I am continuing to enjoy John Banville’s detective novels. They number more than 10 now and I find them a pleasure to delve into. 

Blending the mystery story with his distinctive literary sensibility, he provides plenty of drama, fresh perspectives and challenges with each book; there are playful interconnections between novels, and a realistic, often disturbing look at the historical problems of Ireland, his home country. This year I have checked off two more, “Snow” (2020) and his most recent offering, “The Drowned” (2025). There was less Quirke than I expected but they remained gripping and engaging.

They made excellent bedtime reading — a chapter or two at a sitting (I am usually pillow-prone, of course) promotes a good sleep for me even though I am usually alert enough to appreciate Banville’s verbal flourishes, his interesting characterizations, and his plotting strategies.

Readers often consume their books in intense gobbles, perhaps in a single reading. Certainly, all approaches are at play, but I am fairly deliberate in my methods. I like a book that unfolds its magic unhurriedly, allowing me to ponder over what the author provides. With Banville one finds many striking details about Irish life — the weather, the politics, local ways of speaking, and the rural habits and urban doings of folks in and around Dublin. Then there are the personal outlooks of his characters and the slow revelation of the circumstances affecting the central situation. His novels move at an unhurried pace appropriate to the mystery itself, the setting, and the characters. The back story of the investigator and his relations to those close to him shares centre stage. With Banville one is always aware of his adept use of language and his control of rhythm and mood.

Let me begin with “Snow,” a murder mystery set in the winter of 1957 at Ballyglass House in County Wexford. The great house is in Northern Ireland but close by the Catholic Republic and the city of Dublin.   The police........

© Peterborough Examiner