Excellent Dr Quirke and DI Strafford mystery set in 1950’s Dublin oozes atmosphere with smoky pubs and dim lit streets. A seeming suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in a rented garage sets things off until Quirke spots that it was in fact murder. A mysterious German family come under suspicion especially as the victim was Jewish. What is their history Strafford muses and why are there blockages at every turn. Quirke has a dalliance with the victims sister and Strafford also has one with Quirke’s daughter! The grand reveal at the end wraps it up nicely but then the epilogue reveals the actual murderer. Glorious!

Dr. Quirke and DI Strafford are fast becoming my favourite odd couple literary figures. At different stages in their lives and careers, from very different backgrounds and with a different approach to their professions and yet their lives can interweave in a totally plausible, if slightly awkward, fashion.
Rosa Jacobs’,(a Jewish student in Trinity College Dublin), body is found in an apparent suicide but Quirke isn’t so sure it is suicide. Before we know it a German father and son, living in Wicklow but possibly with business interests in Israel, are suspects. But this is 1950s Ireland so the church and government are intertwined and pressure put on to ignore any possible crime.
In some ways this is an old fashioned, classy sort of Agatha Christie murder mystery but it really is so much more. The crime and the solving of it in reality is like a backstory with the characters of Quirke and Strafford taking centre stage. It is also in some ways a social commentary on a new Irish state hugely influenced by the Catholic Church and with a distrust of outsiders.
Wholeheartedly recommend this novel. Looking forward to the next book already.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for this honest review

It's six months since the dramatic events which we read about in ''April in Spain'' and Dr Quirke is now back in Dublin and living (if somewhat uneasily) with his daughter, Phoebe. The worst of his grief is over but he irrationally blames DI St John Strafford for what happened and this has made the already strained relationship between them more difficult. They're brought together by Chief Inspector Hackett when the body of a young, Jewish scholar, Rosa Jacobs, is found in a lock-up. At first, it looked as though she'd gassed herself but Quirke is convinced that it was murder rather than suicide.

This is John Banville: the plot appears quite simple as you read. It's only when you try and piece it all together in retrospect that the complexities and skill become obvious. The story reaches back some dozen-or-so years to the end of the Second World War and outwards to Wicklow, the Italian Dolomites and Israel. There's a liberal sprinkling of world politics which sets the scene rather neatly. Both Quirke and Strafford become involved with much-younger women (and this despite the fact that Strafford isn't actually sure if he and his wife have separated) but less and less involved with each other.

If you're looking for a fast-paced crime novel then this is probably not the book for you. It's John Banville, so the writing is exquisite and the plotting deftly handled. The story is character-driven: it requires an author with Banville's skill to create a plot centred on two characters who barely speak to each other. This could be read as a standalone but I suspect that the reader would be more satisfied if they started with [[Snow by John Banville|Snow]] and followed that with ''April in Spain'' - and it's hardly going to be a hardship as both are superb!

Was it my favourite of the Quirke and Strafford books? No, it wasn't: that award must go to ''April in Spain''. There were a couple of occasions when I could have given up on the book and several points when I wanted to shout at Quirke or Strafford, but much of my frustration was redeemed by a stunning epilogue which I didn't see coming and which throws everything up in the air again.

I'd like to thank the publishers for making a copy available to the Bookbag.

Utterly captivating crime novel.
Would expect nothing less from the great literary star that is Banville.
I wished I had read the previous two in this series as some aspects of the characters were now asides. But overall the main characters are described well and have definite traits which leave us imagining their fully formed selves. The beginning was dramatic and then we are transported atmospherically to Dublin 12 years after an incident at the Monastery of Sankt in the Dolomites which somehow links to the dead body of Rosa Jacobs in a lock up garage.
Irish history is delicately placed in the whirlwind of murder "..the liberated state (of Ireland) now stuck fast in the doldrums of the 1950s" - was aptly shown. Yet the horrors of war (First and Second) where Irish men joined the British Army - many later scapegoated and vilified for their service to 'the mainland'....
Political backdrop and terror (with the IRA) are tinged around the lives of Dr Quirke and his daughter Phoebe Stafford and boss Hackett. Discussion of class divisions are well placed and effortlessly sway within the plot that develops slowly but dramatically.
Loved it!

