Fiction

April in Spain

April in Spain

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  • Create Date：2021-08-23 11:21:16
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：John Banville
  • ISBN：1665104376
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Summary

Booker Prize winner John Banville's Quirke returns for a dramatic new mystery on the Spanish coast—a dark and evocative follow-up to national bestseller Snow

Don't disturb the dead…

On the idyllic coast of San Sebastian， Spain， Dublin pathologist Quirke is struggling to relax， despite the beaches， cafés and the company of his disarmingly lovely wife。 When he glimpses a familiar face in the twilight at Las Acadas bar， it's hard at first to tell whether his imagination is just running away with him。

Because this young woman can't be April Latimer。 She was murdered by her brother， years ago—the conclusion to an unspeakable scandal that shook one of Ireland's foremost political dynasties。

Unable to ignore his instincts， Quirke makes a call back home to Ireland and soon Detective St。 John Strafford is dispatched to Spain。 But he's not the only one en route。 A relentless hit man is on the hunt for his latest prey， and the next victim might be Quirke himself。

Sumptous， propulsive and utterly transporting， April in Spain is the work of a master writer at the top of his game。

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Reviews

Jill Westerman ，

This is the first I've read in this series and didn't realise that this is the eighth book by John Banville （but only the second in his own name） set in the 1950s and featuring Quirke， the Irish pathologist。 I was attracted by both the reputation of the author and that it was billed as a mystery， also featuring a detective - DI Strafford。I really enjoyed the book but in some ways the mystery/detective element is relatively minor。 The characterisation and relationships are what seem essential to This is the first I've read in this series and didn't realise that this is the eighth book by John Banville （but only the second in his own name） set in the 1950s and featuring Quirke， the Irish pathologist。 I was attracted by both the reputation of the author and that it was billed as a mystery， also featuring a detective - DI Strafford。I really enjoyed the book but in some ways the mystery/detective element is relatively minor。 The characterisation and relationships are what seem essential to the plot， along with the languid descriptions of San Sebastian in summer， the food and drink。 The mystery， such as it is， begins when Quirke sees a young woman in San Sebastian and thinks that she is a friend of his daughter Phoebe， from Ireland， whilst also knowing that she can't be as this young woman is dead。 Along the way Irish politicians and DI Strafford become involved in finding out where the truth lies。 The writing is excellent; I will go back and read more of this series。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy。 。。。more

Janet ，

In this noir series set in 1950’s Dublin， state pathologist Quirke finally finds happiness rather late in life in his marriage to Evelyn， an Austrian psychiatrist who puts up with his lugubrious outlook on life。 While on a spring holiday in San Sebastian， Spain， Quirke is convinced he has met his daughter Phoebe’s friend April Latimer， thought to have been murdered years earlier。 Quirke urges Phoebe to join him and Evelyn in Spain and to verify that it is， indeed， April who lives there under an In this noir series set in 1950’s Dublin， state pathologist Quirke finally finds happiness rather late in life in his marriage to Evelyn， an Austrian psychiatrist who puts up with his lugubrious outlook on life。 While on a spring holiday in San Sebastian， Spain， Quirke is convinced he has met his daughter Phoebe’s friend April Latimer， thought to have been murdered years earlier。 Quirke urges Phoebe to join him and Evelyn in Spain and to verify that it is， indeed， April who lives there under an assumed name。 The problem is that powerful people in high places in Dublin don’t want April to be found， so a hit man is dispatched to do her in。 This is the 8th book in the Quirke series， and the third one in which Banville’s more recent creation Dublin Garda detective St。 John Strafford appears。 In many ways， the two men are opposites— Quirke is part of a powerful R。C clan that controls much of Dublin’s political world， while Strafford hales from an Anglo-Irish landed gentry class。 Unsurprisingly， they take an immediate dislike to each other when they finally meet。 And yet， in many ways， they are similar。 Both are loners， outcasts from their respective tribes。 Both have a talent for solving crimes， and both are men women find attractive in ways that bemuse their peers。 And， with Strafford’s unacknowledged attraction to Phoebe， it looks like their paths will continue to cross in future novels， as painful as that may be for Quirke。 Highly recommended。Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC。 。。。more

