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The Lock-Up

A Strafford and Quirke Murder Mystery
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( 5,145 ratings, 598 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Lock-Up by John Banville, a case seems straightforward when a woman's body is found in a Dublin lock-up garage in the 1950s. However, as Detective Inspector Strafford investigates, he uncovers a web of secrets and lies that challenge his perceptions and motivations. The story weaves a tense and immersive mystery, reflecting the shadows lurking in Ireland's post-war society.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy intricately plotted crime stories with a literary flair. With John Banville's signature elegant prose, the narrative unfolds in a richly atmospheric setting, providing a compelling mix of mystery, character depth, and unexpected twists. It's perfect for readers who appreciate a sophisticated approach to the crime and thriller genre.

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The Sunday Times bestselling author of Snow and April in Spain is back, as Strafford and Quirke return with their most troubling case yet.

The Sunday Times bestselling author of Snow and April in Spain is back, as Strafford and Quirke return with their most troubling case yet.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

1950s Dublin, in a lock-up garage in the city, the body of a young woman is discovered, an apparent suicide. But pathologist Dr Quirke and Detective Inspector Strafford soon suspect foul play.

The victim's sister, a newspaper reporter from London, returns to Dublin to join the two men in their quest to uncover the truth. But, as they explore her links to a wealthy German family in County Wicklow and to investigative work she may have been doing in Israel, they are confronted with an ever-deepening mystery.

With relations between the two men increasingly strained, and their investigation taking them back to the final days of the Second World War, can they join the pieces of a hidden puzzle?

The Lock-Up by John Banville offers a thrilling mystery that delves into dark secrets and complex relationships.

Series: Strafford and Quirke

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  • The Drowned
    The brand new Strafford and Quirke murder mystery from the bestselling author of Snow. A chilling must-read. 'Haunting . . . compelling.' Daily Mail 'Banville is one of my favourite writers alive.' Rebecca F. Kuang 'The repressed and sinister world of 1950s Ireland is exposed in beautiful, sometimes chilling prose.' Financial Times He had seen drowned people. A sight not...
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  • The Lock-Up
    1950s Dublin, in a lock-up garage in the city, the body of a young woman is discovered, an apparent suicide. But pathologist Dr Quirke and Detective Inspector Strafford soon suspect foul play. The victim's sister, a newspaper reporter from London, returns to Dublin to join the two men in their quest to uncover the truth. But, as they explore her...
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  • April in Spain
    When Dublin pathologist Quirke glimpses a familiar face while on holiday with his wife, it's hard, at first, to tell whether his imagination is just running away with him. Could she really be who he thinks she is, and have a connection with a crime that nearly brought ruin to an Irish political dynasty? Unable to ignore his instincts, Quirke...
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  • Snow
    'The body is in the library,' Colonel Osborne said. 'Come this way.' Following the discovery of the body of a well-loved parish priest at Ballyglass Houseβ€”the Co. Wexford family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne familyβ€”Detective Inspector St. John Strafford is called in from Dublin to investigate. Facing obstruction from all angles, Strafford is determined to identify the murderer. But,...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Lock-Up by John Banville is a compelling addition to the crime and thriller genre, praised for its richly atmospheric setting and intricate plot. Critics commend Banville's eloquent prose and his ability to delve deep into the psychological landscapes of his characters. The novel has been highlighted for its suspenseful narrative pace and the complexity of its mystery.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571370986

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 April 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Export - Airside ed

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 445g

Pages: 352

About the Author

John Banville was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. He is the author of twenty novels, including The Book of Evidence, The Sea, winner of the 2005 Man Booker Prize, and, most recently, the bestselling crime novels, Snow and April in Spain, both of which were shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger.

