Kaddish in Dublin

Esther Fisher is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and
a former food critic for The Globe & Mail.

The story embedded in this thriller is a good one, complete with
intrigue, mysterious motives, false leads, and interwoven strands of
various crimes. Set in Dublin, the tale deals with the murder of a young
Jewish journalist whose father is a prominent judge, and with the
subsequent death and immolation of a devout young Roman Catholic man.
Minogue, the detective assigned to the case—a cop with a heart of gold
and literary leanings—unravels a complex plot of corruption in high
places, involving a semisecret fraternity of Roman Catholics and Irish
politics.

Dublin’s life and atmosphere are convincingly and dramatically
evoked. In fact, the setting is frequently more alive than the
characters, who speak in an Irish brogue with more than a liberal
sprinkling of such expletives as “Jesus” and “iidjit.” Rather
than bringing the characters to life, this device turns them into
stereotypes of the Irish cop, his sidekick, and his superiors. For the
reader, struggling with the dialogue makes for slow going, and it takes
persistence and patience to finally find out “whodunit” and why.

To add to the reader’s annoyance, there are unexplainable lacunae in
the narration. The most glaring of these occurs early on, when the
detectives meet to discuss the case; suddenly, without any indication of
a shift in focus, there’s a three-and-a-half-page description of what
the killer (referred to merely as “he”) is thinking and doing at the
time of the crimes. The reader is left completely baffled, and wondering
whether it’s a misprint or the pages are out of order. Apparently not;
but if intended to create suspense, this approach doesn’t work.

Once one becomes accustomed to the language and the “breaks” in the
novel, it’s a straightforward story, sprinkled with interesting
observations about Irish folklore and history, Jewish customs, and the
complex connections between church and state. Mystery fans might enjoy
it.