Paromjit ，

John Banville writes his latest historical offering in the Dr Quirke， Irish State Pathologist series under his own name， featuring DI Strafford from Snow in a minor yet instrumental role。 The curmudgeon and old soak that is Quirke is not a man for holidays， but he is a married man， dare one even say happily married， to the Austrian psychiatrist， Evelyn， and she is a force of nature in her own right。 So there they are in Franco's Spain， at the beautiful Basque coastal town of San Sebastian， with John Banville writes his latest historical offering in the Dr Quirke， Irish State Pathologist series under his own name， featuring DI Strafford from Snow in a minor yet instrumental role。 The curmudgeon and old soak that is Quirke is not a man for holidays， but he is a married man， dare one even say happily married， to the Austrian psychiatrist， Evelyn， and she is a force of nature in her own right。 So there they are in Franco's Spain， at the beautiful Basque coastal town of San Sebastian， with Quirke who can't quite trust his happiness as he frets and wonders if Evelyn will leave him。 Banville paints a complex and intimate picture of their marriage and love， but a serpent is about to enter their paradise when Quirke thinks he recognises a ghost from the past and an old Irish scandal， a friend of his daughter， Phoebe， April Latimer， dead at the hands of her brother， Oscar。 Could it be April going under the name of Dr Angela Lawless？Quirke， being an obstinate and stubborn fellow， can't let it go， something he will live to regret as he opens a can of worms that is slowly and inevitably going to spiral into tragedy。 He goes as far as inviting Angela to a toe curlingly socially awkward dinner that he revels in， asking Phoebe to come over to see if it is April。 Phoebe has been in a relationship with Paul Viertel， a cold fish of a boyfriend for a while， and she makes a fatal error when she takes it upon herself to let powerful political forces know about April resurfacing， forces that cannot let April live to air a family's dirty secrets。 Phoebe travels to Spain， with an armed DI Strafford accompanying her， with an underlying certainty that April is alive。 However， someone else is coming too， a hitman， Terry Tice， a dangerous man who has never failed to carry out any of his past assignments。Banville expertly weaves a spellbinding mystery with his beautiful prose and stellar abilities when it comes to complex flawed characterisations and complicated relationships。 He hits all the hot buttons when it comes to Ireland， the abuse and cruelty within the Catholic Church as illustrated by Tice's childhood as a orphan。 There are the horrors of what can go on in powerful Irish families behind closed doors， as can be seen with what happened to Oscar and April， and corrupt politicians who believe they are untouchable。 Then there is， of course， little chance of Irish storytelling being complete without a mention of terrorism and the IRA in this historical period。 I found this to be a wonderfully engaging read， so well written and so riveting， and particularly liked the references to Pinkie from Graham Greene's Brighton Rock。 I think this historical novel will appeal to a wide range of readers， including those who love mysteries and literary fiction。 Highly recommended。 Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more

Caroline O'Sullivan ，

I was very happy to receive this through NetGalley and Faber Books ahead of it’s publication on 7 October in exchange for an honest review。‘In the idyllic city of San Sebastián on the northern coast of Spain， Dublin pathologist Quirke is struggling to relax – despite the beaches， the cafes and his disarmingly lovely wife。 So when he glimpses a familiar face in the twilight at the bar Las Arcadas， it’s hard， at first， to tell whether his imagination is just running away with him。Unable to ignore I was very happy to receive this through NetGalley and Faber Books ahead of it’s publication on 7 October in exchange for an honest review。‘In the idyllic city of San Sebastián on the northern coast of Spain， Dublin pathologist Quirke is struggling to relax – despite the beaches， the cafes and his disarmingly lovely wife。 So when he glimpses a familiar face in the twilight at the bar Las Arcadas， it’s hard， at first， to tell whether his imagination is just running away with him。Unable to ignore his instincts， Quirke makes a call back home and Detective St John Strafford is soon dispatched to Spain。 But he’s not the only one en route: as a terrifying hitman hunts down his prey， they are all set for a brutal showdown。’ （From Faber’s web page）This is number 8 in a series featuring Quirke， the state pathologist， so some of what happens in ‘April in Spain’ has its history in these books and whilst a load of background information isn’t given there is sufficient to read this as a stand-alone book。 I’m very much intrigued to read the previous 7 books though。I’ve encountered Detective Stratford in Snow earlier this year and though he only appears here briefly it was lovely to catch up with him again。I enjoy Banville’s writing， everything is described perfectly， the atmosphere of a slower paced era brings us gently along and I’m more than happy to recommend this book。 。。。more

Sinead McLoughlin ，

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book。 It was very well written and there were interesting characters。 Not a standard investigative novel but well plotted。 Definitely a bit confusing if you have not read previous books by the author featuring the main characters。 Certainly worth a read but maybe take the time to read the previous books first。。

