It would be doing this book a disservice to say that it is the second of Banville’s Inspector Strafford series. Yes, Strafford appears, but this is so much more than that. I was so impressed by how beautifully Banville understands people and writes characters – perhaps half the book covers State Pathologist Quirke on holiday with his wife in Spain, without a lot happening, and yet it was a delightful read.
Whilst setting the scene, we meet Terry Tice, a hitman from England, and again his background story is covered in such depth. Tice’s path is destined to coincide with Quirke’s and there is a heart-breaking finale, as Strafford, Quirke and Tice come together at the hotel in Spain.
The obvious point is that we have a play on words in the title, with both the time being April and a missing person being Quirke’s daughter’s friend, April.
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musingstudio 