Thanks to Faber & Faber and to NetGalley for providing me an ARC copy of this novel, which I freely chose to review.
John Banville is a well-known, well-respected, and multiple award winner author (his awards include the Booker Prize, the Franz Kafka Prize and the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature, among others), and although he is perhaps better known for his literary fiction (he also writes short stories, scripts and adapts plays), he has also written several crime fiction novels under the pen name of Benjamin Black. I read one of his novels years back (probably The Sea) and although I can’t remember much about it, what stayed with me was how beautiful his writing was. So, I was intrigued when I saw that he’d published the first book in a crime series, this time using his own name. And let me assure you that his writing is as beautiful as I remembered, even if the subject does not always correspond to the beauty vested upon it.
Funnily enough, this is a strange but unsuitably suitable Christmas read, as the story takes place around the festive season, but there is no Christmas cheer or spirit behind the happenings described in the book at all. I don’t want to talk about the plot in too much detail, to avoid spoilers and because I feel that the actual plot is somewhat incidental to what makes the book so interesting, but, in short, a Catholic priest is found dead in the library of a big aristocratic manor, in County Wexford, Ireland, in the late 1950s. The circumstances of his death are quite gruesome (despite the attempts at keeping the decorum the Church and most authorities involved make), and there are plenty of added complications. The Osborne family —the owners of the house— are Protestants, as is the detective inspector sent to investigate the murder, Strafford (from an aristocratic family as well), and, as you’d expect, they all hide secrets (or most of them): money is a problem; the first wife of Colonel Osborne died from a fall (down the same stairs the priest used before his death); Osborne’s new wife was a friend of the first wife, suffers from insomnia, is heavily medicated and is a less-than-reliable witness (she was the first person to find the body); the daughter of the family has been expelled from school but hasn’t told anybody and her behaviour is daring beyond her years; the son of the family is eager to abandon Medicine and seems to have some questionable friendships; there is a stable boy with a troubled past… As you might suspect from the title, there is plenty of snow that makes the search all the more complicated; nobody has seen or heard anything; the priest was supposed to be very popular but other than his sister nobody seems to be really sorry to see him go; Osborne’s brother-in-law has been banned from the house but was in the area at the time of the murder; there is a doctor who also hangs around the house and whose prescribing sounds suspect; the people in the village seem superficially friendly but are not very helpful, and the local police… Well, you probably catch my drift.
There is much in the novel that will remind classical mystery readers of the genre (yes, even the characters in the novel remark on the fact that the body is found in the library of a grand house), and there are plenty of homages/jokes/winks to other famous mysteries and characters, down to people always mispronouncing Strafford surname, asking him why he decide to become a detective (but he is not Poirot by any stretch of the imagination)… And Strafford is fully aware of the fact that he does not fit into the mould or the expectations, both as a detective and as a man of the upper-class, as he does not drink alcohol, he doesn’t smoke, he’s chosen a less-than-glamorous or reputable profession, and he is not particularly intuitive, brilliant, or self-assured. He does suffer from imposter-syndrome, and often feels as if he was playing a part in a play (and at times as if everybody else was as well). In some ways, the novel challenges the stereotypes of that kind of book, while staying pretty close to the form and some of its conventions. At times it feels as if the central character had walked into the wrong book, but as we read, we come to realise that other things are out-of-kilter as well. It is an eerie reading experience, and an unsettling one, in a good way.
When I said that the plot was rather incidental to the interest I felt for the book, that is because although there is a mystery, most people reading the novel now (and in the future) will probably suspect what is behind the crime from very early on, although that might not have been evident to somebody like Strafford at the time. Although the exact details are not straightforward and there is a later development that adds an interesting dimension to the actual ending, I think this is an occasion when the readers are likely to be ahead of the investigator and end up observing his thought processes and the whole community rather than looking for clues about the case. Other themes abound like: the strained relationships (at times) between Protestants and Catholics and the expectations and prejudices of both sides (Strafford’s conversation with the Archbishop is priceless); family relationships; changes in circumstances for old aristocratic/landed families; the power and control of the Catholic Church over the media and civil authorities; the secrets of the Church; the nature of gossip and rumour in small villages; recent Irish history, and above all, the character of Strafford, who can be in turn naïve and insightful, highly intelligent and blind, sophisticated and socially inadequate, sharp and useless at judging people, and whose self-knowledge is, at times, sorely lacking. The book deals in pretty dark subjects as well (that I won’t mention to avoid spoilers, but you might already suspect from my comments), while at the same time being witty and having some truly humorous moments (pretty dark at times).