Stephen Bacon ，

John Banville is an award winning author of literary fiction， one with an impeccable writing career spanning more than half a century。 Since 2006， under the pen-name Benjamin Black， he has published a series of crime novels featuring the forensic pathologist Quirke， set in 1950s Dublin。 Quirke is a fascinatingly flawed character， with a weakness for the ladies and a fondness for the bottle。 So far there have been seven titles in the series。In 2020 John Banville published Snow， featuring Detectiv John Banville is an award winning author of literary fiction， one with an impeccable writing career spanning more than half a century。 Since 2006， under the pen-name Benjamin Black， he has published a series of crime novels featuring the forensic pathologist Quirke， set in 1950s Dublin。 Quirke is a fascinatingly flawed character， with a weakness for the ladies and a fondness for the bottle。 So far there have been seven titles in the series。In 2020 John Banville published Snow， featuring Detective Inspector Strafford， also in the same time setting and location of the Quirke novels。 I really enjoyed that novel， and April in Spain， the latest offering from Banville， has been advertised variously as both a Quirke novel and a Strafford one。Quirke and Strafford couldn’t be more different。 Where Quirke is flawed and self-destructive， Strafford is scholarly and determined。 The first half of April in Spain details a holiday in San Sebastian in which Quirke and his wife， Evelyn， come across a young Irish woman who looks remarkably like a friend of his daughter’s who disappeared four years previously， presumed dead。 This touches on a previous novel in the Quirke series called Elegy for April （which I hadn’t read） and this current book acts almost as a sequel。 But be warned – there are many spoilers for that novel， so your enjoyment will be much stronger if you’re familiar with the events of Elegy for AprilApril in Spain isn’t so much a whodunnit as a why-and-howdunnit。 As ever with Banville/Black’s novels， the quality of writing is superb。 It is extremely readable， and even if the plot risks disappointing readers seeking out a traditional murder mystery， for those wanting an intelligent literary crime novel it definitely delivers。 Strafford makes an all-too brief appearance， but it’s a crucial and dramatic one。 There’s a memorable psychopath called Terry whose presence calls to mind Pinkie from Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock， but where the novel really excels is in its first half where we spend time with Quirke and Evelyn， and see at first hand their realistically complex marriage。 The novel’s historical aspects feel authentic and there’s a nice contrast between sunny Spain and the events taking place in rainy， windswept Dublin。It’s almost as if， in writing Snow， John Banville was wanting to cast off his pseudonym Benjamin Black and write a literary crime novel under his own name。 And he managed that with a great deal of success。 I loved Snow， and felt the pacing was perfect， masterfully balancing the mystery aspects of the traditional detective story with that of a literary novel。 April in Spain seems less finely blended， with the first half appearing more literary and the second half more fast-paced and plot-driven。 And yet it still works。 I had a great time reading it， even if it doesn’t quite come across as accomplished as the first Strafford novel。 However I still have no problem recommending it， and I look forward greatly to reading more books in the series。 。。。more

Elaine Tomasso ，

I would like to thank Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for an advance copy of April in Spain， the eighth novel to feature Dublin pathologist Quirke and the second to feature DI Strafford。Quirke and his wife， Evelyn， are on an early holiday in San Sebastián when he thinks he sees a familiar face， but from where and when？ When he finally realises whom he recognises he phones home and DI Strafford is sent to investigate。 Unfortunately a hit man is also sent to silence this person and it results in I would like to thank Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for an advance copy of April in Spain， the eighth novel to feature Dublin pathologist Quirke and the second to feature DI Strafford。Quirke and his wife， Evelyn， are on an early holiday in San Sebastián when he thinks he sees a familiar face， but from where and when？ When he finally realises whom he recognises he phones home and DI Strafford is sent to investigate。 Unfortunately a hit man is also sent to silence this person and it results in a violent showdown。I thoroughly enjoyed April in Spain， which weaves a compelling tale， of what I’m not quite sure， that had me interested from start to finish。 I should note before continuing that I wasn’t overly impressed by Snow， the novel that preceded this one， but this is a different ball game。The first half of the novel is all Quirke as he searches his memory banks for whom he has seen and acclimatises to holiday mode， hard for a grumpy old man。 I was intrigued by the mystery of this person and was desperate to find out who it was and why they were in Spain， not an easy place to live in the sixties when I think the novel is set。 With an identity established the second half of the novel is told from various points of view， all adding colour and perspective to the narrative。 My interest level didn’t wane and was probably heightened by the mystery of why this person had attracted a hit man。 This is not revealed until the final showdown and that is a masterclass in politics and shifting priorities - I loved it and its understated menace and it’s worth the price of the novel on its own。I have most of the Quirke novels buried in my TBR somewhere， but haven’t got round to them yet。 As such I amn’t overly familiar with the characters。 I like Strafford and Evelyn but Quirke and his daughter Phoebe are too complicated to be really likeable。 He’s an old soak who thrives on strife and awkwardness， she keeps people at a distance， including the reader， so she’s hard to understand。 The novel spends a fair amount of time with the hit man， Terry Tyce， an amoral sociopath with no self awareness。 He’s well drawn and the most interesting character in the novel， mainly because there is more to infer about him。Lastly， a shout out to the title which is cleverer than initial appearances。April in Spain is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending。 。。。more

