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This title in other editionseBook editionsThe Silver Swan: A Novelby Benjamin Black
Staff Pick
I don't ordinarily read mystery novels, but The Silver Swan is no ordinary mystery. Banville's command of prose is arresting, and though this is a difficult book to put down because it is so expertly plotted, it is also impossible not to savor. Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:The inimitable Quirke returns in another spellbinding crime novel, in which a young woman's dubious suicide sets off a new string of hazards and deceptions. Two years have passed since the events of the bestselling Christine Falls, and much has changed for Quirke, the irascible, formerly hard-drinking Dublin pathologist. His beloved Sarah is dead, his surrogate father lies in a convent hospital paralyzed by a devastating stroke, and Phoebe, Quirke's long-denied daughter, has grown increasingly withdrawn and isolated. With much to regret from his last inquisitive foray, Quirke ought to know better than to let his curiosity get the best of him. Yet when an almost forgotten acquaintance comes to him about his beautiful young wife's apparent suicide, Quirke's "old itch to cut into the quick of things, to delve into the dark of what was hidden" is roused again. As he begins to probe further into the shadowy circumstances of Deirdre Hunt's death, he discovers many things that might better have remained hidden, as well as grave danger to those he loves. Haunting, masterfully written, and utterly mesmerizing in its nuance, The Silver Swan fully lives up to the promise of Christine Falls and firmly establishes Benjamin Black (a.k.a. John Banville) among the greatest of crime writers. Review:"In this stunning follow-up to 2007's Christine Falls, Black (pseudonym of Booker Prize — winner John Banville) spins a complex tale of murder and deception in 1950s Ireland. Pathologist Garret Quirke, surprised by a visit from a college acquaintance, Billy Hunt, is even more surprised when Billy begs Quirke not to perform an autopsy on his wife, Deirdre, whose naked body was recently retrieved from Dublin Bay. Though everything points to suicide, Quirke knows something's amiss and begins to retrace Deirdre's steps. Black expertly balances Quirke's investigation with chapters detailing Deidre's past, from her marriage to Billy to her shady business deal with Leslie White, an enigmatic Englishman who knew Deidre as Laura Swan, the proprietress of their joint venture, a beauty salon called the Silver Swan. As Quirke digs deeper, he discovers a web of lies and blackmail that threatens to envelop even his own estranged daughter, Phoebe. Laconic, stubborn Quirke makes an appealing hero as the pieces of this unsettling crime come together in a shocking conclusion. Author tour." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"Black/Banville is a master of atmosphere; the fear and dread associated with hidden desires and deeds fairly leap off the page. Highly recommended." Library Journal Review:"Black...continues his exceptionally nuanced crime series....[A] tense, engrossing tale of passion, crimes, and chaos shot through with lightning wit and radiant compassion." Booklist (Starred Review) Review:"Swan is even more engrossing than last year's Christine Falls, the first thriller by Black... (Grade: A-)" Entertainment Weekly Review:"[A]bout as undiluted an evening's pleasure as reading can provide....Christine Falls was the most artful noir mystery in years; The Silver Swan is better. The plot is grippingly propulsive, the evocation of Dublin is detail-perfect, every major and minor character is beautifully realized — and there isn't a clunky sentence in the book." Tim Rutton, the Los Angeles Times Review:"The writing...is wonderfully evocative....Black has created a wonderful protagonist in Quirke." Boston Globe Review:"Readers familiar with the work of Banville will have no trouble immersing themselves in his second foray into genre fiction." Bookreporter.com Review:"[A] literary, gritty if less satisfying sequel." Dallas Morning News Synopsis:The inimitable Quirke — the irascible, formerly hard-drinking Dublin pathologist — returns in another spellbinding crime novel, in which a young woman's dubious suicide sets off a new string of hazards and deceptions. Synopsis:It has been two years since the events of Christine Falls, the bestselling novel that introduced the world to an irascible Dublin pathologist named Quirke. Quirke's beloved Sarah has died, his surrogate father lies paralyzed by a stroke, and hes been sober for half a year. When a near-forgotten acquaintance asks him to cover up his beautiful young wifes apparent suicide, Quirke knows he should stay clear, for the sake of his sobriety and his peace of mind. But his old itch is irresistible, and before long he is probing further into the circumstances of Deidre Hunts death, into a web of drugs and illicit sex that may have snared his own daughter, Phoebe. With its vivid, intense evocation of 1950s Dublin, and intricate, psychologically complex storyline, The Silver Swan is "even more engrossing than last years Christine Falls" (Entertainment Weekly). VideoAbout the AuthorBenjamin Black is the pen name of acclaimed author John Banville, who was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. His novels have won numerous awards, most recently the Man Booker Prize in 2005 for The Sea. He lives in Dublin. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!Average customer rating based on 2 comments: 
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