Benjamin Black is the non de plume of John Banville, not that I have heard of him either.
This is a slightly picaresque quasi-historical novel, set in Prague at the turn of the 16th/17th century when Rudolf II (a real character apparently) ruled Bohemia.
The narrator/hero Christian Stern (no pun intended) turns up in Prague and almost immediately stumbles upon a murdered woman, who proves to be the King’s mistress. This leads to a lot of plotting and double dealing within the court and to Julius eventually finding out (well being told actually) the identity of the killer.
Pretty lightweight stuff, although quite readable.
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