Several of my favorite authors are Irish and now, with SNOW by John Banville, I have just added another to my list. This is a whodunit that kept me guessing from beginning to end.

SNOW is a mystery that takes place in Ireland at Christmas time when snow and ice and inclement weather prevail. (Coincidentally, that’s when I read it, with much the same weather.) These are the conditions when Detective Inspector St. John (pronounced "sinjun”) Strattford investigates the gory murder of a priest. As the story continues, you will see that many characters might have done it; some even had good reason to. But the Catholic Church and, therefore, the majority of the police department want to hush this up and call it an accident.

What a great mystery this is! The only part I did not enjoy reading was a short section in the middle that describes the priest’s habits (for lack of a better word).