Snow by John Banville – Book Review

Synopsis:  It is 1957, a few days prior to Christmas, and a parish priest has been murdered at Ballyglass House, an estate owned by the Osborne family.  Detective Inspector St. John Strafford (pronounced Sin-jin) is heading up the case.  He quickly determines that the priest did not die from a fall down the stairs and not only was stabbed but mutilated after death.  While the residents in the near-by town are helpful to St. John giving him background information and gossip about the Osborne family, the family itself appears to be full of secrets.

My thoughts:  Goodreads notes that this is the first book in what I am assuming is a new series from this author (St. John Strafford #1).  Snow is a most appropriate title for this book as it is pretty much snowing the entire time St. John is in County Wexford investigating.  There is also a definite chill in the air coming from the Osborne family.  It took me a few chapters before I warmed to this story and the Detective Inspector but once I did, I was totally engaged with the novel and will most likely continue with this series if another book is published with this character. 

This book is available now.  Thank you to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.