Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
3.75
Creepy and dark, but page turning nonetheless. IRA killer who feels so much guilt and is haunted by his victims, so needs to kill the others involved in the original murders. The gore is what might keep me from picking up the next one right away, I have to be in the right frame of mind to delve into these.
Creepy and dark, but page turning nonetheless. IRA killer who feels so much guilt and is haunted by his victims, so needs to kill the others involved in the original murders. The gore is what might keep me from picking up the next one right away, I have to be in the right frame of mind to delve into these.
Great book, would make a great movie. As long as they don't try to reimagine it in someplace in the US. The Troubles as a backdrop is what gives it such power.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
This was an alright read for me, but paled in comparison to some other Irish mysteries I've read that also feature the Troubles...most notably [b:The Cold Cold Ground|13008754|The Cold Cold Ground (Detective Sean Duffy, #1)|Adrian McKinty|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355027843s/13008754.jpg|18170309], etc. series featuring Sean Duffy. I kept getting the different Irish "thugs" confused and found that I had a hard time caring about any of the characters. There was also too many action sequences (which would actually be great on film or t.v.). On the other hand the book's theme of justice v. vengeance resonated strongly with me and seems to be a theme in my recent reads.
Nearly a decade ago, I added this book to my Audible account and about the same time, I also downloaded Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty. I know I listened to one of them, but I cannot for the life of me remember which, as it was before I tracked anything in Goodreads. Since The Ghosts of Belfast features actual ghosts, I decided to listen to it this week, and I'm so glad I did.
Gerry Fegan is haunted by the ghosts of people he killed during The Troubles in Belfast. His only hope for peace is to kill the people he worked for who ordered the killings he committed. They won't go quietly, either, especially when they figure out Gerry is behind the string of new murders. The description says this is book #1 of the Jack Lennon Investigations series, but I'll be honest, I don't remember hearing a character named Jack Lennon in the audiobook, but I'm sure I wasn't paying as close attention to the book as I could have. Regardless, I thought the plot was fantastic and the longer I listened the more I enjoyed the characters and the story. Gerard Doyle is also a fantastic narrator.
Gerry Fegan is haunted by the ghosts of people he killed during The Troubles in Belfast. His only hope for peace is to kill the people he worked for who ordered the killings he committed. They won't go quietly, either, especially when they figure out Gerry is behind the string of new murders. The description says this is book #1 of the Jack Lennon Investigations series, but I'll be honest, I don't remember hearing a character named Jack Lennon in the audiobook, but I'm sure I wasn't paying as close attention to the book as I could have. Regardless, I thought the plot was fantastic and the longer I listened the more I enjoyed the characters and the story. Gerard Doyle is also a fantastic narrator.
It just got to be too many revenge deaths as some sort of redemption path ... couldn't bear the idea of that. Initially, I thought that I was reading a serial killer novel flipped sideways with a sympathetic killer aching to right his wrongs by the insane idea of killing more people, except that they were bad people who deserved his bullets. But when I realized that the author was going to let this madness play out as a legitimate path to redemption I had to quit. And while I can handle a violent novel, this one seemed to revel in it far more than necessary.
This book was a page turner. If you don't mind some violence, foul language, and ghosts, then you might want to try this book. I found the main character, Gerry Fegan to be a damaged, tortured soul that I wanted to know more about & hope that he is a character in the other two books in this series.
I'm adding the next two books in the series in my "want to read" list.
I'm adding the next two books in the series in my "want to read" list.
Audiobook: Finally, a book in which the violence serves the story instead of the opposite.This is the first in a series of novels that portray Belfast and Northern Ireland following the peace accords, which left a lot of violent men with little to do and changing loyalties. Gerry Fegan had been an enforcer for one of the groups of thugs ostensibly battling the British. Now beset by guilt for those he had killed, he’s surrounded by imaginary “followers” representing each of the twelve he had killed and they won’t leave him alone until he kills those who had ordered the killings.
Much as slavery and segregation haunt U.S. history, so do the years of the Troubles for the Irish. Preserving the peace becomes a priority for those in power and they will sacrifice innocents to maintain political stability. That’s one of the underlying themes of Neville’s book. “"Even now [that] the politicians had taken over the movement," Neville writes of the Irish Republican Army paramilitaries, "even though they were shifting away from the rackets, the extortion, the thieving, people still needed to be kept in line." The British still have their undercover agents and one of those is tasked by his handlers with killing Fegan in order to prevent his killings from upsetting the delicate balance.
Note that even though billed as the first in the Jack Lennon Investigations series, Lennon plays a minuscule role unlike the second. It’s all Gerry Fegan.
I read this book after Collusion, the second in the series, and several things became clear in both volumes. I recommend reading the books in order, as knowing what happens in the second destroys any suspense in the first. Very good reading.
Much as slavery and segregation haunt U.S. history, so do the years of the Troubles for the Irish. Preserving the peace becomes a priority for those in power and they will sacrifice innocents to maintain political stability. That’s one of the underlying themes of Neville’s book. “"Even now [that] the politicians had taken over the movement," Neville writes of the Irish Republican Army paramilitaries, "even though they were shifting away from the rackets, the extortion, the thieving, people still needed to be kept in line." The British still have their undercover agents and one of those is tasked by his handlers with killing Fegan in order to prevent his killings from upsetting the delicate balance.
Note that even though billed as the first in the Jack Lennon Investigations series, Lennon plays a minuscule role unlike the second. It’s all Gerry Fegan.
I read this book after Collusion, the second in the series, and several things became clear in both volumes. I recommend reading the books in order, as knowing what happens in the second destroys any suspense in the first. Very good reading.
Sooner or later, everybody pays.
After spending time in prison, a former IRA killer is living a life out of the spotlight while haunted by the ghosts of his kills. Guilt, fear and redemption all play a part as Fegan tries to exorcise his demons. A precarious peace has been formed and the new breed of Irish fighter attempts to use political means to advance the cause(as well as their own bank account).
The old ways were dead and gone, but still their ghosts might come back to haunt the political process. The politicos might be smarter, but smart never stopped a bullet.
Fegan befriends an outcast and her young daughter as he works his way through his personal demons.
"I know the feeling." A tentative smile flickered on Marie's lips. "You can't choose where you belong, and where you don't. But what if the place you don't belong is the only place you have left?"
A fantastic story of guilt and redemption. Highly recommended.
The peace process had left many idle hands, and the devil was busy doling out work.
9/10
After spending time in prison, a former IRA killer is living a life out of the spotlight while haunted by the ghosts of his kills. Guilt, fear and redemption all play a part as Fegan tries to exorcise his demons. A precarious peace has been formed and the new breed of Irish fighter attempts to use political means to advance the cause(as well as their own bank account).
The old ways were dead and gone, but still their ghosts might come back to haunt the political process. The politicos might be smarter, but smart never stopped a bullet.
Fegan befriends an outcast and her young daughter as he works his way through his personal demons.
"I know the feeling." A tentative smile flickered on Marie's lips. "You can't choose where you belong, and where you don't. But what if the place you don't belong is the only place you have left?"
A fantastic story of guilt and redemption. Highly recommended.
The peace process had left many idle hands, and the devil was busy doling out work.
9/10