The hero of Christine Falls, Quirke, is a surly pathologist living in 1950s Dublin. One night, after having a few drinks at a party, he returns to the morgue to find his brother-in-law tampering with the records on a young woman’s corpse. The next morning, when his hangover has worn off, Quirke reluctantly begins looking into the woman’s history. He discovers a plot that spans two continents, implicates the Catholic Church, and may just involve members of his own family. He is warned--first subtly, then with violence--to lay off, but Quirke is a stubborn man. The first novel in the Quirke series brings all the vividness and psychological insight of John Banville’s writing to the dark, menacing atmosphere of a first-class thriller.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-22
• Released on: 2008-01-22
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Dalton uses all his pacing and vocal skills and his wonderful, deep Welsh tones to keep listeners engaged and on edge through this mystery set in 1950s Dublin and Boston. He skillfully sustains our empathy for widowed Dublin coroner Quirke, the alcoholic, angry and acerbic narrator who drags himself into solving the mystery of Christine Falls's death in childbirth and the disappearance of her newborn—a scenario that parallels Quirke's own experience. Black (pseudonym of Booker Prize–winner John Banville) is a fine writer, reminiscent of P.D. James in his care for language and his emphasis on psychologically complex characters, including Mel, Quirke's obstetrician stepbrother; Sarah, Mel's wife (and sister of Quirke's dead wife), whose love for Quirke is reciprocated; and Mel and Sarah's confused daughter, Phoebe. Black weaves his characters through a neat and original plot that descends into the dark depths of Quirke's family history and rises to the highest ranks of the Catholic church. Detective fiction readers will love Black's writing and Dalton's reading, and look forward to more from both.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine
Christine Falls may be Benjamin Black's debut crime novel, but it's not his first book: Black is the nom de plumeof John Banville, the Booker Prize?winning author of The Sea (****1/2 Jan/Feb 2006). As expected, Banville's lyrical writing stands out (and is more accessible than in The Sea), but the expressive style doesn't eclipse the dark, suspenseful plot. Set during the all-powerful reign of the Catholic Church, the novel touches on themes of sexual repression, grief, and lost opportunities. Readers expecting a fast-paced crime novel may initially be surprised by Banville's slow, deliberate rendering of the plot and the complex characters—but they will certainly look forward to the next novel in this projected series.
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

From AudioFile
Timothy Dalton offers an excellent, fine-tuned narration of this first in a planned series of crime novels by Booker Prize winner John Banville, writing as Benjamin Black. The series will feature Garret Quirke, an alcoholic Dublin pathologist as quirky as his name. The dark, densely plotted novel focuses on illegal transatlantic trafficking in orphans by prominent Catholics who want to create a stockpile of future priests and nuns. Dalton differentiates his Dublin and Boston Irish accents beautifully. He's also adept at creating believable personality studies of a wide range of characters, including women, the very young, and the old. His narration, which grabs the listener's attention from the first, never flags. R.E.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

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Customer Reviews

Who's Better? John Banville or Benjamin Black?
Christine Falls

Admittedly I am an unusual reader. Years ago I decided to upgrade my shotgun approach to reading and have worked my way through the Pulitzers, Bookers and the National Book prize lists just to name a few. I also love mysteries, mostly focused on international writers and foreign locales.

As an Early Reviewer for Library Thing it was an interesting twist to come across "Christine Falls" by Benjamin Black. Interesting because "Christine Falls" is a mystery and Benjamin Black is the nom de plume of Booker award winning author John Banville. In 1981 Banville received the Booker (now the Man Booker) for "Kepler". Set in the 16th century "Kepler" is an accounting of the life of the astronomer Johannes Kepler and his struggle to pursue his scientific discoveries in a world rampant with political intrigue and religious strife. Much more recently, in 2005, Banville received the Man Booker for the second time for "The Sea", a strikingly different novel. Returning to the seaside village where as a young man he encountered a family that profoundly shaped him, a middle-aged man grieves the death of his wife. Both novels are intricate, layered and perhaps a little mannered.

"Christine Falls" has all the attributes of the Man Booker winning novels, but is an even greater departure in genre, style and tone. Successful mysteries must contain all of the staples: a suspicious death, an engaging detective, seemingly overwhelming odds against solving the crime and carefully sprinkled clues, like crumbs in the forest, eventually leading to the murderer. Imagine all of this being by accomplished by an author who brings the level of mystery writing to that of literature.

Setting is a key element of a good mystery and Dublin in the 1950s feels as atmospheric as Paris in the war years. Quirke, a pathologist, discovers his physician brother-in-law tampering with the body of a murder victim. Like all admirable, and often unwilling detectives, Quirke has a personal history and a set of circumstances that work against him and he pursues the truth despite the opposition of the Catholic Church and men in power in Dublin and in Irish circles in America.

Black's writing is elegant and it powers a story line that takes hold early and doesn't let go until the final pages. Characters are sharply drawn and react and interact in ways that make sense while still providing surprise and suspense. As a reader I experienced a satisfying mystery and a fine novel within the pages of one volume.

Unless Banville wins another award I am not likely to read another mainstream novel by him. But the good news is that "Christine Falls" is the first in a series of Quirke novels. I am eagerly looking forward to reading The Silver Swan, the second. Oddly enough, and despite the recognition of the literary cognescenti, Benjamin Black is a much better writer than John Banville.

Atmospheric Mystery
This atmospheric mystery set in 1950s Dublin begins with a pathologist finding his doctor brother-in-law altering the records of a recently deceased young woman in the morgue. Although the aptly named Quirke has his own problems, including being a little too fond of whiskey and his late wife's sister, he can't let go of the mystery of the dead woman and her connection to his family, even when his search leads to more death and violence.

Man Booker Prize-winning author John Banville, here writing as Benjamin Black, offers up a cleverly plotted if leisurely crime novel written in dark, elegant prose that is an absolute pleasure to read. But beyond the beautiful writing, a big satisfaction of the book comes from getting to know the laconic Quirke, a great bear of a man shambling through the wreckage of his life.

Christine Falls is the first of a Quirke series, which is good news for mystery readers who like their UK detectives brooding loners with inner demons. (Think a more morose Morse, a dourer Dalgliesh.) Quirke joins their ranks as a misfit crimesolver with scruples...and secrets.

A tangled web
This is an extremely well-written book that takes place in 1950s Dublin and also in the suburbs of Boston. It begins with a death, an attempt to change the file on the deceased, and a dogged pathologist who just can't seem to "let sleeping dogs lie". There are no real villains in this book, only some people who do questionable things out of the best of intentions. The action slowly but surely builds up, and you keep turning the pages to find out what's going to happen next. I downgraded this book to 4 stars because I thought the main protagonist was a bit too morose, and he went around as if he, and only he, were under a continuous rain cloud. This is supposed to be the first book in a new series, and I will definitely be reading the next one, and the one after that, etc..