Benjamin Black – författare

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of Even the Dead by Benjamin Black, read by Sean Barrett.Down among the dead men...Pathologist Quirke works in the city morgue, watching over Dublin''s dead. The latest to join their ghostly ranks is a suicide. But something doesn''t add up. The victim has a suspicious head wound, and the only witness has vanished, every trace of her wiped away.On the trail of the missing woman, Quirke finds himself drawn into the shadowy world of Dublin''s elite - secret societies, High Church politics and corrupt politicians. It leads him to a long-buried conspiracy that involves his own family. But it''s too late to go back now...THE DEAD WILL BE HEARD

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Prague Nights by Benjamin Black, read by Sean Barrett. ''The emperor''s mistress had been murdered, and the world had been taken hold of and turned upon its head'' Prague, 1599. Christian Stern, a young doctor, has just arrived in the city. On his first evening, he finds a young woman''s body half-buried in the snow.The dead woman is none other than the emperor''s mistress, and there''s no shortage of suspects. Stern is employed by the emperor himself to investigate the murder. In the search to find the culprit, Stern finds himself drawn into the shadowy world of the emperor''s court - unspoken affairs, letters written in code, and bitter rivalries. But there''s no turning back now...

Brought to you by Penguin.It is 1940 and the bombs are falling thick and fast on London. The royal family must do all they can to assure the British public of their solidarity. But what of the two young princesses - Elizabeth and Margaret? How can they be kept safe without jeopardising morale in the capital?Meanwhile Celia Nashe is delighted when she finally gets her long-awaited transfer to MI5. But whatever she was expecting of her mission for the war effort, it wasn''t this. A crumbling castle in remote, rural Ireland, playing nursemaid to two pampered young girls. But her posting soon turns out to be very far from tame. Questions are being asked by the locals about the identities of Celia''s secret charges. And when a dead body turns up at the castle gates, it will take every effort to uncover the truth, and to stop it from coming to light.© Benjamin Black 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe returns in The Black-Eyed Blonde—also published as Marlowe as by John Banville—the basis for the major motion picture starring Liam Neeson as the iconic detective."Somewhere Raymond Chandler is smiling . . . I loved this book. It was like having an old friend, one you assumed was dead, walk into the room."—Stephen King"It was one of those Tuesday afternoons in summer when you wonder if the earth has stopped revolving."The streets of Bay City, California, in the early 1950s are as mean as they get. Marlowe is as restless and lonely as ever, and the private eye business is a little slow. Then a new client is shown in: blond, beautiful, and expensively dressed, she wants Marlowe to find her former lover.Almost immediately, Marlowe discovers that the man''s disappearance is merely the first in a series of bewildering events. Soon he is tangling with one of Bay City''s richest and most ruthless families—and developing a singular appreciation for how far they will go to protect their fortune.“It’s vintage L.A., toots: The hot summer, rain on the asphalt, the woman with the lipstick, cigarette ash and alienation, V8 coupes, tough guys, snub-nosed pistols, the ice melting in the bourbon . . . . The results are Chandleresque, sure, but you can see Banville’s sense of fun.”—The Washington Post

“Boutsikaris does a standout job. . . . Thug or cop, heiress or moll, he gives them all distinct voices that fit well with the book''s Chandleresque prose and dialogue.” —Publishers Weekly“Dennis Boutsikaris narrates with marvelous aplomb. He nails the cool but inviting tone, the clipped tempo, the razor and the velvet of such a tale. . . . This is a perfect weekend listen.” —AudioFileRaymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe returns in award-winning author John Banville’s Marlowe—originally published as The Black-Eyed Blonde under the pen name Benjamin Black—the basis for the major motion picture starring Liam Neeson as the iconic detective."Somewhere Raymond Chandler is smiling . . . I loved this book. It was like having an old friend, one you assumed was dead, walk into the room."—Stephen King"It was one of those Tuesday afternoons in summer when you wonder if the earth has stopped revolving."The streets of Bay City, California, in the early 1950s are as mean as they get. Marlowe is as restless and lonely as ever, and the private eye business is a little slow. Then a new client is shown in: blond, beautiful, and expensively dressed, she wants Marlowe to find her former lover.Almost immediately, Marlowe discovers that the man''s disappearance is merely the first in a series of bewildering events. Soon he is tangling with one of Bay City''s richest and most ruthless families—and developing a singular appreciation for how far they will go to protect their fortune.“It’s vintage L.A., toots: The hot summer, rain on the asphalt, the woman with the lipstick, cigarette ash and alienation, V8 coupes, tough guys, snub-nosed pistols, the ice melting in the bourbon . . . . The results are Chandleresque, sure, but you can see Banville’s sense of fun.”—The Washington PostA Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

In Vengeance, a bizarre suicide leads to a scandal and then still more blood, as Benjamin Black reveals a world where money and sex trump everything.It''s a fine day for a sail, and Victor Delahaye, one of Ireland''s most successful businessmen, takes his boat far out to sea. With him is his partner''s son—who becomes the sole witness when Delahaye produces a pistol, points it at his own chest, and fires.This mysterious death immediately engages the attention of Detective Inspector Hackett, who in turn calls upon the services of his sometime partner Quirke, consultant pathologist at the Hospital of the Holy Family. The stakes are high: Delahaye''s prominence in business circles means that Hackett and Quirke must proceed very carefully. Among others, they interview Mona Delahaye, the dead man''s young and very beautiful wife; James and Jonas Delahaye, his identical twin sons; and Jack Clancy, his ambitious, womanizing partner. But then a second death occurs, this one even more shocking than the first, and quickly it becomes apparent that a terrible secret threatens to destroy the lives and reputations of several members of Dublin''s elite.Why did Victor Delahaye kill himself, and who is intent upon wreaking vengeance on so many of those who knew him?

