1950s, rural Ireland. A loner comes across a mysteriously empty car in a field, and soon finds himself embroiled in a troubling missing person case, as a husband claims his wife may have thrown herself into the sea.

Called in from Dublin to investigate is Detective Inspector Strafford, who turns to the flawed but brilliant pathologist Quirke. But as the case unfolds, events from the past resurface that may have life-altering ramifications for all involved.

At once a searing mystery “full of simmering dramatic tension” (Boston Globe) and a profound meditation on the hidden worlds we all inhabit, The Drowned is the next great Strafford and Quirke novel from a beloved writer at the top of his game.