Snow
A Strafford and Quirke Murder Mystery
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Snow
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Narrated by:
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Stanley Townsend
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By:
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John Banville
About this listen
'The body is in the library,' Colonel Osborne said. 'Come this way.'
Detective Inspector St John Strafford is called in from Dublin to investigate a murder at Ballyglass House - the Co. Wexford family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne family.
Facing obstruction from all angles, Strafford carries on determinedly in his pursuit of the murderer. However, as the snow continues to fall over this ever-expanding mystery, the people of Ballyglass are equally determined to keep their secrets.
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Critic reviews
'Outstanding.' Irish Independent
'Exquisite.' Daily Mail
'Hypnotic.' Financial Times
What listeners say about Snow
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AM
- 17-02-22
Wonderful
A pretty much perfect novel. Beautifully written with not a word out of place, incredibly vivid characterisation and enough of a plot to race along with. The reader's voice is dreamy and I wanted it to go on forever. Gorgeous, grim, terrifying and sad. Loved this.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A P TWIBILL
- 10-03-24
Great to listen to
standard whodunnit but with lots of twists and turns. Interesting characters highlighted by excellent narration. What a great voice!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- monica
- 01-01-22
great story and narration
I enjoyed this story a lot. Very engaging content. the narrator did an excellent job.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- McDermoV
- 17-01-21
Snowball shurely??
I would expect a book by John Banville to be well-written, which this is but he’s no Agatha Christie. There is a plot twist at the end, but much of it is predictable and the characters verge on charicatures of rural Ireland, Garda stock-types (drunken sergeant, lippy basic rank) and the Anglo-Irish family, from retired officer father down are straight out of central casting. It is read in a way that exaggerates the accents in a slightly distracting fashion.
However, I did enjoy it and finished it, which I can’t say of all fiction I consume these days.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 21-02-23
Storytelling at its best
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A rich narrative with well developed characters who each came to life through excellent writing and narration. Some gruesome happenings but somehow it was a comforting read thanks to the Irish magic. I wanted a little more help to grasp the fine details of whodunnit but maybe it was intentional to leave it unsaid.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Gerry Moira
- 25-10-23
A gripping tale well-told
Perhaps typically of Banville this is almost two books in one. A country house who-dunnit is streaked through with a visceral examination of paedophilia and the Catholic Church; delivered with 5-star narration.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Norma Miles
- 23-01-22
"The body in the library."
Just superb.
Yes, it's a murder mystery with somewhat ironic, comic overtones, but it is the characterisations, including those of Irish religious politics and weather, and the cold interplay between the at Christmas time in 1957 which makes this book both unique and, for this reader, totally immersive.
Narrated by Stanley Townsend, his deliciously warm and gentle Irish accented voice comp!Steph compliments the writing. His is a very fine performance, sedate, but replete with understanding of all that he is reading.
The book starts from the POV of the murder victim, Father Tom, a priest well known throughout the country and a frequent visitor to the large and mouldering Bally Glass House where he meets his end. Much later, he returns again to give a first person review of himself and his life, this chapter of itself being a remarkably well presented short story. The rest of the novel is mostly, though not entirely, from the viewpoint of the investigator, D.I.St.John Strafford (with an 'r'), locked into the area by the falling snow. The atmosphere throughout is cold, stark, for protagonists as well as countryside, but with a delightfully gentle humour also, such as the Agatha Christie type setting, the attitudes of almost everyone, and the poor sergeant, Jenkins, virtually invisible to everyone, it seems, and no one can remember his name.
For readers who truly enjoy getting to know the characters, their foibles and eccentricities, rather than placing the murder itself centre stage, this is the book for you and highly recommended.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mrs J Andrew
- 22-10-21
Good storyline
Well narrated although a bit too descriptive by the priest remembering events of past
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aquilina Christophorus
- 23-01-22
for the language
The story is just a traditional detective in the vein of Christie, but it is very well written with lots of beautiful words dusted off to give a chronistic vibe to the 1950s setting. Also very well narrated. An enjoyable palate cleanser or bed time treat.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- HelenJ
- 04-01-22
Beautifully written
A moving story, beautifully written. This is what I love about John Banville. He could write about anything at all and his beautiful use of language would charm and weave its magic. A quiet and poignant tale.
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