Synopses & Reviews
When the body of his daughter's friend is brought to his autopsy table, Quirke is plunged into a world of corruption that takes him to the darkest corners of the Irish Church and State.
“At first they thought it was the body of a child. Later, when they got it out of the water and saw the pubic hair and the nicotine stains on the fingers, they realized their mistake.”
So begins Holy Orders, the latest Quirke case set in Dublin at a moment when newspapers are censored, social conventions are strictly defined, and appalling crimes are hushed up. Why? Because in 1950s Ireland the Catholic Church controls the lives of nearly everyone. But when Quirke's daughter Phoebe loses her close friend Jimmy Minor to murder, Quirke can no longer play by the Church's rules. Along with Inspector Hackett, his sometime partner, Quirke investigates Jimmy's death and learns just how far the Church and its supporters will go to protect their own interests.
Haunting, fierce, and brilliantly plotted, this is Benjamin Black writing at the top of his form. His inimitable creation, the endlessly curious Quirke, brings a pathologists unique understanding of death to unlock the most dangerous of secrets.
Review
"Even if Gabriel Byrne werent starring in a new BBC series based on the Quirke novels by Benjamin Black (John Banvilles alter ego), fans will be clamoring for this latest in the popular series."—Library Journal ("Barbaras Picks" for August 2013 fiction)
Review
"Sophisticated… Banville is arguably one of the finest prose stylists writing in English today."—
The Atlantic Wire
"[Quirke] appears for a seventh time in Black's gripping, terrific new novel, Holy Orders. . . Although it shares the vivid settings, evocative mood and striking characters of the earlier Quirke novels, Holy Orders has a tighter, more intricate plot."—The Tampa Bay Times
"Banvilles knack for drawing the reader in with a good story remains forcefully intact."—The Daily Beast
"Black breaks out of the pack . . . The latest book, Holy Orders, is just out. Its an excellent addition to the series, opening with the murder of a reporter, a friend of sorts with Quirkes daughter in previous books . . . Black is an excellent host."—WBUR (Boston NPR)
"Deceit, suspicion, jealousy, doubt: Banville and Black join, through Quirke and Phoebe, the ageless concerns of storytellers. Holy Orders freshens them. May my lack of plot details encourage you to encounter their treatment for yourself, for their evocation proves this to be the most powerful Quirke novel yet."—Pop Matters"Strikingly detailed, psychologically intricate . . . Black succeeds brilliantly in delivering piquant social satire and chilling revelations of the churchs unholy power of the justice system and the press."—Booklist"The solid detecting. . .will keep readers engaged, but the books power stems from its multifaceted lead."—Publishers Weekly"A turning point in the series . . . While mortality permeates the novel, its real mystery is the mind of Quirke . . . For Black, the mystery of the human condition remains impenetrable."—Kirkus Reviews"Even if Gabriel Byrne werent starring in a new BBC series based on the Quirke novels by Benjamin Black (John Banvilles alter ego), fans will be clamoring for this latest in the popular series."— Library Journal ("Barbaras Picks" for August 2013 fiction)
About the Author
Benjamin Black is the pen name of the Man Booker Prize-winning novelist John Banville. The author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed series of Quirke novels—including Christine Falls, A Death in Summer, and Vengeance—he lives in Dublin.