mystery—a car is found in the middle of a field and a woman has gone missing—the mystery is dropped while the story rambles on and on about the personal lives of the two investigators, Quirke and Stratford. In particular, it seems to be a rumination about men and their wives, marriages that don’t work in 1950s Ireland, and an affair taking place between Stratford and Phoebe, Quirke’s daughter.

Then, the story switches to the background of a paedophile, released from prison and living in a nearby caravan. He discovered the empty car in the middle of the field, but we know from the beginning that he had nothing to do with the missing woman; he only discovered the empty car, and helped her distraught husband.

Then back to DI Stratford’s personal life. Then a trip into Quirke’s personal life and reminiscences of his past. Back and forth. Ruminations by Stratford, then Quirke, about their past and current personal troubles. But nothing about the mystery of the missing woman and we are at the 50% mark.

Finally, DI Stratford begins his investigation, by visiting Denton Wymes, the paedophile who discovered the empty car. All Stratford discovers is that the husband of the missing woman was behaving very peculiarly.

Finally the body of the missing woman is found, and Quirke solves the mystery fairly quickly through an autopsy.

This is not a mystery story. It is a story of men, women, and their extramarital affairs.

Also, I thought the ending left the reader hanging; the story was unfinished.

Banville’s writing is excellent—in terms of word choice and sentence structure. But the novel lacks a compelling plot.

“The Drowned” Will be released in North America on October 1, 2024.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGallry. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.

I really liked this detective novel. This genre is one of my favorites and I loved seeing a slightly different take from the usual fare - the backdrop in Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland, the personal relationships of the main character with others around him, and the use of the natural setting to add more suspense and well-placed confusion to make the mystery harder to solve as the reader. Unfortunately for me, I came into this book not having read previous ones in the series - I look forward to reading the preceding books in this series.

John Banville is a beautiful, intelligent author. I enjoy his "literary" as well as his "genre" (mystery) novels. (I put quote marks because there is great overlap in Banville's work between the two types of writing.)

I'm a big mystery novel fan and Banville's Quirke series is one of my favorite. He creates a powerful sense of Ireland, Dublin and the more rural areas. No one knows better how to use landscape as metaphor while at the same time creating a very specific sense of place with the use of poetic yet accurate details and descriptions. I can get lost in his luxurious prose while coping with the painful, often very dark Ireland society he depicts.

Speaking of dark, Quirke practically defines the word. In The Drowned he is even darker than usual, lost in grief in the wake of his wife's death. I almost hate to see Quirke experience relief from his chronic emotional pain since it always seems to presage another loss. He is an alcoholic of the old-fashioned romantic variety.

In The Drowned, we are faced with mysterious disappearances, deaths, un- (or semi-) solved murders as well as the highly ambivalent relationship between Quirke's daughter Phoebe and Inspector Strafford. Quirke and Strafford's work relationship is strained by this relationship which is already strained.

For much of the book, it's not even certain that a crime has been committed. I enjoyed the confusion over not only "whodunit" but also: what was done? Was there a crime?

None of the characters in this--or any of the Quirke's novels--is wholly sympathetic. At the same time, most are not purely bad either (with some outstanding exceptions!)--Banville's people are complicated. I will say that they do tend to land on the dark side.

Banville switches things up in the final solution. At first I greatly enjoyed this turning things on their head, but I was a little disappointed in the ending--at the same time, it felt totally right for the book and if not predictable not an unexpected Banville conclusion.

I will admit in full disclure that despite his alcoholic moroseness, I'm a little bit in love with the ever-suffering Quirke.

