Review of The Eloquence of the Dead, by Conor Brady

The Eloquence of the Dead by Conor Brady

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This historical mystery set in 1880’s Dublin interweaves the politics of Irish land reform with the crime-fighting G Division of Dublin plainclothes detectives. Armed with a Colt revolver, Detective Sergeant Joe Swallow searches for a killer in the streets, pawnshops, pubs, and hotels of Dublin. He indulges his cultural side by attending weekly painting classes, where a charming antiques dealer named Katherine alerts him to ancient Greek coins mysteriously appearing in local antique shops. Swallow is an interesting main character--a blunt and determined man, struggling with a sense of personal failure and drawn to two very different women. Dublin landmarks, Irish beer and food, the rise of Irish nationalism, and an appearance by poet and mystic William B. Yeats give the novel an appealing sense of place and time. The culture of the Dublin police force and the British administration at Dublin Castle seems believable, with its mix of corruption, ineptitude, authoritarianism and greed. And Brady creates a sense of suspense and urgency that keeps the reader guessing to the end. Altogether, a satisfying historical mystery.



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