Review: A Death in Summer (2011) by Benjamin Black

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Picador, 2012 Format: Paperback Edition. First published in 2011 by Mantle, ISBN: 978-0-330-50915-2 Pages: 328.

Synopsis: When newspaper magnate Richard Jewell is found dead at his country estate, clutching a shotgun in his lifeless hands, few see his demise as cause for sorrow. But before long Doctor Quirke and Inspector Hackett realise that, rather than the suspected suicide, ‘Diamond Dick’ has in fact been murdered. Suspicion soon falls on one of Jewell’s biggest rivals. Yet as Quirke and his assistant Sinclair get to know Jewell’s beautiful, enigmatic wife, Françoise d’Aubigny, and his fragile sister Dannie, as well as those who work for the family, it gradually becomes clear that all is not as it seems . . .Against the backdrop of 1950’s Dublin, Benjamin Black conjures another atmospheric, beguiling mystery.

My take: A Death in Summer is the fourth book in the Quirke crime series. Though my original intention, for this summer reading challenge, was to read Even the Dead  –the last book so far in the series– I finally chose this one to better adjust myself to its publishing order. It is however not strictly necessary to follow them chronologically for a better appreciation of this book. The publisher’s synopsis provides a pretty good outlook of what it is all about and I don’t feel its necessary to add much more. Besides, it should be no secret that I have this book series in high regard, mainly for the quality of its writing. What is of no surprise given the identity of its author. And even more, this book, as the previous ones, is also strong in the development of its characters and in the construction of the atmosphere in which the action unfolds. Furthermore, in this particular instance, several are the topics addressed, as in the following examples:

‘You might say that’s how the world is. You might say, in fact that there are two distinct worlds, the world where everything seems good and straightforward and simple–that’s the world that the majority of people live in, or at least imagine they live in–and then there’s the real world, where the real things go on.’

….

‘I needn’t ask which is your world.’ Quirke said.

‘Ah, but there’s where you’re wrong. Doctor Quirke. That’s where you are wrong. I don’t operate in either world exclusively, but somewhere in between the two. I acknowledge them both. I have, you might say, a foot in both. People must have sunshine and calm water with baby ducks on it, if they’re not to sink into despair. Deep down they know how things really are, but they pretend not to, and manage to convince themselves, or to convince themselves enough to keep the pretence going. and that’s where I come in, me, and a few others of a like mind. We move between the worlds, and it’s our job to make sure the appearances are kept up–to hide the dark stuff and emphasise the light. It’s quite a responsibility, I can tell you.’ (Pages. 164 – 165)

‘It’s the times, Doctor Quirke, and the place. We haven’t grown up yet, here on this tight little island. But we do what we can, you and I. That’s all we can do.’ (Page 310)

In a nutshell, I’ve very much enjoyed this book. In my view, the storyline is well crafted and I found it very interesting. The setting is nicely drawn and, despite its obvious differences, it has turn out to me very familiar. A highly attractive reading.

My rating: A (I loved it)

About the author: Benjamin Black is the crime-writing pen name of acclaimed author John Banville, who was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. He has signed with this nom de plume, among others, the books in the Quirke series: Christine Falls, 2006); The Silver Swan, 2007; Elegy for April, 2010;  A Death in Summer, 2011; Vengeance, 2012; Holy Orders, 2013, and Even the Dead, 2015. To access my reviews, click on the book’s title.

A Death in Summer has been reviewed at Amazon Customer reviews

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Benjamin Black Official website

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Muerte en verano, de Benjamin Black

Sinopsis: Cuando el magnate de la prensa Richard Jewell aparece muerto en su casa de campo, empuñando una escopeta en sus manos inertes, pocos lo lamentan. El doctor Quirke y el inspector Hackett no tardan en darse cuenta de que, lejos de tratarse de un posible suicidio, «Diamante Dick» ha sido asesinado. La sospecha pronto recae sobre uno de los mayores rivales de Jewell. Sin embargo, cuando Quirke y su asistente Sinclair lleegan a conocer a la elegante y misteriosa viuda de Jewell, Françoise d’Aubigny y a su problemática hermana Dannie, así como a los que trabajan para la familia, poco a poco se va haciendo evidente que no todo es como parece. . . Ante el telón de fondo de la década de  los 50 en Dublín, Benjamin Black crea otro misterio seductor y evocador.

Mi opinión: Muerte en verano es el cuarto libro de la serie de novelas negras protagonizadas por Quirke. Aunque mi intención original, para mi desafío de lecturas de este  verano, era leer Las sombras de Quirke (Even the Dead, 2015), el último libro hasta ahora en la serie, finalmente elegí éste para ajustarme mejor a su orden de publicación. Sin embargo, no es estrictamente necesario seguirlos cronológicamente para una mejor apreciación de este libro. La sinopsis del editor proporciona una visión bastante buena de lo que se trata y no creo que sea necesario añadir mucho más. Además, no debería ser ningún secreto que tengo esta serie de libros en alta consideración, principalmente por la calidad de su escritura. Lo que no es una sorpresa dada la identidad de su autor. Y aún más, este libro, como los anteriores, es también sólido en el desarrollo de sus personajes y en la construcción de la atmósfera en la que se desarrolla la acción. Además, en este caso particular, varios son los temas abordados, como en los siguientes ejemplos:

–Puede decir que así es el mundo. Podríamos decir, de hecho, que hay dos mundos distintos, el mundo en el que todo parece bueno, sencillo y simple: ese es el mundo en el que vive la mayoría de las personas, o al menos se imagina que viven en él, y luego está el mundo real, donde suceden las cosas reales.