A beautiful, atmospheric read which kept me engaged from beginning to end.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Publishin, and John Banville for providing this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

The Drowned opens with a man claiming that his wife has gone missing. Armitage, believes his wife may have drowned herself in the sea. This he tells Wymes, a passerby, who happened upon an abandoned car and, curious as to why it would be stopped in the middle of an overgrown field with the lights on, engine running and driver’s-side door wide open, goes to inspect it. Armitage, upon seeing the passerby, explains that his wife got out of the car, ran down to the sea and threw herself off the rocks into the water. He then begs Wymes to assist him in finding her.
In the next few chapters, we are introduced to a few key characters in our pursuit to discover what could have happened to Armitage’s wife. In the successive chapters, we delve into the complicated lives of some of these characters. I will say that the characters were well fleshed out, however the author focuses a lot of time introducing us to this lot of complicated characters and not much time on Armitage or his wife and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. So, we read on and wait for the connection to be made back to the missing wife and by the time we start getting some context on what the potential link could be, the book is just about done. The mystery of the missing woman is finally solved, and the reveal is very unimpressive. I also was not a fan of the ending as it just leaves you hanging.
I will say though that I loved the author’s way with words. He definitely has a gift. I look forward to reading more of his works. I thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. This review is voluntary, and the opinions are strictly mine alone.

This was a hard read for me to start but once I got into it I appreciated the story building and twists and turns. I felt a little out of the loop not having read any other books from Banville, as it appears there are character crossovers. I appreciate the chance to access this ARC from NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing.

While I enjoyed the story, I found the characters to be bland and almost predictable in their decisions and all that. The plot was good and the execution was good as well!!

In 1950s Ireland, in a small rural area by the sea, a woman disappeared. Her husband (Armitage) claims after an argument she ran out of the car and probably threw herself off the cliffs into the sea. He is behaving strangely even as a nearby family offers to call for help. Ultimately it is Detective Inspector Strafford who is brought in from Dublin. He consults with Dr. Quirke, a pathologist he has known for a long time. Interestingly, Strafford is seeing Quirke’s daughter. The character of Quirke is in a long-standing series by this author. The Drowned is an atmospheric character study with several tangents. There is soon another missing person to find. While the mystery is solved by the end, it is the complex and interwoven characters that serve as the basis of the book. John Banville is an excellent writer who brings them to life in this dark and foreboding story. With thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC. My opinions are my own. susanh_bookreviews

Well-developed characters. Interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. A good, solid read.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

The Drowning is my second John Banville novel, but my first Strafford and Qurke novel. There are some references to previous novels but for the most part it works as a stand alone. The writing is great. I love the lyrical yet sparse prose where surprising facts just come out of nowhere.

Strafford is called to a home where a distraught husband says his wife has drowned. There is no body yet to be found. They were driving in the countryside when he says the wife has disappeared and he goes to the nearest house to report this and ask for help. What is the connection between all of these people? A bystander out with his dog is dragged into the drama against his will.

Meanwhile, Strafford and Quirke’s already strained relationship is put to the test when his daughter Phoebe begins a relationship with Strafford.

I did not like the ending of this novel, too ambiguous for me. However, I did enjoy the writing and will look at more books in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for an ARC to read and review.

First off: I am a huge John Banville plan. His novel, The Untouchable, ranks as one of the finest achievements in literary fiction for the past half-century. I am not so keen on his seemingly endless "crime novels" starring the forensic pathologist Quirk and (lately) Detective Strafford. In the latest, "The Drowned,' the tone for many pages is more farcical than I've seen in the other crime novels, and the plot--concerning the mystery of a possibly drowned woman--takes a back seat to Strafford's marital chaos. The mystery itself takes a backseat during all of this, which contributes little to the sense of forward narrative motion. Plot as such rarely seems to interest Banville and, with his stellar list of earlier novels (Book of Evidence, Shroud, Athena, Ghosts, etc.), that's never a problem. Why? Because he's a genius with language and his prose is always wonderful to read. For the crime novels, the pacing is different (though not noticeably faster) and there's always a lot of stage business going on (opening a pack of cigarettes, lighting a cigarette, smoking the cigarette, putting out the cigarette). This is just not as appealing as the hijinks going on in his earlier novels, The Infinities, and lately the Singularities--two truly brilliantly crafted novels.

I thought this was a standalone book, but as I read I felt like I was missing background information that I was supposed to know. The book was ok and enjoyable. I just feel I should have read the other one first even though it was never mentioned in the synopsis.