April in Spain cover art

April in Spain

A Strafford and Quirke Murder Mystery

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About this listen

The sumptuous, propulsive, sun-kissed follow up to the bestselling Snow, from the Booker Prize winning author

'He wanted to know who she was, and why he was convinced he had some unremembered connection with her. It was as simple as that. But he knew it wasn't. It wasn't simple at all.'

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 makes a call back home and Detective St John Strafford is soon dispatched to Spain. But he's not the only one on route: as a terrifying hitman hunts down his prey, they are all set for a brutal showdown.

©2021 John Banville (P)2021 Faber & Faber Crime Crime Thrillers Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense Thriller Mystery Exciting
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I've read all the Quirke novels and this one doesn't disappoint. Full of suspense, it builds to an inexorable climax.

Gripping and atmospheric.

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After ‘reading’ SNOW I was looking forward to April in Spain. I was not disappointed. Excellent.

We will forgive Stanley Townsend’s Michael Caine impressions in the “Cockney” chapters. Part of the entertainment.

What a team. Great script, great performance.

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Very interesting characters, set in Ireland and Spain. A good story. Great narration. Quite short at around 6 hours so the plot evolves quickly.

Power, family problems and crime converge

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Cannot wait for the Quirke series to be made into films- but having said that, this played like a film in my head.
Outstanding story, plot- and narration!
More please.

Brilliant.

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This is my third Quirke book by this author and I must remember not to make the mistake of buying any more.

Most of the book is setting the tone for an explosive ending and it is very laboured and full of very unpleasant people, Quirke included. There is a dark and unremitting corruption underlying them and this one especially.

The narrator did a pretty good job and may have enjoyed himself conveying the venemousness of most of the male characters, which he did with great force. Unfortunately, there is a character, origins uncertain but who self-identifies as a cockney. The narrator gave him an accent which was a mix or Michael Caine and Harold Steptoe. it might have been a source of light relief if he had not been voicing the thoughts of someone so bad.

A very unpleasant listen

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