Christine Falls

A Novel

By: Benjamin Black

Narrated by: Timothy Dalton

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

It's not the dead that seem strange to Quirke. It's the living. One night, after a few drinks at an office party, Quirke shuffles down into the morgue where he works and finds his brother-in-law, Malachy, altering a file he has no business even reading. Odd enough in itself to find Malachy there, but the next morning, when the haze has lifted, it looks an awful lot like his brother-in-law, the esteemed doctor, was in fact tampering with a corpse—and concealing the cause of death.

It turns out the body belonged to a young woman named Christine Falls. And as Quirke reluctantly presses on toward the true facts behind her death, he comes up against some insidious—and very well-guarded—secrets of Dublin's high Catholic society, among them members of his own family.

Set in Dublin and Boston in the 1950s, the first novel in the Quirke series brings all the vividness and psychological insight of Booker Prize winner John Banville's fiction to a thrilling, atmospheric crime story. Quirke is a fascinating and subtly drawn hero, Christine Falls is a classic tale of suspense, and Benjamin Black's debut marks him as a true master of the form.

©2006 Benjamin Black (P)2006 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

“Christine Falls is a triumph of classical crime fiction, finely, carefully made, not a single false move or wrong word--why don't they write books like this anymore?” —Alan Furst

Why is a Brit reading an Irish book?

Story line is good, but of a Ulysses ramble, but entertaining enough and authentic content, though the narrator, though talented, sounds completely out of place.

Engaging debut.

This is an engrossing read, with deep character development and a great plot line. The first half of the book keeps you riveted to the story. Unfortunately the second half is not as fast paced and bogs down some in the emotional life of the central characters. Some interesting twists and turns keep you going. Enough of the story is unique that it is possible to overlook the places where it becomes predictable.

go for it!

Great story, excellent narration. Reminded me of Ruth Rendell.

Gloomy yet addictive

Held my attention, but was a very dreary and depressing plot. I did eagerly want to see what happened next. Consequently, I listened for hours at a time, and finished much more quickly than I do with most novels. Almost no likeable, sympathetic characters were presented. Even the main character, Quirke, has nothing about him that's particularly compelling for me to want to continue to read about him in a series. Writing style was overly descriptive making it too long ( but I had the unabridged version). I felt the book would have been better tightened: shortened by at least third. Also, I was able to predict the foreboding turn of events almost completely. However, I thoroughly enjoyed Timothy Dalton's deep, soothing voice and narrating talents. So, mostly for Dalton, as well as to find out the fate of certain characters, I'll return for his next two narrated books in this trilogy/ series.

Awesome

I am partial to dark, atmospheric books... especially when they are set in Ireland. I loved Timothy Dalton's reading. His voice is perfect for the role of Quirke. I will eagerly await other cases for Quirke to investigate.

Slow, literary, brooding

Would you listen to Christine Falls again? Why?

I'd certainly read the book, although perhaps not listen to it, since it would take 10 hours.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Christine Falls?

The writing is beautiful start to finish. Black is able to craft multiple characters, deeply and in detail, and the Dublin setting is delightfully dark.

Which scene was your favorite?

It's not a particularly chipper book, so I don't think there are many "favorite" moments.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It's provocative, surprising at times. But not extreme.

Any additional comments?

Timothy Dalton's narration is exquisite.

Slow

But good enough for a second read. Narrator is very good. Oh, my, 4 more words?

More character development than mystery

I greatly enjoyd the book and the myriad of characters. I bought it thinking it was a murder mystery but it ends up being more of a character development story with some elements of the mystery thrown in at the right time to keep you engaged. Quirke is an untypical hero and the narator does an excellent job of bringing over the characters. Looking forward to the follow up The Silver Swan.

Enchanting narration of engaging literature

I don't normally go for this type of novel, but the narrator Timothy Dalton has a luscious voice and tremendous skill. His narration of every character's part--regardless of sex or age--is flawless. Moreover, his deep and honey-toned voice made it impossible for me to stop listening. Black's writing is also very engaging, though I do think that this book is best enjoyed as an audiobook, when the skills of both men enhance one another. I've purchased the other two books in the series and am sure that I will enjoy them all.
Addition: I ended up returning the other books in this series. I think the first is excellent, but the others were not for me. Not terribly surprising since I don't usually go for murder mysteries.

fine writing, thin plot

The author's ability to compose vivid descriptions of incidental details is remarkable. Unfortunately, the fine writing is dressing up a rather thin plot. The resolution of the "mystery" does not make much sense and really isn't very interesting. Dalton does a great job of the narration.