The Drowned cover art

The Drowned

Strafford and Quirke, Book 4

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

The Drowned

By: John Banville
Narrated by: Stanley Townsend
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

THE BRAND NEW STRAFFORD AND QUIRKE MURDER MYSTERY FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SNOW. A CHILLING MUST-LISTEN.

'Banville is one of my favourite writers alive.' REBECCA F. KUANG
'Haunting . . . compelling.' DAILY MAIL
'Richly atmospheric.' IRISH INDEPENDENT
'Suspenseful.' OBSERVER
'A brilliant detecting team.' IRISH EXAMINER

He had seen drowned people. A sight not to be forgotten.

1950s, rural Ireland. A loner comes across a mysteriously empty car in a field. Knowing he shouldn't approach, but unable to hold back, he soon finds himself embroiled in a troubling missing person's 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 soon turns to his old ally - the flawed but brilliant pathologist Quirke - a man he is linked to in increasingly complicated ways.

On UK bestseller list w/e 13/11/2021-27/11/2021 for Paperback Fiction

©2024 John Banville (P)2024 Faber & Faber Crime Fiction Historical Mystery Police Procedurals Thriller & Suspense Marriage

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Untouchable cover art
Eclipse cover art
Missing Person: Alice cover art
A Killing in November cover art
Dead of Night cover art
The Burning Stones cover art
The Wrong Kind of Blood cover art
The Girl in Cell A cover art
The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau cover art
Into Thin Air cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
Excellent addition to the series. Looking forward to the next phase for the main protagonist.

Great descriptive writing and characterisation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great story well read. Loved it. Ireland is a scary place for women in the 50s

Banville at his best

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I only discovered John Banville's writing in the last year or so and have been eagerly devouring them ever since. I love this series, set in 1950's Ireland with it's complicated characters, especially the surly yet sharp and dry witted pathologist Quirke. If you are only discovering John Banville you are in for a treat. Brilliantly read by Stanley Townsend. Highly recommend.

Another wonderful encounter with Quirke

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed the book. Beautifully written, descriptive, interesting characters, showing their strengths and honest weaknesses. The narrator was a joy to listen to. Memorable.

The honesty

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Superb story and writing by John Banville as ever. His use of words is fabulous. Stanley Townsend’s narration is simply perfect. Highly recommended series.

If thinking of bingeing , start with book 1 of Quirke and then move onto the Quirke-Strafford books

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I feel as though I know these characters now, so very well portrayed. A wonderfully satisfying story. What more can I say? Wonderful. Thanks John Banville, please write more books like this.

Such a fantastic writer. It’s an amazingly good book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent narrative . Tight plot and written in perfect English . Fine , clear and sensitive voice in narration

First class

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Banville is just a master of this stuff. Well paced, thoughtful and a terrific listen, as ever.

Beautiful prose, intricate plot, well crafted characters

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Beautifully written as always. Characterisation brilliantly done. A joy to listen to as the narrator has a soothing and engaging tone.

Perfect Banville

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Wonderful novel - and series - beautifully read. Banville’s prose lyrically captures the era and the characters’ internal and external lives: Townsend is the perfect reader.

The Drowned

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews