The Death of a Joyce Scholar [Hardcover]

Superintendent Peter McGarr, one of Dublin's senior policemen, is confronted by a lady with a problem. Her husband's gone missing. Why then, instead of going to Missing Persons, has she sought out the Chief of the Murder Squad? It turns out that Kevin Coyle isn't truly "missing". He simply hadn't made it home without assistance. The help was needed because Kevin's heart had taken a knife. And Katie Coyle, with some help, fetched him to his bed. Dublin, however, was suffering an unusual heat wave. The unusual wake would have to close and the murder, after three days, finally be reported. Kevin, it seems "is going off now in the heat"!

This bizarre opening typifies the remainder of a story of a quietly dedicated Dublin copper. Peter McGarr, who starts his office mornings with a strong tot in his coffee, is compelled to deal with Katie Coyle, her unusual cronies, and Kevin Coyle's former role as a "Joyce Scholar". Joyce's magnum opus, "Ulysses", which McGarr pitched into a corner the first time he attempted it, figures large in this story. Not least because one of Coyle's tasks was acting as a "Joyce Tour Guide" for his colleague's tourist business. If the world needs yet another analysis of "Ulysses", Coyle has just completed one. It was to be launched just after he was murdered. Publishers being what they are, the release goes ahead on time, accompanied by the usual fanfare and parties.

McGarr, not being a "private eye", has a team of his own colleagues. Working, as they do, in Dublin provides both flavour and spirit to this narrative. Hughie Ward, a boxer on the side, is a young policeman with ambition. A detective "as soon as was possible", Ward is a notable figure in many ways. But when he slips up, the result is almost as devastating as the figure he cuts. The most interesting member of McGarr's team, however, is its "token" woman. "Rut'ie" Bresnahan is an ample country girl who knows that to rise in the Garda Siochana, she must be better than the men. Since she believes she's better than the men, this should pose no problem. However, her respect for McGarr still leads her to bring his coffee during Squad meetings. Rut'ie is confronted with a string of challenges in proving her worth. How she meets these makes for wonderful reading. Her shopping expedition provides a delightful image of the "new" Dublin compared with Rut'ie's rural origins and the older Ireland they represent. None of Gill's characterisations are flawed. Encountering them is a treat in each circumstance.

The "Ulysses" connection pervades this story, but Gill, a reasonable man, makes no assumptions of his readers. You needn't have read Joyce to follow McGarr as he copes with the many ties between this murder investigation and the classic. In many ways, of course, this story provides a reflection of Joyce's, as Gill intends it to be. Both are, after all, reflections of the Dublin of their time. Gill's superior handling of these ties as we progress through the mystery demonstrate his prose skills and dedicated scholarship. This book might actually prompt me to start Joyce's classic again. If I can find which corner I pitched it into . . . [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

This was my second selection in the long list of Mr. Gill's books. I started with his next to last book and now know some things about his characters that I would not have found out going in the opposite direction. But even with that said, I find myself entranced by the characterizations in these two books. I have become quite comfortable with the repeating case of characters and I enjoy my time with them. The murder being handled sometimes seems secondary to other issues in their lives. While I did have some trouble keeping the three potentially villainous women in this novel clear in my mind, it was nevertheless a fun read. I have always avoided the reading of Joyce's Ullyses, but Gill makes an excellent case for my reconsideration of that decision. He also brings me back, clearly and strongly, to all my memories of my one trip to Dublin and certainly encourages me to return. All in all this is a fine story, well-researched and with characters well worth remembering.

If you don't know Irish detective Peter McGarr, this terrific novel from 1989 is a great introduction! Where else but Dublin might you find a James Joyce scholar dead, and McGarr and the Murder Squad of the Garda Siochana reading Ulysses, and occasionally Samuel Beckett, in an effort to understand what led to his death? Including brief quotations from Ulysses in this novel, Gill locates the action in places which are significant in Ulysses, talks about Finnegan's Wake, and even discusses "the novel of competence," represented by Joyce, as opposed to "the novel of incompetence," represented by Samuel Beckett, making these esoteric subjects comprehensible and intriguing.

Dublin throbs with life here, in the pubs, on the streets, in the university, and at galleries, the Shelbourne Hotel, and St. Michan's church. The action is robust, with many fights, fractures, and a few hospitalizations, as McGarr and his detectives concentrate more on justice than on the niceties of procedure. The characters we know from earlier novels are further developed here (and continue into later novels).

As always, Gill includes lively and wonderfully droll conversations--the teasing and byplay one expects of close and caring relationships--both at home and at the Garda station. And when Det. Hugh Ward and Det. Ruthie Bresnahan finally discover each other, one of the highlights of this novel, their scenes become both hilarious and steamy. Gill's excellent satire (the Beautiful People at a book-launching), his wonderful sense of the absurd (the murder victim's wife bringing the victim home, laying him in bed, and contacting McGarr only after he starts to "go off"), and his uncanny ability to create quirky and likable characters make this one of the best novels in this remarkable series.