I have talked about the main character and have mentioned some of the others. There is also Sergeant Jenkins (his description is priceless as you can see if you read on), a more standard fit into the genre, who investigates with Strafford although nobody can remember his name, and I’ve mentioned some of the other characters before, although there are also villagers, local police, and some that we only hear about but never get to meet. None of the other characters are as well-drawn or as distinctive as Strafford, and many would not stand out in a classical mystery novels, although with some twists and a dark undertone. I’ve read some reviews that complained of the female characters, and although it is true that they appear unrealistic, conventional, and two-dimensional, the rest of the male characters don’t fare much better either. I think it is partly to do with Strafford and his shortcomings (after all, we see things though his eyes), and in the few instances when we get a different perspective, things aren’t as simple as they appear to him. In some of the cases, later events and information casts doubts on what we thought we knew.
The story is told, mostly, in a linear fashion, in the third person, as we follow Strafford while he investigates. Although we get inside of his head and the action is described from his point of view most of the time, there are moments when an omniscient observer offers us a glimpse of Strafford from outside, as it were. There are also two fragments from a different point of view, clearly separated from the rest of the text: one following a female character (I’m keeping my peace here), narrated in the third person, and another one in the first person, from the victim’s perspective, set a few years before his death, and although it is pretty tough to read, it also rings psychologically true.
The style is not the straightforward easy-to-read language we’re used to in mysteries. This is Banville, and it is a joy. It does not follow any of the dictates of avoiding unnecessary words, keeping to the action, keeping it simple, pushing the action forward… And, as an English teacher, I kept thinking it would be a great book for advanced students (proficient students) looking to learn less common vocabulary and precise and unique words (that, of course, would fit a well-educated and refined man such as Strafford). If anybody tried to put the book through Grammarly, I suspect it would break at the percentage of unusual words. Although I’m not sure this is a book for the standard mystery lover, I’m convinced those who love and study language and its intricacies will enjoy it. A few tasters from the book (although remember, mine is an ARC copy and there might be some changes in the final edition):
The last thing he saw, or seemed to see, was a faint flare of light that yellowed the darkness briefly.
The first thing everyone noticed about Sergeant Jenkins was the flatness of his head. It looked as if the top of it had been sliced clean off, like the big end of a boiled egg. How, people wondered, was there room for a brain of any size at all in such a shallow space?
…her skin was pinkly pale, the colour of skimmed milk into which had been mixed a single drop of blood. Her face was like that of a Madonna by one of the lesser Old Masters, with dark eyes and a long sharp nose with a little bump at the tip.
To a microbe, he mused, each tiny burst of fire would seem a vast conflagration, like a storm on the face of the sun. He thought again of the snowy fields outside, smooth and glistening, and over them the sky of stars burning in icy brightness. Other worlds, impossibly distant. How strange a thing it was to be here, animate and conscious, on this ball of mud an brine as it whirled through illimitable depths of space.
As usual, I also recommend checking a sample or the look inside feature if you have doubts about how well the style would suit your reading taste.
The ending will be unlikely to surprise readers of mystery novels, or most readers, but, as I’ve said, I don’t think that’s the point of the story. And there is a coda at the very end, that although not exactly surprising, I found quite satisfying.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, I would, but not to readers looking for a standard murder mystery that conforms to the usual norms, or people looking for a cozy and gentle story. If you enjoy novels that challenge the conventions, enjoy beautiful use of language, don’t mind dark subjects, and are interested in recent historical fiction set in Ireland, check it out. I am curious to see where Banville goes with book 2 in the series.

