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Tarantino-esque violence without the laughs. Dark story about a political killer in Northern Ireland wracked by guilt and haunted by the ghosts of the dozen people he killed - who now egg him on to kill a dozen others they consider responsible for their deaths. You need to be ready for teeth being pulled out with pliers, folks whacking each other over the head with bricks, and a dogfight. Predictable story structure, but hard to put down anyway, and the setting was interesting. Would make a good movie.
A quick engaging read, which I picked up for my Book Riot challenge (debut novel). The publisher lists it as the first in the series (Jack Lennon Investigations), but for the life of me I can't remember a character named Jack Lennon. It's helpful, but not necessary, to have some knowledge of the Northern Ireland conflict prior to reading. There are some interesting points about the sacrifices made for political expediency.
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not the "Greatest Debut" that the book jacket proclaims, but a better than average thriller that is a fast read.
Absolutely loved this book! It captures elements of the troubles so well and is refreshing to read a book set in Northern Ireland. I liked the idea of a terrorist being haunted by his past. I was hooked from start to finish. Stuart is a talented writer.
December was a busy reading month, but I ripped through this political, gangster, horror novel in two days. A genre-bending page turner. IRA assassin followed by the ghosts of his victims finds love and mental health my murdering even more people. Who knew murder could be so good, yet so bad for the soul. Kind of a joke when you get down to it, but it moves right along and gives a view of the Troubles that most sympathizers would probably rather not have.
The first half was 5 stars. The last half, particularly after the first half, was 2. So I evened it out. It was disappointing because Fagen is an almost great character limited by a fabulous conceit that isn't allowed to spin out. That said, it was a quick and engaging read.
I have to admit , I am not a crime fiction fan and the reason I started reading this book is because I wanted to learn more about Nothern Ireland . Anyway , I liked this book .It is well written and clever.
I think the greatest achievement of this book is that you don't hate the "villains", you somehow understand why they do what they do , they are actually trapped in their own ethics and as for Fegan (the main character) , he was a fascinating mix of good and evil .
A story about violence , revenge and forgiveness , I would recommend it to all fans of crime fiction .
I think the greatest achievement of this book is that you don't hate the "villains", you somehow understand why they do what they do , they are actually trapped in their own ethics and as for Fegan (the main character) , he was a fascinating mix of good and evil .
A story about violence , revenge and forgiveness , I would recommend it to all fans of crime fiction .