Another Quirke and Hackett investigation and at this stage the charm is wearing off.
How many more women can possibly fall into Quirke’s hapless arms?
How many more descriptions of someone smoking or staring into the bottom of a whiskey glass can I take?
How many repetitions of scenes in pubs, restaurants, dreary flats, are possible without the author quoting himself unconsciously? Already I’ve caught Black repeating a description and then passing it off as a character’s ‘recollection’ of an earlier scene.
Not to mention the impossible amount of lamp shades that look like dried human skin.

But Black/Banville does a great line in tongue in cheek. Have a look at the characters’ names from the various books:
Quirke speaks for itself but Hackett?
Well, I daresay, if a twenty foot hedge lay between the good inspector and the truth, he would hack it to bits.
April isn’t the cruellest month for nothing.
Dick (!) Jewell just happens to be Jewish?
Christine Falls, and pays the price.
Rose smells sweet but boy, has she got thorns.
Malachy, a long awkward-sounding fellow with just a spot of badness?
Delia, a double dealer?
Jimmy Minor is, well, a minor character.
Andy is randy.
Phoebe? - in Greek mythology she was raped by Castor or Pollux and, yes, the poor girl does indeed get raped - by randy Andy...

But Sarah is just Sarah - isn't that perfectly fitting?