Peter ，

ExposedIt’s always a rewarding choice to read John Banville。 His latest novel， April in Spain， is another absorbing and fascinating mystery that finds Irish pathologist， Dr Quirke， on holiday with his wife in sun-drenched and atmospheric Spain。 He thinks he recognises a young Irish woman that was presumed dead。 Quirke believes the young female doctor called Angela is， in fact， April Latimer， a friend of his daughter Phoebe’s。 His association with the family is that April was apparently murdered ExposedIt’s always a rewarding choice to read John Banville。 His latest novel， April in Spain， is another absorbing and fascinating mystery that finds Irish pathologist， Dr Quirke， on holiday with his wife in sun-drenched and atmospheric Spain。 He thinks he recognises a young Irish woman that was presumed dead。 Quirke believes the young female doctor called Angela is， in fact， April Latimer， a friend of his daughter Phoebe’s。 His association with the family is that April was apparently murdered by her brother， who then committed suicide while in Quirke’s company。 Even though April’s uncle is a high-ranking government minister， the Latimer family is steeped in dark criminal activities。Quirke is someone who cannot let things go and is determined to prove his intuition is correct。 When he discusses this with Phoebe and invites her out to Spain to confirm his suspicions， he doesn’t realise the chain of events he is about to unleash and what secrets some people have tried so hard to hide。 Perhaps Angela has good reason to deceive everyone and fade far out of sight。 When Phoebe inquiries about April back in Dublin and reveals that she may be living in Spain， certain people are alerted， and the only satisfactory outcome is to ensure she dies - they need a killer。In a parallel thread， the life of Terry Tice is unfolding to illustrate a psychopath with no compunction in killing anyone where death serves a purpose。 His personality and background are deftly drawn， and the mental processes of a cold-blooded hitman are chillingly depicted。 The two threads are destined to converge， and as they do， detective St John Strafford （from Snow） finds himself at the heart of the plot。John Banville has a very understated writing style that cleverly captivates a reader while building fully formed characters。 Our perception ranges from great empathy and a loving connection to chilling killers that can shock our norms。 The characters are all compelling， but several frustrated me so much that if I’d gotten my hands on them， we wouldn’t have needed Tice。 What frustrated me most was the decision from Quirke to open this pandora's box for such a small motivation。 While he did question his decision to do so， he nevertheless pursued his impulse。What is notable with this book is that it is listed as the eighth book in the Quirke series but also the follow-up to his previous novel， Snow。 The Quirke series was written under Banville’s pen name， Benjamin Black， but this book is credited to John Banville。 The follow-up to Snow is acknowledged because we encounter the return of detective St John Strafford， although not as the main character。I read this book as a buddy read with my dear friend Ceecee， and as always， I loved discussing various aspects of the story with her。 Ceecee’s review is wonderful， and I thank her for joining me on this journey。 I would recommend this book， and I would like to thank Faber & Faber and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more

Sofia ，

My second meeting with St John Strafford though this time not as a main protagonist， still a welcome meeting。This time round I met Quirke， I know this is his eight book but it's also the first time I met him。This time round we have the sun instead of the snow I first met Strafford in。 But like with snow， evil happens under the sun as well。 As usual Banville draws one in， exploring the people and the society they create or are created by。 Because I can't really say who comes first the person or s My second meeting with St John Strafford though this time not as a main protagonist， still a welcome meeting。This time round I met Quirke， I know this is his eight book but it's also the first time I met him。This time round we have the sun instead of the snow I first met Strafford in。 But like with snow， evil happens under the sun as well。 As usual Banville draws one in， exploring the people and the society they create or are created by。 Because I can't really say who comes first the person or society。 Say we have a little tike who grows up in a bad situation and in turn becomes bad himself and does bad things which cause dents in the society and shapes it because of that badness。 So who influenced who。 Can we pull out？ But then can we live outside society， what about connection？ Isn't that what it is all about？Will I be going back and exploring Quirke from the beginning， I think so yes， I like the quietness and at the same time the deepness of these books。An ARC gently given by author/publisher via Netgalley。 。。。more

