Holy Orders

Characters. The seventh novel in John Banville’s series of Dublin novels written under the pseudonym Benjamin Black is titled Holy Orders. Pathologist Garret Quirke continues to dabble into detection as he battles his own demons, including alcohol abuse. Banville captures the 1950s culture and norms with precision while he explores deep psychological themes. Priests and the role of the Catholic Church in Ireland are presented with insight and without mercy. All the complex characters in the novel are presented in the richness of their humanity, and I enjoyed reading this novel as much as I have each one in this finely written series. Readers who like this time period and crime fiction are those most likely to enjoy this novel. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Holy Orders from amazon.com.