This is the second installment in the Quirke mystery series by Benjamin Black, pen name of the Irish writer John Banville. Unfortunately, Quirke is becoming more melancholic, reticent, and frankly clueless. But fortunately, the pathologist takes a back seat in this book to some of the other players in the drama, who get whole chapters dedicated to their backgrounds and behaviors. Banville relentlessly pads the narrative with descriptions and similes, but for all the detail I still couldn't pick out any of these people from a lineup. Some authors are able to paint a vivid picture with just a few deft brushstrokes; Banville isn't one of them.
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