HOLY ORDERS Quirke, Book 6

"At first they thought it was the body of a child. Later . . . they realized their mistake." With a lilt of Irish in his voice, John Keating sets the unrelentingly grim tone of Benjamin Black's sixth Quirke mystery, set in 1950s Ireland. Black, the pen name of literary author John Banville, offers a strong plot and characters. Moody, suffering from panic attacks, forensic pathologist Quirke finds himself embroiled in the murder of an investigative journalist, a situation that brings out painful memories of childhood abuse he suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church. Keating makes each minor character substantial, and he delivers a vivid portrait of the depressive detective, complete with alcohol-induced maudlin ponderings. Familiarity with the earlier books will be helpful. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2013]