When the body of his daughter''s friend is brought to his autopsy table, Quirke is plunged into a world of corruption that takes him to the darkest corners of the Irish Church and State."At first they thought it was the body of a child. Later, when they got it out of the water and saw the pubic hair and the nicotine stains on the fingers, they realized their mistake."So begins the latest Quirke case, a story set in Dublin at a moment when newspapers are censored, social conventions are strictly defined, and appalling crimes are hushed up. Why? Because in 1950s Ireland the Catholic Church controls the lives of nearly everyone. But when Quirke''s daughter Phoebe loses her close friend Jimmy Minor to murder, Quirke can no longer play by the Church''s rules. Along with Inspector Hackett, his sometime partner, Quirke investigates Jimmy''s death and learns just how far the Church and its supporters will go to protect their own interests.Haunting, fierce, and brilliantly plotted, Holy Orders is Benjamin Black writing at the top of his form. His inimitable creation, the endlessly curious Quirke, brings a pathologist''s unique understanding of death to unlock the most dangerous of secrets.

Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe returns in The Black-Eyed Blonde—also published as Marlowe as by John Banville—the basis for the major motion picture starring Liam Neeson as the iconic detective."Somewhere Raymond Chandler is smiling . . . I loved this book. It was like having an old friend, one you assumed was dead, walk into the room."—Stephen King"It was one of those summer Tuesday afternoons when you begin to wonder if the earth has stopped revolving."The streets of Bay City, California, in the early 1950s are as mean as they get. Marlowe is as restless and lonely as ever, and the private eye business is a little slow. Then a new client is shown in: blond, beautiful, and expensively dressed, she wants Marlowe to find her former lover.Almost immediately, Marlowe discovers that the man''s disappearance is merely the first in a series of bewildering events. Soon he is tangling with one of Bay City''s richest and most ruthless families—and developing a singular appreciation for how far they will go to protect their fortune.“It’s vintage L.A., toots: The hot summer, rain on the asphalt, the woman with the lipstick, cigarette ash and alienation, V8 coupes, tough guys, snub-nosed pistols, the ice melting in the bourbon . . . . The results are Chandleresque, sure, but you can see Banville’s sense of fun.”—The Washington Post

A suspicious death, a pregnant woman suddenly gone missing: Quirke''s latest case leads him inexorably toward the dark machinations of an old foePerhaps Quirke has been down among the dead too long. Lately the Irish pathologist has suffered hallucinations and blackouts, and he fears the cause is a brain tumor. A specialist diagnoses an old head injury caused by a savage beating; all that''s needed, the doctor declares, is an extended rest. But Quirke, ever intent on finding his place among the living, is not about to retire. One night during a June heat wave, a car crashes into a tree in central Dublin and bursts into flames. The police assume the driver''s death was either an accident or a suicide, but Quirke''s examination of the body leads him to believe otherwise. Then his daughter Phoebe gets a mysterious visit from an acquaintance: the woman, who admits to being pregnant, says she fears for her life, though she won''t say why. When the woman later disappears, Phoebe asks her father for help, and Quirke in turn seeks the assistance of his old friend Inspector Hackett. Before long the two men find themselves untangling a twisted string of events that takes them deep into a shadowy world where one of the city''s most powerful men uses the cover of politics and religion to make obscene profits. Even the Dead--Benjamin Black''s seventh novel featuring the endlessly fascinating Quirke--is a story of surpassing intensity and surprising beauty.

When the body of his daughter''s friend is brought to his autopsy table, Quirke is plunged into a world of corruption that takes him to the darkest corners of the Irish Church and State."At first they thought it was the body of a child. Later, when they got it out of the water and saw the pubic hair and the nicotine stains on the fingers, they realized their mistake."So begins Holy Orders, the latest Quirke case set in Dublin at a moment when newspapers are censored, social conventions are strictly defined, and appalling crimes are hushed up. Why? Because in 1950s Ireland the Catholic Church controls the lives of nearly everyone. But when Quirke''s daughter Phoebe loses her close friend Jimmy Minor to murder, Quirke can no longer play by the Church''s rules. Along with Inspector Hackett, his sometime partner, Quirke investigates Jimmy''s death and learns just how far the Church and its supporters will go to protect their own interests.Haunting, fierce, and brilliantly plotted, this is Benjamin Black writing at the top of his form. His inimitable creation, the endlessly curious Quirke, brings a pathologist''s unique understanding of death to unlock the most dangerous of secrets.

A bizarre suicide leads to a scandal and then still more blood, as one of our most brilliant crime novelists reveals a world where money and sex trump everythingIt''s a fine day for a sail, and Victor Delahaye, one of Ireland''s most successful businessmen, takes his boat far out to sea. With him is his partner''s son—who becomes the sole witness when Delahaye produces a pistol, points it at his own chest, and fires.This mysterious death immediately engages the attention of Detective Inspector Hackett, who in turn calls upon the services of his sometime partner Quirke, consultant pathologist at the Hospital of the Holy Family. The stakes are high: Delahaye''s prominence in business circles means that Hackett and Quirke must proceed very carefully. Among others, they interview Mona Delahaye, the dead man''s young and very beautiful wife; James and Jonas Delahaye, his identical twin sons; and Jack Clancy, his ambitious, womanizing partner. But then a second death occurs, this one even more shocking than the first, and quickly it becomes apparent that a terrible secret threatens to destroy the lives and reputations of several members of Dublin''s elite.Why did Victor Delahaye kill himself, and who is intent upon wreaking vengeance on so many of those who knew him?