This is the latest in John Banville's character driven, historical mystery series, set in 1950s Ireland, featuring Dublin pathologist Dr Quirke and DI Strafford with their uneasy relationship, made more difficult with the death of Quirke's wife, Evelyn, and Strafford's shooting of her killer. This has fuelled an often unwarranted resentment of Strafford by the still grieving and despairing Quirke, who oddly has not quite turned full on to the demon drink. Instead, he is living with his daughter, Phoebe, and he has returned to work, performing post-mortems. There is the apparent suicide of a young, Jewish history scholar, Rosa Jacobs, a driven activist, in a car in a lock up.

However, Quirke is convinced it is murder and not suicide, which has him, with Chief Inspector Hackett's support, working the inquiry with Strafford, in an increasingly strained atmosphere. The storyline takes in various locations, global politics and machinations, it spans the Italian Dolomites, a German concentration camp, and the strange death of an Israeli journalist in a hit and run, could this possibly be connected with Jacobs murder? Rosa's sister, Molly, a London based journalist returns to Dublin for the funeral, helping to look into Rosa's links with the unsettling wealthy German businessman, now living in County Wicklow, Wolfgang Kessler, and his son, Frank (Franz), involved in horse racing.

The inquiry becomes more tense, and takes in what is happening in Israel, and political pressures from a Catholic Church with its historically unsavoury networks in Europe that helped escaping Nazis. At the centre of the narrative are the personal lives and relationships of Quirke and Strafford with much younger women, leading to rage and conflict, whilst bringing potentially dangerous repercussions. This is not a fast paced crime read, its focus is on the characters, not on the mystery itself. It draws attention to WW2 and its aftermath, the state of Irish government and the Catholic Church, and political developments in Israel. The epilogue makes it clear that a killer appears to have got away with murder. A fascinating addition to this wonderful series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

John Banville continues to mesmerise readers with his unique writing style in his latest novel in the Strafford and Quirke series - The Lock-up. The apparent suicide of a young activist Rosa Jacobs requires Dr Quirke and DI Strafford to investigate what may have actually happened. They struggle to find anyone close to Rosa who can help them and are left with very little to go on. Quirke is still dealing with the recent tragic loss of his wife, whilst Strafford mildly resents theparticipation of the pathologist in the investigation as his boss Chief Inspector Hackett takes a back seat.

I thoroughly enjoyed Banville's lyrical visualisation of 1950's Dublin and how he captured the delicate sounds of the canal, transporting the reader to a bygone era.

If you’re looking for a slow-paced murder mystery, The Lock-Up by John Banville might be the book for you! Set in 1950s Dublin, the story follows two main characters—Renowned pathologist Dr Quirke and DI St. John Strafford—as they investigate a murder. In this blog post, I’ll provide a brief overview of the plot as well as my thoughts on the book.

The Lock-Up tells the story of Rosa Jacobs, a young history scholar who is found dead in her car. Renowned pathologist Dr. Quirke and Detective Inspector St. John Strafford investigate her death as a murder, but it’s Rosa's older sister Molly—an established journalist—who discovers a lead that could crack open the case.

I found this book to be quite slow-paced and more character-driven than I had expected, focusing more on the drama surrounding the characters than the actual plot. While I enjoyed getting to know the characters, which were well developed from previous books in the series, I felt like their drama took away from what should have been an exciting murder mystery plot line. Additionally, I noticed that the two main characters (Quirke and Strafford) rarely talked to each other which made me feel disconnected from them both emotionally and intellectually. They have a strange dynamic, not often seen.

Overall, I thought The Lock-Up was well written, but it wasn't really my cup of tea. It’s definitely not an edge-of-your-seat thriller and although it does have an interesting murder mystery at its core, it may be too slow for some readers. It may be that this isn’t a fair criticism though as I haven’t read the others in the series. I won't be going back to read them as I felt that I wanted to give this one up many times while reading. That said, I am glad that I tried it. John Banville is my mother-in-law’s favourite author and I have no doubt that she will love this book I can see why, it's much more suited to her than to me.

All in all, if you're looking for an enjoyable read with well-developed characters and an intriguing plot line then The Lock-Up by John Banville might be just what you're looking for! Despite being too slow-paced for me personally and lacking communication between its two main characters, it was still well-written enough that I'd recommend giving it a try! Readers who appreciate slower reads with plenty of character development will likely enjoy this book much more than I did!

