The Drowned: A Novel

“John Banville is one of my favorite writers alive, and I pick up his books whenever I need a reminder how to write a good sentence.” —R.F. Kuang

Booker Prize winner and “Irish master” (New Yorker) John Banville delivers a richly atmospheric new mystery about a woman’s sudden disappearance in a small coastal town in Ireland, where nothing is as it seems.

1950s, rural Ireland. A loner comes across a mysteriously empty car in a field, and soon finds himself embroiled in a troubling missing person case, as a husband claims his wife may have thrown herself into the sea. Called in from Dublin to investigate is Detective Inspector Strafford, who turns to the flawed but brilliant pathologist Quirke. But as the case unfolds, events from the past resurface that may have life-altering ramifications for all involved.

At once a searing mystery “full of simmering dramatic tension” (Boston Globe) and a profound meditation on the hidden worlds we all inhabit, The Drowned is the next great Strafford and Quirke novel from a beloved writer at the top of his game.

"Banville's reputation precedes him." —Parade