Ceecee ，

Dublin pathologist Dr Quirke is uncomfortably on holiday in San Sebastián with his wife Evelyn when an incident shucking oysters necessitates a hospital visit。 Whilst he’s convinced he sees April Latimer， a friend of his daughter Phoebe but that’s impossible isn’t it， because she’s dead， murdered by her own brother。 Is it April in Spain？？？ Only time will tell 。。。。First of all， this is an excellent character driven slow burner mystery that takes us to the heart of Dublin politics with a high rank Dublin pathologist Dr Quirke is uncomfortably on holiday in San Sebastián with his wife Evelyn when an incident shucking oysters necessitates a hospital visit。 Whilst he’s convinced he sees April Latimer， a friend of his daughter Phoebe but that’s impossible isn’t it， because she’s dead， murdered by her own brother。 Is it April in Spain？？？ Only time will tell 。。。。First of all， this is an excellent character driven slow burner mystery that takes us to the heart of Dublin politics with a high ranking family and then we have a puzzle in Spain。 The quality of the writing is so good that the author pulls you effortlessly into the narrative and fully engages you。 All the characters are well portrayed， they’re complex though by no means all likeable。 John Banville is as skilled with his characterisation as an artist with a colour palette， with deft strokes he conveys the saturnine nature of Quirke， the wonderful calm wisdom of survivor Evelyn， the brutishness of Terry Tice who is the villain of the piece and the smug dismissive weasel nature of April’s Uncle William。 I really like the contrast between several reflective characters such as Quirke and policeman Strafford with the violent intolerance of Tice; they are complete polar opposites。 Equally deftly painted are the settings which spring to life before your eye especially Franco’s Spain。 It’s extremely well written in the vivid brightness of clever， understated storytelling in which you feel you are present as an observer。 There’s wry humour， some excruciating scenes when you wince in embarrassment and want to hide under the nearest table， there’s excellent dialogue and some incisive verbal sparring such as when Phoebe matches Latimer barb for barb。 The ending is dramatic and you feel a real punch to the guts over it。 The book ends a bit abruptly but does leave you wanting more 。。。。 Overall， another good addition to the series and I look forward to seeing what’s in store for them next。 With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Faber and Faber for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review。A buddy read with Peter - thank you for reading it with me。 。。。more

Jean-Luc ，

The very accomplished follow up to Banville's best seller "Elegy for April" and another great opportunity to follow the genial pathologist， Quirke， in a dark & gripping murder mystery set for once far from the rainy and often desolate streets of the Irish capital。 While vacationing in San Sebastian with his wife， Quirke （and his demons） meet quite unexpectedly a troubled woman who had mysteriously vanished and been presumed dead for sometimes。 An ominous encounter that will trigger a dangerous & The very accomplished follow up to Banville's best seller "Elegy for April" and another great opportunity to follow the genial pathologist， Quirke， in a dark & gripping murder mystery set for once far from the rainy and often desolate streets of the Irish capital。 While vacationing in San Sebastian with his wife， Quirke （and his demons） meet quite unexpectedly a troubled woman who had mysteriously vanished and been presumed dead for sometimes。 An ominous encounter that will trigger a dangerous & muderous game of cat and mouse under the luminous and warm Basque sunshine and reopen back home in Ireland some very dark and unsavory secrets。 A sleek and captivating thriller that should whitout any doubt please anyone out there familiar with this compelling series。 However， I would certainly encourage any reader unfamiliar with previous titles to probably read "Elegy for April" prior to travelling to Northern Spain with Quirke。 A fictional gem to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever！ Many thanks to Netgalley and Faber for this terrific ARC 。。。more

