"Detective Inspector St. John Strafford has been summoned to County Wexford to investigate a murder. A parish priest has been found dead in Ballyglass House, the family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne family. The year is 1957 and the Catholic Church rules Ireland with an iron fist. Strafford--flinty, visibly Protestant and determined to identify the murderer--faces obstruction at every turn, from the heavily accumulating snow to the culture of silence in the tight-knit community he begins to investigate. As he delves further, he learns the Osbornes are not at all what they seem. And when his own deputy goes missing, Strafford must work to unravel the ever-expanding mystery before the community's secrets, like the snowfall itself, threaten to obliterate everything."--Provided by publisher.
John Banville
John Banville is an Irish writer known for his precise prose, introspective narratives, and exploration of themes such as memory, identity, and loss. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Man Booker Prize for his novel "The Sea" in 2005. Banville often blurs the lines between reality and fiction, creating intricate and complex characters that grapple with the complexities of human experience. His writing is marked by its lyrical beauty and intellectual depth, making him a prominent figure in contemporary literature.