(Drivebycuriosity) - John Banville belongs to the most interesting contemporary authors (wikipedia ). I especially enjoyed his historic crime mystery "Wolf on a String" ( my review ) and "Kepler", a mix between biography and fiction (review). "The Drowned" is the 4th book of a series that combines the Coroner Quirke and Detective Inspector Strafford, all set in 1950s Ireland. The novel is called a "literary historical mystery" ( amazon). A dark portrait of evil and human incompetence.
Someone`s wive is gone missing, but there is not much happening, if anything. But that doesn`t matter, Banville`s lead characters Quirke & Strafford and their personal lives are fascinating and the author introduces new characters who are all somewhat mysterious. The author creates a foreboding that is growing and tension & suspicion are slowly building up. "Strafford had the feeling of something brushing against him, something brittle and chill, like the wing of a swiftly flying thing".
Banville is a master in creating & describing quirky places and characters, some are creepy, some funny, some are both: "As she passed by, she glanced at him sidelong with a narrow-eyed smile, sly saucy, biting the flesh of her upper lip at one side". And he depicts precisely the 1950s tensions between Irish & English, social classes and Catholics & Protestants.
Unfortunately the end is abrupt & disappointing, maybe because of Banville´s disregard for the intelligence & conduct of Irland`s police force in the 1950s. Anyway, the "Drowned" is my favorite of the Quirke/Strafford series, thanks to his wonderful style and the intense sentiment.
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