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April in Spain
April in Spain: A Novel | John Banville
9 posts | 8 read | 2 to read
Booker Prize winner John Banville returns with a dark and evocative new mystery set on the Spanish coast Don't disturb the dead On the idyllic coast of San Sebastian, Spain, Dublin pathologist Quirke is struggling to relax, despite the beaches, cafs and the company of his disarmingly lovely wife. When he glimpses a familiar face in the twilight at Las Acadas bar, it's hard at first to tell whether his imagination is just running away with him. Because this young woman can't be April Latimer. She was murdered by her brother, years agothe conclusion to an unspeakable scandal that shook one of Ireland's foremost political dynasties. Unable to ignore his instincts, Quirke makes a call back home to Ireland and soon Detective St. John Strafford is dispatched to Spain. But he's not the only one en route. A relentless hit man is on the hunt for his latest prey, and the next victim might be Quirke himself. Sumptous, propulsive and utterly transporting, April in Spain is the work of a master writer at the top of his game.
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kspenmoll
April in Spain: A Novel | John Banville
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Initially, this book‘s slow & mellow pace is in tune with the vacationers Quirk & Evelyn.The setting in the Basque Country,specifically Donosita-San Sebastian,on the Mediterranean Sea, enhances this mood.The prose,it‘s imagery, conversational banter,& the inner thoughts of the characters,drive the novel.Quirk thinks he spots a presumed dead person, & the suspense begins.She is the catalyst now driving the plot,ending with crescendo of a climax.

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kspenmoll
April in Spain: A Novel | John Banville
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kspenmoll
April in Spain: A Novel | John Banville
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Relaxing before dinner. #abookadrinkandasnack #cocktailhour

Soubhiville I have no idea what you‘re drinking but based on the he color I‘m coveting it 😆. 1y
kspenmoll @Soubhiville it is gin & pomegranate juice, a slash of seltzer & 2 dark cherries! I often drink it without liquor & add lime juice. So refreshing! 1y
dabbe Ain't nothing better. 😍 1y
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CaitlinR
April in Spain: A Novel | John Banville
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Bailedbailed

This was the first Banville that I just couldn‘t finish. Much slower paced. Maybe because Quirke hated Spain, I did too. He seems querulous in this novel. Somehow, even the bad guy, Terry Trice, fell flat. I‘ll try it again … might be a case of right read, wrong time.

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Gissy
April in Spain: A Novel | John Banville
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Book 8 in a series but I read it as a stand alone, in this book there is a new character. Set early in the 60‘s in Spain, Dr. Quirke, pathologist from Dublin, took a vacation with his wife. There, he saw a friend of his daughter who is supposed to be dead. A short, very slow pace suspense novel, more character driven. I liked it but this one has mixed reviews. I will like to read previous books and it seems there will be a sequel.3.8⭐️

Gissy This author also use the name of Benjamin Black. First books in the series are under this name.

March 2022 #BookSpinBingo #DoubleSpin @TheAromaOfBooks

#IrishAuthor

February #2022BlindDatewithaBook
3y
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erzascarletbookgasm
April in Spain: A Novel | John Banville
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This is a slow burn mystery, with a predictable plot and a melodramatic ending. In spite of these, I was thoroughly absorbed. I enjoyed the writing which evokes a great sense of place and time; the dialogues; the study of characters, sometimes comical; and the prose are gracefully crafted. And as his previous novel, Snow, it is nuanced with some politics; violence; hypocrisy and corruptions of certain elite quarters.

erzascarletbookgasm I thought this was a follow up to ‘Snow‘ featuring DI Strafford but found out it‘s marketed as the 8th book in Benjamin Black‘s (Banville‘s pseudonym) Quirke series. Anyway it can be read as a stand-alone or sequel to Snow but perhaps fans of the Quirke series will enjoy it better. 3y
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AmandaBlaze
April in Spain: A Novel | John Banville
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Bailedbailed

I just couldn't get into this #DoubleSpin at all and had to bail. This is the first bail I had since joining Litsy, so I'm a little sad about it.

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AmandaBlaze
April in Spain: A Novel | John Banville
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