The Drowned Detective
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:6th Oct '16
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The chilling new novel from the Oscar-winning novelist and film director blends crime and romance in a haunting love story
Jonathan is a private investigator in a decaying eastern European city, consumed by his work and his failing marriage. Approached one day by an elderly couple, he is presented with a faded photograph of their daughter, missing for nearly two decades. Troubled by the image of the little girl, who was the same age when she vanished as his own daughter is now – he is compelled to find her.
But one night, soon after taking on the case, as he walks across the bridge spanning the river that divides the city, he encounters a young woman crouched at the foot of a stone angel – a woman who suddenly leaps into the icy water below. Without thinking, Jonathan plunges after her, and is soon drawn into her ghostly world of confusion, coincidence and intrigue, and the city he thought he knew turns strange and threatening.
Haunting and deeply moving, The Drowned Detective is an intoxicating, atmospheric exploration of relationships, lies and betrayal – confirming Neil Jordon as a master storyteller and a vital literary voice.
One of Ireland’s most talented artists * John Banville *
His belief in language is absolute, as is his mastery of it * Irish Times *
His cinematic sensibility yields prose of the most bewitching kind * Sunday Times *
His dialogue and characterisation shine * Independent on Sunday *
Haunting ... Jordan has a light touch and a clear eye on matters of the heart ... Bach’s music is a counterpoint to the movement of the characters. The strands of the story weave and cross, reflecting on the darkly polyphonic matter of Bach’s cello suites ... As in all the great crime writers, the corruption of family lies at the centre of noir tradition, the plundering of innocence ... The momentum and narrative voice of a classic detective story are bought to bear on an esoteric tale, and it works brilliantly. The conventions of noir are put to use, but there are no easy formulas in The Drowned Detective ... Each element of the story has its allotted part to play, the movement as complex and predetermined as one of Bach’s sublime country dances ... A tour de force -- Eoin McNamee * Irish Times *
A strange and potent novel -- Teddy Jamieson * Herald *
Jordan is excellent on the anatomy of jealousy ... A metaphysical thriller with a supernatural twist where what matters most is mood … An evocative sense of absence and loss * Times Literary Supplement *
ISBN: 9781408865163
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 196g
272 pages