Christine Falls

Benjamin Black's Christine Falls is an amazing piece of writing. The basic story takes place in Dublin in the 1950's, and is full of grit and noir. The hospital patholigist, Quirke, discovers some odd doings re a new corpse's case file. As he searches for answers, we see a parallel story of a baby being sent to Boston, and farmed out to a young family. We discover all sorts of sad plots, family histories, and long term evil doings. All of that last sentence sounds rather melodramatic, but that is exactly what I can realistically say without giving away any of the details in this lovely story that has a very structured explication. Believe me, you don't want to know too much at the beginning! So much of this book is really about Quirke himself, and his extended family (his late wife's family, really). The crime, as such, isn't as compelling a mystery as Quirke is. It is fascinating to see how the author lays all this out and makes us care about the people. I recommend this book highly!

Widower, moody, broody, drunken Garret Quirke is in charge of the pathology department in the basement of Dublin's Holy Family Hospital. It's the 1950's, Ireland is steeped in Catholic tradition, but when Quirke wanders downstairs from a going away party and finds his step-brother/brother-in-law Dr. Malachy Griffin (they married sisters) messing around with the cause of death of Christine Falls, he is curious. It turns out Mal altered the cause of death, so that it didn't say she died in child birth. Quirke thinks this is more than his brother protecting the reputation of a fallen woman and though he has no authority and is warned off, he investigates anyway. He is an obstinate bulldog who will get at the truth, no matter what is done to him, no matter how it will affect his family. If they are destroyed, so be it, truth will out. I liked Quirke and I liked this dark book where nobody really comes out a winner. Many, myself included, will compare this with the works of Black's alter ego, John Banville. Okay, Banville's his real name, everybody knows this, but Black's the real writer. Yes, yes, I know Banville's won the Man Booker Prize. But Black is the one winning the readers, because Black's a better writer. I read this book in one night, it took me a week to get through The Sea. Yes, I know it's beautifully written and only a couple hundred pages, but I just kept setting it down. I simply didn't care for the characters or the story the way I did that of Quirke and crew. But, of course, I had no choice, because this book grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go till I finished.

This is a dark look at Ireland in the '50's. The power of the team of church and riches is brought home exceeding well. I kept saying I was going to stop listening to this book on disk but just couldn't quite stop. I glad I didn't. It's a challenging book but take the challenge, it's worth it and I'm looking forward to the second in the series.

Benjamin Black's, "Christine Falls", is a near perfect read for mystery fans. From page one, through the streets of Dublin a half century ago, through the conspiracies linking the Boston and Dublin Catholic high-societies, Benjamin Black pulls the reader deeper and deeper into the mystery until you're hooked. His writing brings to life every scene and the characters are believable and become, in your mind's eye, people you think about long after you put the book down. Within the twists and turns are moral connumdrums, thought provoking challenges, and jaw-dropping surprises leading up to a ending that is not contrived, but is both settling and unsettling in its ramifications. This is a must read for mystery fans.

(4.5 stars) With the same care that he devotes to his "serious" fiction, Booker Prize-winning author John Banville, under the pen name of "Benjamin Black," plumbs Dublin's Roman Catholic heritage in a mystery which examines the question of sin. The result is a vibrantly alive, intensely realized story of Dublin life and values in the 1950s--a mystery which makes the reader think at the same time that s/he is being entertained. Unlike most of the characters, Quirke, the main character, holds no awe for the church. In his early forties, "big and heavy and awkward," Quirke is a pathologist/coroner at Holy Family Hospital, a man who "prizes his loneliness as mark of some distinction." A realist, he has seen the dark side of life too often to hold out much hope for the future, his own or anyone else's. His vision of humanity is not improved when he goes to his office unexpectedly one evening and finds his brother-in-law, famed obstetrician Malachy Griffin, altering documents regarding the death of a young woman, Christine Falls. Quirke's autopsy of Christine shows, not surprisingly, that she has died in childbirth, a "fallen woman" in the eyes of the church. The nature of Christine's sin, however, does not begin to compare to the sins that Quirke uncovers during his investigation of her death and the fate of her child. John Banville (Black) has always been at least as interested in character as plot, and this novel is no exception. Quirke lived in an orphanage before being unofficially adopted by Judge Garrett Griffin, father of Dr. Malachy Griffin, who is obviously involved in the case. Developing on parallel planes, the novel becomes a study of Quirke and his personal relationships, at the same time that it is a study of Christine Falls and what she represents about Dublin society, the medical profession, the church and its influence, and the nature of power in upper-echelon Dublin. Murders, torture, beatings, and violence keep the action level high (and a bit melodramatic), in keeping with the great, old-fashioned tradition of 1950s' mystery-writing. A change of location from Dublin to Boston broadens the scope, connecting the Dublin mystery to the history of the Irish and their traditions in Boston. The author's use of parallel scenes emphasizes contrasts and similarities (a Christmas party in Dublin vs. a Christmas party in Boston, for example), and he maintains a conversational voice appropriate for Quirke. After this fine debut mystery, one can easily imagine Banville developing the character of Quirke in future mysteries and becoming, like Graham Greene, a writer of both serious literary fiction and "entertainments." n Mary Whipple