Why would a suicide need a witness? In this fifth mystery in the Quirke series (following A Death in Summer), Victor Delahaye, one of Ireland's most prominent citizens, takes his business partner's son out sailing on the Irish Sea. But once underway, Davy Clancy is horrified to witness Delahaye take out a gun and shoot himself dead. This strange event captures the attention of Detective Inspector Hackett, as well as Quirke. The Delahayes and Clancys have been rivals for generations, and when a second death occurs—one even more shocking than the first—Quirke begins to realize that terrible secrets lie buried within these entangled families. Written by Man Booker Prize winner John Banville under the pen name Benjamin Black, the Quirke mystery series follows his cases in 1950s Dublin, and inspired the BBC television series of the same name.

"As with the previous books, this one is replete with all the period detail and atmospherics one could hope for in a thriller. Black is a master of presentation. The nudges and the winks, the red herrings and the wool-pullings are all consummately done. The gears of the plot mesh silently and inexorably and the whole machine moves forward to its disastrous outcome. On the way to its terminus, the book becomes more and more Banvillean and it is all the better for that ... but Black's and Quirke's Dublin remains the gritty and deplorable place it has always been and Vengeance is a memorable and compelling snapshot."—Independent Ireland