The Silver Swan

A Novel

By: Benjamin Black

Narrated by: Timothy Dalton

Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Two years have passed since the events of the bestselling Christine Falls, and much has changed for Quirke, the irascible, formerly hard-drinking Dublin pathologist. His beloved Sarah is dead, the Judge lies in a convent hospital paralyzed by a devastating stroke, and Phoebe, Quirke's long-denied daughter, has grown increasingly withdrawn and isolated.

With much to regret from his last inquisitive foray, Quirke ought to know better than to let his curiosity get the best of him. Yet when an almost-forgotten acquaintance comes to him about his beautiful young wife's apparent suicide, Quirke's "old itch to cut into the quick of things, to delve into the dark of what was hidden" is roused again. As he begins to probe further into the shadowy circumstances of Deirdre Hunt's death, he discovers many things that might better have remained hidden, as well as grave danger to those he loves. Haunting, masterfully written, and utterly mesmerizing in its nuance, The Silver Swan fully lives up to the promise of Christine Falls and firmly establishes Benjamin Black (a.k.a. John Banville) among the greatest of crime writers.

©2008 Benjamin Black (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“The eagerly awaited sequel to Christine Falls is brought to lief by none other than James Bond himself, Timothy Dalton, in a reading so good it will make listeners giddy with delight...It's all thrilling, honest, and raw.” —AudioFile

“...the second in Black's Quirke series, offers an excellent opportunity for Dalton to flash his acting chops. Dalton's reading is hushed, intense and dramatic, read as if being performed onstage.” —Publishers Weekly

“Elegant and elegiac are not words often used to describe the prose in a whodunit, but author Benjamin Black isn't the usual perpetrator of whodunits...Black casts a slick of despair over his carefully plotted narrative, the characters all seeming to yearn for a ntoe of grace to enter their bleak lives...As before, Timothy Dalton's brilliant performance is as nuanced as the story, his voice a mirror of its moods.” —BookPage

Wish author and narrator did more stories together

What did you love best about The Silver Swan?

The book kept me guessing

What does Timothy Dalton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He has a full, vibrant voice that brings the characters to life and keeps you listening

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

A rather tedious story

Any additional comments?

This was a tedious listen. Although author included a little mystery and a little sex, the book is just dull and heavy. The narrator reads the story with dramatic tones and whispers which does not help. Christine Falls was a better book but not sure I would try a Quirke story again.

Not A Strong Book

The narration was well done. However, the book itself is lacking in many ways. I struggled to get through the end, finding many sections rambling and overly verbose. The author wastes and unusually large amount of space and time reminding us that the lead character is a brooding, flawed git. We get it - now, move on with the story.

Dark is only good if it goes somewhere

Jeez, this book is tedious. Unattractive characters with problems. . .and it just goes on and on. I loved Christine Falls, and I like noir mysteries in general. But I couldn't get through this one. Dalton is a great reader but he goes a little far with the bitterness. I mean, I know Quirk's life is a mess but even the least sentences in the narration are delivered like the world is ending. It just gets to be too much.

I bought this for the narrator, nothing else

And you get what you pay for. Timothy Dalton is a wonderful narrator. His voice is intoxicating. This story, though, is a bloated, misogynistic, boring waltz. This author writes women like hopeless, reactive creatures with no agency. Late in the novel he describes a fallen cart horse and the women of the book are written the same way, helpless, led by the muzzle, no inertia, no reason or desire for self preservation. It was actually appalling.

Horrible

This was the absolute worst book I have downloaded. I kept hoping that it would get better, but unfortunately it was a waste of money.

Dreadful Characters

After reading Christine Falls I thought I would try the next book in the series. Everyone in the book was miserable and quite unlikable.. Quirk was more colorful when he drank. The storyline wasn't particularly interesting and I couldn't care what happened to any of the characters. I was happy to finish the book and will not try another in the series.

Masterbating in church

Not only is this book x rated - I skipped most of a chapter that described sex acts in great detail, but it is slow as well. Quirk just stumbles around not doing much detecting or getting much accomplished. Last Benjamin black for me. Wish audible had a rating system.

If you want a salacious read this is it.

Don’t consider myself a prude but the perverse sex in this novel is way too much. Bailed out.