Elegy for April

A Novel

By: John Banville, Benjamin Black

Narrated by: Timothy Dalton

Quirke—the hard-drinking, insatiably curious Dublin pathologist—is back, and he's determined to find his daughter's best friend, a well-connected young doctor

April Latimer has vanished. A junior doctor at a local hospital, she is something of a scandal in the conservative and highly patriarchal society of 1950s Dublin. Though her family is one of the most respected in the city, she is known for being independent-minded; her taste in men, for instance, is decidedly unconventional.

Now April has disappeared, and her friend Phoebe Griffin suspects the worst. Frantic, Phoebe seeks out Quirke, her brilliant but erratic father, and asks him for help. Sober again after intensive treatment for alcoholism, Quirke enlists his old sparring partner, Detective Inspector Hackett, in the search for the missing young woman. In their separate ways the two men follow April's trail through some of the darker byways of the city to uncover crucial information on her whereabouts. And as Quirke becomes deeply involved in April's murky story, he encounters complicated and ugly truths about family savagery, Catholic ruthlessness, and race hatred.

Both an absorbing crime novel and a brilliant portrait of the difficult and relentless love between a father and his daughter, this is Benjamin Black at his sparkling best.

No one but Dalton will do . . .

What about Timothy Dalton’s performance did you like?

This writer gives us such sharply delineated descriptions of his character's moment by moment experiences, and Timothy Dalton makes the most of each and every moment. As before, this reader brings a Shakespearian brilliance to every word of his narration. I'm afraid he's ruined me for most other readers. I'm so bummed to see that this is the last of the series read by T.D. Judging by the sample of the next book's reader I'm afraid I can't continue, and I so wanted to. Wasn't Simon Vance or Gerard Doyle available?

Dark, moody and beautiful

All his books are wonderful. And Timothy Dalton excels. His voice is perfect for the moodiness, the darkness, the loneliness of these stories

Mr. Black seems to get better with each story,

The overall development of plot and characters demonstrates the author's ability to draw in the audience and capture their interset. When uou combine this with Mr. Dalton's magnificient narration, you have an excellent listen of a fine drama.

Struggling Dad Comes Through

Quirk's daughter, Phoebe, hasn't heard from her friend, April, who usually called her once a day. She asks her father to help her check into April's "disappearance." Along the way, Quirk struggles with alcohol and, although not stated outright, depression. Timothy Dalton's narration is wonderful.

Timothy Dalton makes a good book better.

This is a good series, made better by Timothy Daltin's incredible talent. I'm sorry he hasn't narratored more books.