John Banville / Benjamin Black books

John Banville is an Irish novelist and Booker Prize winner who also writes crime fiction under the pen name Benjamin Black, including the Quirke series set in 1950s Dublin.

Frames: The Freddie Montgomery Trilogy Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Book of Evidence 1989 Buy
Ghosts 1993 Buy
Athena 1995 Buy

Quirke Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Christine Falls 2006 Buy
The Silver Swan 2007 Buy
Elegy for April 2010 Buy
A Death in Summer 2011 Buy
Vengeance 2012 Buy
Holy Orders 2013 Buy
Even the Dead 2015 Buy
April in Spain 2021 Buy
The Lock-Up 2023 Buy

St. John Strafford Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Snow 2020 Buy
The Lock-Up 2023 Buy

Tax Free Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Tax Free 2008 Buy
More Confessions from a Serial Tax Cheat 2009 Buy

The Cleave Trilogy Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Eclipse 2000 Buy
Shroud 2002 Buy
Ancient Light 2012 Buy

The Revolutions Trilogy Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Doctor Copernicus 1976 Buy
Kepler 1981 Buy
The Newton Letter 1982 Buy

Writer and the City Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Flaneur 2001 Buy
Florence, a Delicate Case 2002 Buy
Prague Pictures 2003 Buy
Ghost Town: Tales of Manhattan Then and Now 2005 Buy
Oxford Revisited: A City Revisited 2008 Buy

John Banville is an Irish novelist who won the Booker Prize for The Sea in 2005. Under his own name, he has published literary fiction including the Revolutions Trilogy (Doctor Copernicus, Kepler, The Newton Letter), the Freddie Montgomery Trilogy (The Book of Evidence, Ghosts, Athena), and the Cleave Trilogy (Eclipse, Shroud, Ancient Light). His work is known for its precise prose and philosophical depth.

Under the pen name Benjamin Black, Banville writes the Quirke series of crime novels set in 1950s Dublin, following a pathologist who investigates deaths that official Ireland would prefer to keep quiet. He has published nine Quirke novels from 2006 to 2023. The St. John Strafford series, featuring a detective who also appears in the Quirke books, adds two more titles to his crime output.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has John Banville / Benjamin Black written?

John Banville / Benjamin Black has written 27 books across seven series.

What was John Banville / Benjamin Black's first book?

John Banville / Benjamin Black’s first book is Doctor Copernicus, published in 1976.

What is the difference between John Banville and Benjamin Black?

John Banville writes literary fiction under his own name, including novels like The Book of Evidence and the Revolutions Trilogy. As Benjamin Black, he writes crime fiction, most notably the Quirke series of mysteries set in 1950s Dublin. Both names belong to the same Irish author.

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