The Ghosts of Belfast
Stuart Neville
Soho Crime
Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: The day Gerry Fegan learned he was to be released from the Maze prison, twelve ghosts began to haunt him. Each one was a victim of his bloody work in the IRA, ostensibly fighting for Northern Ireland's freedom. Now, the world is changing, and a peace that seemed impossible for decades is on the horizon. The same men who once hurled Molotov cocktails at police officers and ordered hits on their own neighbors now wear suits and ties... except for those like Fegan, the ones sent to do the dirty work. Gerry never wanted to take another life, but the ghosts demand retribution. His former bosses may fight with media sound bites instead of guns these days, but they still have much to answer for - and, if the rest of world seems to have forgotten, the ghosts of Belfast remember.
REVIEW: Neville weaves a dark and gory tale of Northern Ireland's dark and gory history, a history that refuses to be forgotten even in this day and age. The types of people described here - yesterday's cold-blooded killers forgiven as "freedom fighters," hiding from justice behind press conferences - probably have real-world counterparts in Ireland and many parts of the world. Some of the names and interchangeable thugs ran together, and at least one plot contrivance (the innocent little girl Ellen, daughter of a potential love interest) had me rolling my eyes more often than not. Does Gerry's crusade balance the scales? Can Ireland ever wash its hands without the hate-fueled bloodstains resurfacing in some form or another? Do two wrongs ever make a right? Neville asks these questions and more, without always giving clean answers. The back cover claims that the author plans a series; personally, I don't know that it needs more books. Overall, the story is less mystery and more thriller, and if it wasn't quite my cup of cocoa, it was still a nicely-paced and unpredictable tale that never flinched from its own shadows.
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