….

–No necesito preguntar cuál es su mundo, dijo Quirke.

–Ah, pero ahí es donde se equivoca. Doctor Quirke. Ahí es donde se equivoca. Yo no opero en ninguno de los dos mundos exclusivamente, sino en algún lugar entre los dos. Reconozco a los dos. Tengo, podría decir, un pie en ambos. La gente debe tener sol y aguas serenas con patitos en ellas, si no quieren hundirse en la desesperación. En el fondo saben cómo son realmente las cosas, pero fingen no hacerlo, y consiguen convencerse a sí mismos, o convencerse a sí mismos lo suficiente como para mantener la pretensión. Y ahí es donde yo aparezco, yo, y otros pocos con una misma mentalidad. Nos movemos entre los dos mundos, y es nuestro trabajo asegurarnos de que las apariencias se mantengan, para ocultar las cosas sombrías y destacar las luminosas. Se trata de una gran responsabilidad, le puedo asegurar. (Páginas 164-165)

–Son los tiempo, doctor Quirke, y el sitio. No nos hemos hecho adultos todavía, aquí en esta pequeña y hermética isla. Pero hacemos lo que podemos, usted y yo. Eso es todo lo que podemos hacer. (Página 310)

En pocas palabras, he disfrutado mucho este libro. En mi opinión, la trama está bien elaborada y me pareció muy interesante. El entorno está muy bien dibujado y, a pesar de sus diferencias evidentes, me ha resultado muy familiar. Una lectura muy atractiva.

Mi valoración: A (Me encantó)

Sobre el autor: Benjamin Black es el seudónimo con el que el escritor irlandés John Banville escribe novela negra. Ha firmado con este seudónimo, entre otras, las novelas de la serie Quirke: El secreto de Christine (Christine Falls, 2006); El otro nombre de Laura (The Silver Swan, 2007); En busca de April (Elegy for April, 2010); Muerte en verano (A death In summer, 2011); Venganza (Vengeance, 2012); Órdenes sagradas (Holy Orders, 2013 ) y Las sombras de Quirke (Even the Dead, 2015). Para acceder a mis reseñas, haga clic en el título del libro

Muerte en verano Opiniones de clientes (Amazon)

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Quirke Mysteries

The winner for this year’s Prince of Asturias Award for literature has gone to Irish novelist John Banville. Banville is also well known for his crime novels which are written under the pseudonym of Benjamin Black. It can be highlighted, among his crime books, the series featuring Quirke, a Dublin pathologist, and set in the 1950s. 

If you, like me, have not yet read any of his books, it seems to me a great opportunity for getting started.

For additional information visit  Benjamin Black Website

Books in this series (Fantastic Fiction)

Christine Falls, 2006

In the Pathology Department it was always night. This was one of the things Quirke liked about his job…it was restful, cosy, one might almost say, down in these depths nearly two floors beneath the city’s busy pavements. There was too a sense here of being part of the continuance of ancient practices, secret skills, of work too dark to be carried on up in the light. But one night, late after a party, Quirke stumbles across a body that shouldn’t have been there…and his brother-in-law, eminent paediatrician Malachy Griffin – a rare sight in Quirke’s gloomy domain – altering a file to cover up the corpse’s cause of death. It is the first time Quirke encounters Christine Falls, but the investigation he decides to lead into the way she lived – and the reason she died – disturbs a dark secret that has been festering at the core of Dublin’s high Catholic society, a secret ready to destabilize the very heart and soul of Quirke’s own family…

The Silver Swan, 2007

Time has moved on for Quirke, the world-weary Dublin pathologist first encountered in Christine Falls. It is the middle of the 1950s, that low, dishonourable decade; a woman he loved has died, a man whom he once admired is dying, while the daughter he for so long denied is still finding it hard to accept him as her father. When Billy Hunt, an acquaintance from college days, approaches him about his wife’s apparent suicide, Quirke recognises trouble but, as always, trouble is something he cannot resist. Slowly he is drawn into a twilight world of drug addiction, sexual obsession, blackmail and murder, a world in which even the redoubtable Inspector Hackett can offer him few directions.

Elegy for April, 2010

Quirke – the hard-drinking, insatiably curious Dublin pathologist – is back, and he’s determined to find his daughter’s best friend, a well-connected young doctor.

April Latimer has vanished. A junior doctor at a local hospital, she is something of a scandal in the conservative and highly patriarchal society of 1950s Dublin. Though her family is one of the most respected in the city, she is known for being independent-minded; her taste in men, for instance, is decidedly unconventional.

