(Drivebycuriosity) - I like well written crime mysteries with a touch of high literature. In the recent years I have been reading a series by Benjamin Black. The novels - set mostly in Dublin in the 1950s - follow Quirke, a pathologist who works in a morgue.
Yes, not the usual detective or private eye is the main character and investigator. Quirke is a twisted and very curious man who develops interest in cases which are not really his business. When he believes that something is not right he starts a personal investigation, whatever it may cost him.
I just finished just "Holly Order, book 6 of the Quirke series (amazon ). A man was murdered, his tortured naked body was found in a pond. It turns out that the victim was a journalist, a character who had appeared in earlier books of the series. This makes the book a bit difficult for me because I did not like the character.
The novel is darker & more pessimist than the former books. I did not like the story line which was not very plausible for me. But the weakness of the plot got more than compensated by Black`s intense style. Again the author focused on his leading character, his dark past and the social & political situation in Ireland in the 1950s. I am looking forward to follow up with book 7 of the series.
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