The Lock-Up

A Novel

By: John Banville

Narrated by: John Lee

*NATIONAL BESTSELLER*
A New York Times Editors' Choice

Booker Prize winner and “Irish master” (The New Yorker) John Banville’s most ambitious crime novel yet brings two detectives together to solve a globe-spanning mystery

In 1950s Dublin, Rosa Jacobs, a young history scholar, is found dead in her car. Renowned pathologist Dr. Quirke and DI St. John Strafford begin to investigate the death as a murder, but it’s the victim’s older sister Molly, an established journalist, who discovers a lead that could crack open the case.

One of Rosa’s friends, it turns out, is from a powerful German family that arrived in Ireland under mysterious circumstances shortly after World War II. But as Quirke and Strafford close in, their personal lives may put the case—and everyone involved—in peril, including Quirke’s own daughter.

Spanning the mountaintops of Italy, the front lines of World War II Bavaria, the gritty streets of Dublin and other unexpected locales, The Lock-Up is an ambitious and arresting mystery by one of the world’s most celebrated authors.

Disappointed

Not a likable protagonist. Predictable story, I will not listen to another book by this author.

Worth a listen....

But I found the story repetitive of Banville's earlier books: Corruption in the Church and in government. Outcome is bad in some parts and not so bad. The corruption is made known. But, of course, stamping out corruption continues to be a centuries ongoing effort.

Banville is an excellent writer. Great details and metaphor. Perhaps I should wait a bit between books. I just finished April in Spain and went immediately to The Lock-Up. .Also excellent writing. Excellent description of setting and characters.

John Lee is absolutely a fabulous narrator!! He does the Irish accent to perfection as well as differentiating between characters.

No mystery here

There are so many tired old tropes in this story. John Lee narration is excellent and only reason I finished this book.

Disappointing

Banville writes beautifully but on this one I think Banville wrote himself into a corner that would have made the conclusion far too predictable. Instead of saving the story with a much needed surprise twist, he contrived a disappointing denouement. It felt as though he had just gotten tired of trying to write a story that he'd never really gotten a good handle on.

Story is great

Not crazy about the reader. Hard to ignore his extra th sounds. Epilogue was unexpected