Also by John Banville

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  • The Drowned
    The brand new Strafford and Quirke murder mystery from the bestselling author of Snow. A chilling must-read. 'Haunting . . . compelling.' Daily Mail 'Banville is one of my favourite writers alive.' Rebecca F. Kuang 'The repressed and sinister world of 1950s Ireland is exposed in beautiful, sometimes chilling prose.' Financial Times He had seen drowned people. A sight not...
    Paperback
    $3300
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • April in Spain
    When Dublin pathologist Quirke glimpses a familiar face while on holiday with his wife, it's hard, at first, to tell whether his imagination is just running away with him. Could she really be who he thinks she is, and have a connection with a crime that nearly brought ruin to an Irish political dynasty? Unable to ignore his instincts, Quirke...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
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  • Venetian Vespers
    FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SNOW 'A marvellous and rewarding novelist . . . He is a magician, really.' THE SCOTSMAN 'Banville has a grim gift of seeing people's souls.' DON DeLILLO 'The most eminent innovator in Irish fiction of the last 50 years.' IRISH TIMES 'One of my favourite writers alive.' REBECCA F. KUANG 'Banville writes prose of such...
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  • Mrs Osmond
    A rich historical novel about the aftermath of betrayal, from the Booker prize-winner. 'What was freedom, she thought, other than the right to exercise one's choices?' Isabel Osmond, a spirited, intelligent young heiress, flees to London after being betrayed by her husband, to be with her beloved cousin Ralph on his deathbed. After a sombre, silent existence at her husband's...
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  • Snow
    'The body is in the library,' Colonel Osborne said. 'Come this way.' Following the discovery of the body of a well-loved parish priest at Ballyglass Houseβ€”the Co. Wexford family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne familyβ€”Detective Inspector St. John Strafford is called in from Dublin to investigate. Facing obstruction from all angles, Strafford is determined to identify the murderer. But,...
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  • The Singularities
    From the Booker Prize-winning John Banville comes a playful, multilayered novel of nostalgia, life and death, and quantum theory. A man with a borrowed name steps from a flashy red sports carβ€”also borrowedβ€”onto the estate of his youth. But all is not as it seems. There is a new family living in the drafty old house: the Godleys, descendants of...
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  • Christine Falls
    FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SNOW 'Absorbing' The Times 'Gripping' Scotsman Christine Falls takes readers into Quirke's pathology department, set deep beneath 1950s Dublin. This is his own gloomy realm: always quiet, always night, and always under his control. That is, until one evening when he stumbles across a body that should not be there. The investigation he initiates uncovers...
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  • Kepler
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    Kepler
    The second volume of John Banville's Revolutions Trilogy and winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize, Kepler is a gorgeous historical novel exploring the life of Johannes Kepler, one of the world's greatest mathematicians. Johannes Kepler, born in 1571 in south Germany, was one of the world's greatest mathematicians and astronomers. The novel Kepler, by John Banville, brilliantly recreates his life...
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  • Eclipse
    The first of John Banville's Cleave Trilogy, concerning father and daughter Alexander and Cass Cleave, Eclipse is a lyrical exploration of memory, family and identity. Alexander Cleave, actor, has left his career and his family behind and banished himself to his childhood home. He wants to retire from life, but finds this impossible in a house brimming with presences, some...
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  • Ghosts
    Ghosts opens with a shipwreck, leaving a party of sightseers temporarily marooned on an island. The stranded castaways make their way towards the refuge of the isle's reclusive savant; but the big isolated house which is home to Professor Silas Kreutznaer and his laconic assistant, Licht, is also home to another, unnamed presence . . . Onto this seemingly haunted...
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  • Shroud
    Dark secrets and reality unravel in Shroud, the second novel in John Banville's Cleave Trilogy, alongside Eclipse and Ancient Light. Axel Vander, distinguished intellectual and elderly academic, is not the man he seems. When a letter arrives out of the blue, threatening to unveil his secretsβ€”and carefully concealed identityβ€”Vander travels to Turin to meet its author. There, muddled by age...
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  • Doctor Copernicus
    The first volume of John Banville's Revolutions Trilogy and winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, Doctor Copernicus is a rich historical novel that explores the life of one of history's greatest scientists. The work of Nicholas Koppernigk, better known as Copernicus, shattered the medieval view of the universe and led to the formulation of the image of the...
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