Linden ，

Quirke， the Irish pathologist， and his wife Evelyn， a psychiatrist， are on holiday in Spain。 As with Banville's novel Snow， this one is very atmospheric， only it's a sunny seaside vibe contrasting with Quirke's saturnine personality。 This is dark， like his previous novels， but moves very slowly--the first third of the novel described the holiday in Spain。 The pathologist， wonders if Angela， a young doctor in Spain， is really his daughter's friend April， who was reported murdered by her now decea Quirke， the Irish pathologist， and his wife Evelyn， a psychiatrist， are on holiday in Spain。 As with Banville's novel Snow， this one is very atmospheric， only it's a sunny seaside vibe contrasting with Quirke's saturnine personality。 This is dark， like his previous novels， but moves very slowly--the first third of the novel described the holiday in Spain。 The pathologist， wonders if Angela， a young doctor in Spain， is really his daughter's friend April， who was reported murdered by her now deceased brother four years ago; he calls Phoebe to come to Spain to see what she thinks， The characters do things that seem baffling， like Quirke inviting an ER doctor， who is obviously not interested， out for dinner， and Phoebe going to a powerful politician with information that will prove lethal。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more

Caitlin ，

A dragging， implausible plot with incongruous characters， this book could have been a 12-page short story。 Very disappointing work from what I’ve been told is a celebrated author。

S。 Smith ，

Admirers of the crime novels featuring Dublin pathologist Quirke written by the pseudonymous Benjamin Black will welcome the troubled doctor's return as the central figure in the author's newest book published under his own name （usually reserved for his more literary fiction）。 Here Quirke is uneasily on vacation with his wife in Spain， hardly able to believe his newly acquired marital happiness， when he experiences something impossible: he sees a young woman known to have been murdered by her b Admirers of the crime novels featuring Dublin pathologist Quirke written by the pseudonymous Benjamin Black will welcome the troubled doctor's return as the central figure in the author's newest book published under his own name （usually reserved for his more literary fiction）。 Here Quirke is uneasily on vacation with his wife in Spain， hardly able to believe his newly acquired marital happiness， when he experiences something impossible: he sees a young woman known to have been murdered by her brother years ago。 When Quirke follows up his surprise with an investigation， tragic repurcussions upend lives in two countries。 Deft construction of a tense plotline accompanies skillful renderings of numerous complex characters and atmospheric descriptions of the Spanish and Irish settings， making this a must-read for fans of character-driven mysteries。 Thanks to the publisher for supplying an advance reading copy via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review。 。。。more

Steve Streeter ，

I hadn’t previously read any of the pathologist Quirke series and with a setting in Spain expected a crime novel with a hint of warmth and colour。 This is very noir in all aspects- shady characters ， bleak dialogue and a key protagonist with a drink problem and a history of problems with superiors。 The story is focussed on Quirke spotting somebody he recognises and then informing his daughter。。 One phone call leads to the tale’s tragic conclusion。 This isn’t a light read （ crime isn’t） but in mo I hadn’t previously read any of the pathologist Quirke series and with a setting in Spain expected a crime novel with a hint of warmth and colour。 This is very noir in all aspects- shady characters ， bleak dialogue and a key protagonist with a drink problem and a history of problems with superiors。 The story is focussed on Quirke spotting somebody he recognises and then informing his daughter。。 One phone call leads to the tale’s tragic conclusion。 This isn’t a light read （ crime isn’t） but in most books I need to feel some empathy towards the key people （ Evelyn was the exception） otherwise I felt a limited warmth。 This maybe that I don’t fully know the back story to the characters from previous novels 。 A well constructed novel with a hint of a 50s style Chandler to it。 Probably best to have read earlier Quirke stories 。Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy 。。。more

Jo Dervan ，

This is the 8th book in the Quirke mystery series by this author。 The first 5 books were rewritten under a pseudonym。 Quirke was the chief pathologist in Dublin and a former alcoholic。 He and his psychiatrist wife， Evelyn， were on vacation in San Sebastián in Spain when he spotted a woman who was thought to have been murdered by her brother。 The woman， April Latimer， was a doctor in the local Spanish hospital and had been a friend of Quirke’s daughter， Phoebe。 Quirke called his daughter in Dubli This is the 8th book in the Quirke mystery series by this author。 The first 5 books were rewritten under a pseudonym。 Quirke was the chief pathologist in Dublin and a former alcoholic。 He and his psychiatrist wife， Evelyn， were on vacation in San Sebastián in Spain when he spotted a woman who was thought to have been murdered by her brother。 The woman， April Latimer， was a doctor in the local Spanish hospital and had been a friend of Quirke’s daughter， Phoebe。 Quirke called his daughter in Dublin and asked her to come to Spain to see if she could identify April。 Detective St。 John Stafford was ordered to accompany Phoebe on the trip。 What they discover is a web of deceit involving a high ranking political family。The author uses his skills as a wordsmith to craft this story of life among powerful people in Irish politics in the 1950s。 I received this ARC from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=April in Spain

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=April in Spain&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,April in Spain&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0