Wow!!!! Two book posts in a row!
Two weeks driving back and forth to work listening to this incredibly detailed account of an IRA hit-man – Gerry Fegan who is haunted by the ghosts of the innocents that died by his hand.
In order to rid the ghosts / shadows he must kill all of those above him that gave him the orders to carry out the executions. Insert a beautiful blonde widow and her young daughter and the story get’s very interesting.
It’s the detail that Stuart Neville puts into this story that really intrigues me and quite honestly kept me listening as I was ready on a few occasions to ditch this to the side because of the violence ( not that I’m a sissy or anything – I just don’t like when kids are involved, and thankfully it didn’t go that far! )
As far as novels go this is the first I’ve read regarding the Northern Ireland conflict. Even though this is completely fictitious, it has sparked an interest in me to read more on the history of Northern Ireland.
This is Neville’s first novel and I will without a doubt be reading another one these very soon. Below the opening paragraphs from the book…..
Maybe if he had one more drink they’d leave him alone. Gerry Fegan told himself that lie before every swallow. He chased the whiskey’s burn with a cool, black mouthful of Guinness and placed the glass back on the table. Look up and they’ll be gone, he thought.
No. They were still there, still staring. Twelve of them if he counted the baby in its mother’s arms.
He was good and drunk, now. When his stomach couldn’t hold any more he would let Tom the barman show him to the door, and the twelve would follow Fegan through the streets of Belfast, into his house, up his stairs, and into his bedroom. If he was lucky, and drunk enough, he might pass out before their screaming got too loud to bear. That was the only time they made a sound, when he was alone and on the edge of sleep. When the baby started crying, that was the worst of it.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
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