With no great speed, I’ve been reading this Quirk series in order.  They’re by John Bancroft using the name of Benjamin Black.  I read quite a number of Bancroft’s books about 15-20 years ago and have been reading Quirk since 2008 or so when the first book, Christine Falls, was released.

A DEATH IN SUMMER
by Benjamin Black / 2011
read by: John Keating, 8h 47m
Rating: A – 8 / lit mystery / hist fict
 ( # 4 in the Quirke series)

This is an excellent addition to Benjamin Black’s (John Bancroft) Quirk series, but it’s not for the young crowd who seem to enjoy thrillers. The books take place (and are steeped in) the late 1950s, around the city of Dublin. Memories of WWII are dimmer now, but the new era has not quite taken hold. The Catholic Church and the established elite are quite powerful. Because of his old family connections Quirk is accepted even if he is Protestant. He is a consultant pathologist at Holy Family hospital with David Sinclair as his assistant. The slang, old-style telephones and frequent smoking give the era substance and there seems to be deference paid to authority in different ways.

The heir to a newspaper fortune, Richard Jewel aka Diamond Dick, is found on his bedroom floor with his head blown to bits.There is no note or anything like that, but his shotgun is close at hand. Quirke is called in and brings David Sinclair, his assistant.

Surprisingly, in the opinion of Quirke, Sullivan and others in the department, Jewel’s death was NOT a suicide as others seem eager to suggest. But who in the world ….?

So now it’s a murder investigation and the list of possible suspects is quite long. seeing as Jewel had many enemies. Zoning in, his wife Francoise and sister, Dannie, are distinct possibilities, hard as that is for Quirke to believe because he and Sullivan are very attracted to the ladies while Phoebe, Quirke’s twenty-something daughter is also attracted to Sullivan.  (This is NOT a romance in the way usual romance stories go.)

In the prior book of the series Quirke just met his daughter, Phoebe, and he’s not quite sure what to think because she seems to have “troubles.” (I look forward to Phoebe being a regular character.) Quirk obviously cares for her so when he sees that Sullivan is attracted to Phoebe, Quirk encourages them.  

There are twists and turns during the investigation and I didn’t really figure out who done it although the name drifted through my mind.

https://mysterytribune.com/death-summer-benjamin-black/
(a brief but interesting analysis)