The usual well-written crime fiction novel by John Banville.
As usual Inspector Strafford and Doctor Quirke dig out clues to crimes that occur that might not be crimes, and solve or not the complexities behind them.
It is refreshing to have novels set in Ireland, but this one has a connection with Israel.
It is not necessary to have read Strafford and Quirke books before, the reader will soon get an idea of the style.
My thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy for honest review.

DI Strafford, Dublin Garda
Dr Quirke, Pathologist
Dublin, 1958. A young woman is found dead in her car in a lock-up; a German exile on a large estate in Wicklow, and the exiles son. Is there a connection between the three and with events further afield? Strafford is assigned the case and Dr Quirke does the post-mortem, and the relationship is, as ever, strained. The deeper, the two go, it seems the ripples of this investigation spread wide and into the recent past.

If I am to sum up John Banville‘s Strafford/Quirke series, I describe them as classy and timeless. Right from the start, you get large hints about the direction this will go and yet the author is still able to shock and surprise you. There’s a great deal going on in this ambitious novel, the author builds layer upon layer, producing tangled webs with large spiders at the centre. There is a big political element here in particular an important historical one and as ever the plot bears witness to the power of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland at this time and its links to politics but also to a wider world angle. As always John Banville captures the times and it’s not always comfortable reading in 2023 but the historical context is excellent. The quality of the writing is high, there are literary references too that are cleverly used to highlight points and make you think.

The Strafford/ Quirke novels are very much character driven mystery thrillers. They’re both fascinating flawed men though I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’re likeable but they feel very authentic. Strafford is solitary but contented and Quirke is deep in grief and is very emotional post events in Spain (April in Spain, the last novel), which produces uneasy, resentful and sometimes angry outbursts, especially directed at Stratford, often unfairly.

However, there are some lulls in the pace where Stratford and Quirke are reflecting and also where their love lives intervene. Overall, though, I enjoy this latest outing of this an easy duo and look forward to reading what happens next. It can easily be read as a standalone but the series is good and well worth reading.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Faber and Faber for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I must confess to having read John Banville's previous novel, April in Spain. I loved the writing style and content so maybe I should recuse myself from judging The Lock-Up but I'm not going to! The two lead characters from April in Spain are back, pathologist Dr Quirke and Detective Inspector Strafford, in this mystery following an apparent suicide of a young woman. So too is Banville's excellent writing talent which makes each sentence so vivid. We get to meet some strange bedfellows at the end of the Second World War and as readers we make certain connections with those we meet later after some years have passed. Strafford doesn't know what we know but he has his suspicions, Quirke too. However, although we are waylaid with coincidences, some aren't altogether warranted as we find out from the jottings in a diary. As a detective novel, the lead detective singularly fails. Does he find something out about himself though? The strange almost unmentioned separation in his marriage, the rather mechanical lovemaking with the Dr's daughter and why Dorothy's friends find him attractive.
The grieving Quirke, who seems to have let himself go, manages to hook the sister of the dead woman but not in a grief pact, more a celebration of life amidst death.
I would like to give this novel five stars for Banville's way with words but for me, it didn't work that well as a detective thriller and the final suicide seemed there to effect a quick conclusion to the novel. It could have been better and somewhat longer, unless of course there's a sequel in the pipeline?

Murder mystery taking place in 1950s Dublin - quite good.

This detective novel is quite interesting, emphasizing the characters rather than the plot. DI Stafford and Dr Quirke, the pathologist, get involved in the suspicious death of a young Jewish woman in a lock-up. Secrets are revealed that lead to other characters being integrated into the plot. There's plenty of description of the characters and Ireland of the era to make up for the sparse plot. There's not much here that's uplifting and it's hard to feel much sympathy for the main characters, even wi8th their own personal tragedies. It's still a satisfying read but I think that it doesn't inspire me to read any more by this author. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It is the lyricism of the writing that makes this book stand out from the wealth of crime novels currently available on booksellers’ shelves, although the plot and characterisations are pretty good too! Inspector Strafford and pathologist Quirke are back working together (in spite of their mutual animosity) when the body of a young woman is discovered in a locked garage in Dublin. On the surface this appears to be suicide, but Quirke believes that is not the case, and he and Strafford set out to establish the truth, which takes them into some very dark places, and has them dealing with some powerful but unsavoury people. The final denouement is completely unexpected, and the story is all the richer for that.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for an advance copy of The Lock-Up, the third novel to feature pathologist Dr Quirke and DI St John Strafford, set in Dublin in the 1950s.

