Despite his endearing character imperfections, Quirke truly is an engaging and fascinating man easily capable of stealing your heart, even if only for 320 pages. He readily admits his self-indulgent life's missteps with earnest introspection. Garret Quirke steadfastly remains not only a prominent (not always in the best sense) pathologist, but also fittingly quite adept in discerning the villain, as Detective Inspector Hackett is unhesitatingly aware. Quirke's exceptionally notable and preeminently distinguished prominence with Dublin's privileged circles stems from dubious family connections well known if one is a follower of Quirke's previous adventures.

When a lovely English summer day is unpleasantly disturbed by the grim discovery of the wealthy, notorious publisher Richard Jewell, aka Diamond Dick embracing a rifle in death, the immediate consensus suggests suicide. Of course, even a rank amateur could detect such an obvious fallacy. Meanwhile, the elegantly composed and lovely French widow Françoise seeks comfort with her husbands' edgy half-sister Dannie in the drawing room sipping the Brits' requisite gin and tonic, any visible grief lies well submerged beneath the upper societal strata's strict protocol despite such a grisly event.

Françoise, a fleeting past acquaintance who is shrewdly willing to exploit any means to deflect even the minutest suspicion upon her marvels at the fateful alignment with our precocious, yet often dispirited Quirke, who immediately stumbles into a reflective attraction for the ostensibly tangible suspect. Successful in her seductive attempts, Quirke's conflicted conscience reminds him that his continued dalliance jeopardizes his long-standing relationship.

The subtle complexity of unanticipated actions hurls Quirke into a startling swirl of bewildering events which surprisingly involve not only his daughter Phoebe, but also his assistant Sinclair, who also is Dannie's confidante, a highly unstable woman. Most intriguing to me is Quirke's measured affective and philosophical evolution. Yes, he stumbles a bit along the way, but as the villain is suitably identified, Quirke definitely develops into a more emotionally stable, balanced and highly laudable character. At long last, John Banville's alter ego, Benjamin Black reveals Garret Quirke's immense possibilities.