I just found this a bit dull and the mystery was very predictable. I expected an interesting new take on the mystery genre, given what an esteemed author Banville us, but I felt like this was just a rehash of a traditional mystery with decent writing. I don't think that I would read a next book in the series unless it was highly praised by reviewers I trust.

Classic detective story, written in the style of Agatha Christie. Set in County Wexford, Ireland in the winter of 1957 right before Christmas, a county priest is murdered and the only one who seems to care is Detective Inspector St. John Strafford. Beautifully written, with a slow burn of suspense, this is an excellent character-driven thriller. I've read every one of his Quirk novels written under the Benjamin Black pseudonym, and this author never fails to keep me entertained. Highly recommend and sure hope this is the first of many featuring this detective.

The year is 1957 and Detective Inspector Strafford has been summoned from Dublin to investigate a murder in County Wexford. The local priest has been found dead in the estate of the Osborne family. The Osborne family are the local aristocrats and not very open about outsiders poking into their business. As Strafford conducts his investigation despite local resistance he uncovers many local secrets and in the process his young deputy who was helping in the investigation goes missing.

This reads like a classic cozy mystery but with a much darker twist. It is all set during the time when the Catholic Church ruled Ireland with a heavy hand and there are tensions between Strafford and the locals since he is not only an outsider but also a Protestant. It's all set amidst winter snow storms at an old Irish manor. Very atmospheric! Banville did a stellar job with this one! I recommend this one to anyone looking for a dark, mysterious winter read.

It had been ages since I last read a detective novel and I rediscovered the genre with one of my favorite writers ever, versatile Banville. I felt at home with his familiar narrative; paused, suspenseful and refined, so reminiscent of his anti-hero’s latest books which I venerate.

This time, the reader walks beside a taciturn but young inspector in a misty Irish village where a disturbing murder has taken place, a Catholic priest has appeared severely mutilated in one of the great manors of the area. The aristocratic family was there the night of the murder and they seem to be performing a part in a twisted play when the inspector starts questioning each one of them.
As it is to be expected in this kind of novels, every character in scene appears to have reasons to have killed the Father and the reader is swirled around aimlessly but not annoyingly as one feels always congenial in Banville’s expert hands.

It is Christmas in this quiet village and the dense fog soaks its days and nights along with the mood of the reader, who witnesses an almost imperceptible change of tone in Banville’s narration whenever snow is brought up. Such cold in some people’s hearts. White snowflakes, white landscape, white lies. Who is the liar here?

I did enjoy the bashful air of Banville’s young inspector. Also, the equally sexy and menacing presence of the femme fatales who hover around him, wanting to be burnt like moths to a scorching light. The story is built in the classic way with plenty of elegant pauses that say way more than unnecessary words. Cadence is one of Banville’s strong points and it might be the best of this book.

My only reservation is the lack of element of surprise. I wasn’t able to keep at bay my growing disappointment when I turned the last page and realized there wasn’t any shocking turn of events. I had actually spotted the murderer halfway through the novel and was waiting for the revelatory detail that would turn the story upside down for me. It never arrived.
Still, this was fun to read. Easy, stylish and perfect for this time of the year.
Banville is Banville and he is always a pleasure to read, with no exception.

<i>“I was given a free ARC of this novel by a published via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.”</i>

I loved meeting DI St John Strafford, a relatable and engaging protagonist to follow, and I thought this was a great start to a new series. I particularly enjoyed how tightly and cleverly thought out the book was, the atmosphere, the setting and of course, the thick and silent snow. The pace is steady, and while it's not full of twists and turns, the beautiful prose and great characterisation made this a highly engaging read.

An enjoyable Agatha Christie style murder with a detective trying to solve the crime but up against people seemingly reluctant to acknowledge a murder has taken place. Dark in places due to who the murder victim is, it seemed to be a little slow moving at first. A good plot though with an interesting ending.

I don’t normally associate John Banville with detective fiction, but what a pleasure it was to start reading this book and be reminded right away of his skill with word choice, description, and surprising but delightfully apt similes. All of this beautiful writing is used in what looks to be a classic murder mystery, featuring a dead body in an old house populated by a closed group of suspects. Unfortunately the writing and the Christie-esque setting are insufficient to sustain the novel without much actual detecting. The nature of the crime suggests an obvious motive, but the detective takes his time investigating (when he isn’t lusting after one suspect or another). By the end it seemed that he had devoted more time and energy to correcting mispronunciations of his name than to trying to solve the crime. Towards the end, a chapter from victim’s point of view is more disgusting than illuminating.

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber for a digital advance review copy.