Rosa Jacobs is found dead in her car from carbon monoxide poisoning. It is initially assumed to be suicide, but Quirke is sure it is murder and Strafford is willing to believe it. With the help of Rosa’s sister Molly they investigate Rosa’s links to Israel and a wealthy German family.

I enjoyed The Lock-Up, which is a slow burning read that is as much about the two men and Irish society as it is a murder investigation. In fact, they don’t get the investigation right as the epilogue informs the reader, but somehow it doesn’t matter as there is so much else going on.

The opening chapter of the novel gives the reader a pretty good idea of the lay of the land in the novel, so while there are some unsaid elements that are easy for the reader to guess, there are other developments that are fairly shocking in light of this knowledge. I know that is a bit vague, but I don’t want to issue spoilers and, yet, at the same time, I want the reader to understand that this is a nuanced novel where little knowledge or guesswork isn’t enough to stop some of the shocks. I found it impressive in its ability to portray self interest, venality and lack of morality in such stark and realistic terms.

So, while there are big stage themes in the novel it is also a study in personalities. Rosa Jacobs was what we now call an activist with an absolutist attitude. I’m too old for black and white so I didn’t take to her, but could her personality and politics have caused her death? It’s a question Strafford and Quirke must ponder. On the other hand there is strife brewing between the two of them. Quirke hasn’t forgiven Strafford for not saving his wife, while Strafford knows he couldn’t have. They are two lonely, introspective men with nothing in common, although that may change, and neither particularly likeable, although they are fascinating in their thought processes and the way they are portrayed. I love the way an incident can trigger memories and observations, it seems so natural and unforced.

The Lock-Up is a good read that I can recommend.

The Lock-Up is a most unusual kind of murder mystery novel. The two investigators have a shared history but do not like each other and one of them isn’t a policeman but a pathologist. Neither would be considered anyone’s idea of a glamorous investigator although both are interesting characters in their own way, as are the other main characters. The plot is neither complicated nor clever although there is (to this reviewer) a surprise denouement. It is by no means a page-turner but it is a riveting narrative. So, not a routine murder mystery novel but it still gets 5 stars from me because of the quality of the writing, the beauty of the narrative and the wonderful sense of time and place conveyed by the writer. A joy to read.

The Lock Up is a very different crime novel .The story seems to be more about the two central characters Quirke and DI Stafford ,two very boring and uninspiring characters that barely talk to each other than any crime or murder .The story is set in the 1950's in Dublin ,there is a murder but the story is very slow and longer than it needs to be .I haven't read the previous books in this series and perhaps if I had I would understand the Pathologist and Detective more and their relationship.Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

The lock up

This is the latest in the Quirke series. I have read and enjoyed previous books in this series.

It starts in mountains at the end of the war when a man is helped to escape by monks. There are consequences to this which reappear in Ireland in the 1950s when there is a murder which Quirke and Inspector Strafford set out to solve.

This is very well written and with a very literary set of characters who quote poetry and philosophers, perhaps reflecting Banville himself. Mostly about love as there are also love affairs, all involving much older men and young women. A bit cringey. I enjoyed some Brendan Behan comic verse quoted though:

‘Don’t speak of your Protestant minister,
Nor of his Church without meaning or faith.
For the foundation stone of his temple
Was the bollocks of Henry the Eighth.’

There are some very real passages about Quirke’s grief though. I found I was highlighting:

‘The thing about grief was that you could press upon it at its sharpest points and blunt them, only for the bluntness to spread throughout the system and make it ache like one vast bruise.’

This is not a thriller. Nor is there great detective work. But I really enjoyed sharing in the thoughts of Strafford and Quirke.


I recommend this novel and will be reading more. I read a copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher but my views are my own.

This is the third outing for Strafford and Quirke and their uneasy working relationship continues to be at the forefront of the novel. A woman's body is found in a lock-up garage in Dublin and suicide is said to be the cause of death, however a grieving Quirke suggests to Strafford that this wasn't the case. Their investigation leads them to a wealthy German industrialist who has ties to Israel, but also has a past which he wishes to remain buried.

As with Snow and April in Spain Banville offers up a host of totally convincing characters whom we are fascinated by, locations that pull us into the the drama and of course post war Ireland dominated by the powers of the Church. The writing begs the readers to slow down and absorb the language, characters and narrative. Banville's crime novels are exceptional, they offer crime readers intelligent, well written, character driven plots which demand our attention and time.