This fourth Quirke outing by Benjamin Black is more cleanly realized than numbers 2 and 3, but not as much as number 1, Elegy for April. Set in Dublin during an unusually hot summer in the late 50's, the mystery doesn't present so much of a challenge, but the back story is compelling enough to keep a reader interested. As this is by definition an historical novel, meaning it takes place more than 50 years before its publication, there is some effort to recreate a time gone by. However, the emphasis on smoking is almost laughable. Literature of that time incorporated psople smoking, but I doubt they were lighting up on every page.