Written in 2020, the motive for the murder that begins this novel is obvious. We've seen plenty of news stories about the crimes committed by the clergy against children. But in the late 1950s, especially in Ireland, where the Church ruled with a rod of iron, it was much more difficult to tackle the subject.
The main difficulty for the reader trying to solve the identity of the murderer is trying to choose from the crowd of people who have been hurt by Father Tom. Our lackluster detective, DI Strafford, takes his time circling the issue. He seems to be rather unsuited to solve a sexual crime, being rather sexless himself. I liked the ambiguous ending, not really knowing who was responsible for what (for I'm pretty sure it was a team effort).
Strafford watches, bemused, as all the players are assembled in the country house, Ballyglass House. He notes that everyone is playing a part and that no one is at all grief stricken, despite the fact that the priest boarded a horse there, rode regularly with the local hunt, and generally spent an awful lot of time in this Protestant household. Agatha Christie couldn't have chosen the setting or the cast any better, but Banville takes his own direction with them.
This is my mystery book club’s selection for May. I'll be very interested to hear what my fellow mystery lovers have to say about it. For once I may be able to keep my mouth shut!
No comments:
Post a Comment