Holy Orders: A Quirke Novel

A mangled body is found in a Dublin canal, with the remains quickly identified as those of an impetuous muckraking journalist. Jimmy Minor was a quiet, unassuming young man with few friends, his only potential enemies being the subjects of his newspaper exposés. Forensics pathologist-cum-detective Quirke and his sometime partner Inspector Hackett unite in an effort to uncover what Minor could possibly have been investigating that led to his early death. Unfortunately for Quirke, Minor was an old friend of his daughter Phoebe, forcing Quirke to both console her and use her for her insight. Even more unfortunate is his growing realization that the Catholic Church and some local "tinkers"—travelling people known also as Gypsies—both likely had a hand in Minor's demise. This seventh mystery written by John Banville under the pseudonym Black returns to the shambling life of the depressive and introspective Dr. Quirke. Though the chapters are narrated by a number of central characters—including Phoebe and Inspector Hackett—the tone of the tale is primarily set through its identification with Quirke, lending it an increasingly despondent feeling as it follows him through panic attacks, drunken bouts, and an insurgent emotional desperation. At story's end the discovery of Jimmy's killer feels inconsequential in the face of Quirke's apparent emotional breakdown.