Now April has disappeared, and her friend Phoebe Griffin suspects the worst. Frantic, Phoebe seeks out Quirke, her brilliant but erratic father, and asks him for help. Sober again after intensive treatment for alcoholism, Quirke enlists his old sparring partner, Detective Inspector Hackett, in the search for the missing young woman. In their separate ways the two men follow April’s trail through some of the darker byways of the city to uncover crucial information on her whereabouts. And as Quirke becomes deeply involved in April’s murky story, he encounters complicated and ugly truths about family savagery, Catholic ruthlessness, and race hatred.

Both an absorbing crime novel and a brilliant portrait of the difficult and relentless love between a father and his daughter, this is Benjamin Black at his sparkling best.

A Death In Summer, 2011

When newspaper magnate Richard Jewell is found dead at his country estate, clutching a shotgun in his lifeless hands, few see his demise as cause for sorrow. But before long Doctor Quirke and Inspector Hackett realise that, rather than the suspected suicide, ‘Diamond Dick’ has in fact been murdered. Jewell had made many enemies over the years and suspicion soon falls on one of his biggest rivals. But as Quirke and his assistant Sinclair get to know Jewell’s beautiful, enigmatic wife Francoise d’Aubigny, and his fragile sister Dannie, as well as those who work for the family, it gradually becomes clear that all is not as it seems. As Quirke’s investigations return him to the notorious orphanage of St Christopher’s, where he once resided, events begin to take a much darker turn. Quirke finds himself reunited with an old enemy and Sinclair receives sinister threats. But what have the shadowy benefactors of St Christopher’s to do with it all? Against the backdrop of 1950’s Dublin, Benjamin Black conjures another atmospheric, beguiling mystery.

Vengeance, 2012

A bizarre suicide leads to a scandal and then still more blood, as one of our most brilliant crime novelists reveals a world where money and sex trump everything.

It’s a fine day for a sail, and Victor de Courcy, one of Ireland’s most successful businessmen, takes his boat far out to sea. With him is his partner’s son – who becomes the sole witness when de Courcy produces a pistol, points it at his own chest, and fires.

This mysterious death immediately engages the attention of Detective Inspector Hackett, who in turn calls upon the services of his sometime partner Quirke, consultant pathologist at the Hospital of the Holy Family. The stakes are high: de Courcy’s prominence in business circles means that Hackett and Quirke must proceed very carefully. Among others, they interview Mona de Courcy, the dead man’s young and very beautiful wife; James and Jonas de Courcy, his identical twin sons; and Jack Clancy, his ambitious, womanizing partner. But then a second death occurs, this one even more shocking than the first, and quickly it becomes apparent that a terrible secret threatens to destroy the lives and reputations of several members of Dublin’s elite.

Why did Victor de Courcy kill himself, and who is intent upon wreaking vengeance on so many of those who knew him?

Holy Orders , 2013

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 religion’s darkest corners.

’At first they thought it was the body of a child. Then they noticed the pubic hair and the nicotine stains on the fingers.’

So begins the latest Quirke case, a story set in Dublin at a moment when newspapers are censored, social conventions are strictly defined, and appalling crimes are hushed up. Why? Because in post-war Ireland the Catholic Church controls the lives of nearly everyone. But when his daughter Phoebe loses her close friend Jimmy Minor to murder, Quirke can no longer play by the Church’s rules. Together with Inspector Hackett, his sometime partner, Quirke investigates Jimmy’s death and learns just how far the Church will go to protect its own.

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 pathologist’s unique understanding of death to unlock secrets that have been shielded for centuries.

John Banville (Benjamin Black) Prince of Asturias Award for Literature 2014

At its meeting in Oviedo, the Jury for the 2014 Prince of Asturias Award for Literature, composed of Xuan Bello Fernández, Amelia Castilla Alcolado, Juan Cruz Ruiz, Luis Alberto de Cuenca y Prado, José Luis García Martín, Álex Grijelmo García, Manuel Llorente Manchado, Rosa Navarro Durán, Carme Riera i Guilera, Fernando Rodríguez Lafuente, Fernando Sánchez Dragó, Ana Santos Aramburo, Diana Sorensen, Sergio Vila-Sanjuán Robert, chaired by José Manuel Blecua Perdices and with José Luis García Delgado acting as secretary, has decided to confer the 2014 Prince of Asturias Award for Literature on the Irish novelist John Banville for his intelligent, insightful and original work as a novelist, and on his other self, Benjamin Black, author of disturbing, critical crime novels.

John Banville’s prose opens up dazzling lyrical landscapes through cultural references in which he breathes new life into classical myths and beauty goes hand in hand with irony. At the same time, he displays an intense analysis of complex human beings that ensnare us in their descent into the darkness of baseness or in their existential fellowship. Each of his works attracts and delights for his skill in developing the plot and his mastery of registers and expressive nuances, as well as for his reflections on the secrets of the human heart.

Oviedo, 4th June 2014

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