Books: Even The Dead By Benjamin Black

 (Drivebycuriosity) - A car had crashed into a tree and burst into flames, there is a young man in it, dead. This is the begin of the novel "Even the death" by Benjamin Black (amazon). The book  - set in Dublin in the 1950s - is part 7 of a series around Quirke, a pathologist who works in a morgue . 

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. Like in former Quirke novels his daughter Phoebe plays an important role and Quirke discovers disturbing connections (this is a spoiler free blog). 

As in the Quirke books before I liked Black`s elaborate style and his descriptions of persons & situations, which create a dark atmosphere. The base case gives just the frame for a complex plot about political power, dysfunctional families and human weakness. The novel is influenced by the situation in Ireland in the 1950s. But the plot is also a bit romantic and psycho-analytical. There are a lot references on dysfunctional families and there is some erotics & carnal lust (not necessary identical)

Benjamin Black is the pen name of the Irish writer John Banville. I love his historical novels "Kepler" and "Wolf on a String" (here my reviews Kepler & wolf ) but Black/Banville writes also fascinating complex crime novels like the Quirke series. I recommend to begin  with "Christine Falls", the start of the Quirke series ( driveby).