Even if there're a lot of elements that could remind of a golden age mystery this novel is multilayered and more complex that a "normal" mystery.
There's a lot of literary elements and social commentary that make you reflect.
I enjoyed the mystery and the claustrophobic atmosphere but I also loved the descriptions of Irish life and of the power of catholic church.
The style of writing is great and I will surely read other books by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A priest is found stabbed and mutilated in the home of a country squire. This book is the start of a new mystery series by this author, who previously published his mysteries under the name Benjamin Black. The name Banville was reserved for his more literary fiction. This book definitely didn’t feel like literary fiction. It’s an old school murder mystery with a body in the library and a closed circle of suspects with secrets. It features Irish Detective Inspector St John Strafford, who kisses one suspect, is flashed by another and sleeps with the maid in his hotel - so it’s not quite Agatha Christie. The direction the book is going to take is signaled by the nature of the crime. You might want to avoid this book <spoiler>if you don’t want to read about child molestation.</spoiler>

Strattford manages to lose his deputy during the course of his investigation and he seems to run around in circles for a lot of the book. He also seems to have no idea how to dress for Irish weather since he is constantly borrowing clothing. The suspects are mostly pitiable and the victim is repugnant. The police don’t actually solve the crime, rather it conveniently solves itself. The book did hold my interest, so if there are more books in the series I might read them.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I've read some John Banville novels in university, so I was very excited to read his newest release. "The Snow," however, is completely different from the books I know the author for, like, for example, "Ancient Light" or "The Sea".

"The Snow" connects the characteristic style of the author with the genre of crime story. Banville takes us to Ireland to tell a story of a murder in one of the country residences. The main character, a police detective and a former resident of the area has to piece together the clues and understand the way of living to determine what really happened.

The novel is fairly short and reads very easily. It is full to the brim of literary and cultural references which I especially enjoy about Banville's books. The mystery itself is well-crafted and nicely grounded in geopolitical situation of the place it's set in.

Reading "The Snow" was definitely an interesting experience and I'll gladly explore this side of Banville's literary work some more.

Absolutely excellent. My favorite of all the Banville crime novels, he seems to have enjoyed writing it and I certainly enjoy reading it. Snow works both as a tribute to Golden Age fiction and a gorgeously written crime novel in its own right. Atmospheric and compelling.

The main character of this novel is, well, the snow. It's 1957 just before Christmas. A horrific murder is committed in a mansion at a rural town of Ireland: a priest is brutally butchered. Our detective is sent for the case because he is originally from a place in the area, where Catholics and Protestants live in their separate isolated lands. But he's a black sheep who does not fit in the place. Everything becomes blurry around him quite fast after he arrives at the crime scene by the snow-covered roads.

Writing is beautiful and the reader is engulfed in a very atmospheric story, constantly reminded of the extreme weather conditions: heavy snowfall, black ice on the roads, everything frozen. Not only the weather is cold, but also the interiors. A number of locals from all walks of life come to the scene when the investigation starts, but making a progress is hardly possible with their guarded statements, let alone the interference by an archbishop and chief of police. Soon the detective understands that nothing is as it seems, and everybody seems to have a secret.

I enjoyed this book mainly because of the sublime writing, especially in the first half. I have almost forgotten that this was a detective novel, until a turning point towards the middle. Then, the elements of a fast-paced crime story are set in.

I believe not just the readers of John Banville will enjoy this book, but also detective novel readers who appreciate an impressive writing style besides the story line.

Thank you NetGalley and Faber & Faber for the ARC copy.

An interesting read. There are some very dark and disturbing moments. Overall this book was an okay read for me with a slow paced mystery.

Layers upon layers. Nothing is quite as it appears in John Banville's Snow, a beautifully written, darkly perceptive country house mystery in the fine old classic crime tradition, set in a small country town in Ireland soon after the 2nd World War.

Snow falls, laying a beautiful, sometimes blinding, carpet that conceals any amount of ugliness beneath it. Detective Inspector St. John Strafford slips and slides through it in frustration as he attempts to penetrate the secrets of the Big House.

While Snow is a homage to the classic crime novels of the early 20th century, it is resolutely modern. We have the Colonel, his beautiful wife, his wild daughter and rakish son, as well as an equally caricatural supporting cast. And a murdered priest who "should never have gone to be a priest". A thoroughly proper household and a thoroughly nasty lot. Unhappy, tormented, desperate.

<em>"But that wasn't him. That was only how he wanted people to think he was, while all the time he was someone else." - Snow, John Banville</em>

There's so much to enjoy in this novel. Banville is a superb writer. His cold, measured prose style is perfect, creating a cold, sharp atmosphere. You can feel the shivers and the hate.

The main 'secret' is not so secret: it's just beneath the surface, unspoken but clearly signaled from early on. Strafford has his suspicions, revealed through his questions as he investigates. But Banville drops hints of more, playing with themes and metaphors, from snow to owls to dead men's boots — this crime has deep roots.

Snow is overall an excellent crime novel that is easy to read for the story but amply rewards deeper examination.

My thanks to Faber & Faber, the author and Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.

SNOW is the first book by John Banville I have read. An old-fashioned type of mystery and crime novel, that I unfortunately did not find interesting. The main character, a Detective Inspector, was unlikable. His “stiff upper lip” personality was one I could not enjoy. Nor was I a fan of any of the other characters.

Although disappointed, I do look forward to reading some of Banville’s literary fiction.

Many thanks to the publisher Faber & Faber LTD And NetGalley for the ARC of SNOW by John Banville in exchange for an honest review.

3 out of 5 stars

John Banville's writing is exquisite. You could happily drown in it. There is a lot of atmosphere in this book, set in rural Ireland in 1957 in winter with the eponymous snow falling everywhere. A priest has been killed. Brutally.
Into this scenario steps St,John Strafford, a DI from Dublin sent to solve the crime however there are those who want it covered up, the Church most of all. Strafford sets out to find out the truth.

The truth is horrific and be warned, there are some very graphic scenes in this novel. I'm not usually a fan of graphic descriptions in novels but in this case I don't find it gratuitous at all (which is often the case). Rather it helps the reader understand the true horror of the crime.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved loved loved this book. It was so perfect it was atmospheric emotionally terrifying and encapsulated the madness of life in Ireland. Religion morals authority love death and place thank you SO MUCH

When the body of the parish priest is found in the library of Ballyglass House the Garda send a detective from Dublin to investigate. St John Strafford is an outsider in so many ways, he is a Protestant investigating the murder of a Catholic priest, he is aristocratic, he is a single man in his thirties and he questions why he is in the job he is. In 1950s rural County Wexford the community is closed and secretive, none more so than the Osbourne family, and as the weather closes in, Strafford realises that he has a multitude of suspects.
All the ingredients are here for a classic whodunnit along the line of Christie, an isolated country house, no evidence of entry, a cast of characters all potentially with motive and a dour outsider as a detective. So far, so good. However this book is far more than that, there are huge themes explored here - post-War poverty, the class divide, the religious divide and the scandals of the Catholic church. The writing itself is very spare and bleak and this is mirrored by the weather and the setting. Working as a well-crafted crime novel and as a strong piece of literary fiction, this is a master at work.

It turns out, John Banville is a better crime writer than Benjamin Black. The fact that Banville and Black are one and the same and that Black is the name used to write the ‘crime’ stories makes this a little surprising. More surprising still is that Banville’s characters in 'Snow' exist in the same universe as Black’s protagonist ‘Quirke’.
John Banville is a genuinely great, poetic, ‘literary’ writer and his Benjamin Black books are a touch more ‘mainstream’, while still being quality and furlongs ahead of the pack of supermarket crime writers who don’t get close enough to snap at his heels. But it seems to this reader that John Banville has truly found his niche writing crime fiction as John Banville.

'Snow' has a relatively simple plot, carefully constructed around a wrong committed previously. The slow revealing of this wrong and the effects it has had on a community are what form the basis of this story. The atmosphere evoked in 'Snow' can be stifling, and the subjects broached occasionally hard to take (one chapter in the final portion of the book in particular). While the stilted tone of the protestant landed gentry, recently ousted from power conflicts imperfectly with the mistrustful antipathy exhibited by the ruling catholic religious class, recently come to power, are note perfect. Almost everything feels cold and constricting in this book, not just because of the ubiquitous snow of the title but because of the very real setting: this is the Ireland of my ancestors, with its blatant mistrust and barely concealed hatred. Not much has changed, which I think is Banville’s point.
The only warmth in the book is that of the author toward his characters – each one realized and developed as would be expected of such a literary author, and what is missing from most modern crime writers.

This is the book that Banville has been waiting to write – it feels as natural and believable and as perfectly visualized as his Booker winning ‘The Sea’. This novel could be the link between crime fiction as story and its acceptance within literature; there have been other ‘literary’ authors who have approached crime fiction but none as wholeheartedly as Banville, with many using the genre almost as a test of the author’s skill rather than because of a love for crime fiction. 'Snow' is first and foremost a crime novel, but one that just happens to be written by arguably, the foremost Irish author of many generations.