Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

*Many thanks to Ian McGuire, Simon ans Schuster UK, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
My first novel by the acclaimed Author turned out to be compelling for its background and characters. This historical fiction tackles the Fenians, who in the second half of the 19th century plotted, not always successfully, against the English, or the Crown, as it is put in the novel.
The plot is based on two protagonists, both Irish by birth but of different alliegences, who become engaged in a conspiracy in Manchetser in 1867. James O'Connor, now serving in the British Polisce, and Stephen Doyle, a former Civil War soldier who is hired to conduct a successful attack on the English authority. The duel between these two strong characters did give me shivers.
This book is a slow-burner, with good historical background of the places and the times.

The Abstainer is a tightly plotted police procedural set in 1860's Britain in the aftermath of a failed Irish uprising, with all the violence and the tension of the times. When three Irishmen are hanged for the murder of a police officer, tensions ratchet even higher and they become martyrs. James O’Connor is one of the police officers tasked with bringing a resolution to the fighting, but when the Irish bring in an American with a knack for causing trouble, he finds the case is perhaps more than he can handle.

This is a fascinating novel that is clearly exceptionally well researched. The split perspectives really work well, as you follow O’Connor, his cousin Michael Sullivan who is sent to infiltrate the Irish and Stephen Doyle, the hard Irish-American veteran. I really enjoyed the first half of the novel where the two men are pit against each other. I felt McGuire got both sides of history across here; everyone is flawed and yet there is no real enemy as both sides have valid points and both sides have resorted to brutal violence and revenge. There is no black and white answer here, and McGuire doesn’t try to simplify the conflict.

Where I felt the novel lost purpose was in the second half; the tight plotting and interpersonal conflict kind of dissolves as characters fall to pieces. The narrative shifts sharply and isn’t anywhere near as detailed or in depth. I felt the sucker punch at the end was poorly built up, and was a quick and easy way to resolve events rather than well plotted. It’s a pity, because the majority of the events in Manchester are tight and tense, but the novel really loses it’s way and falls apart once the key conflict has been removed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

James O'Conner is the 'Abstainer' in the title. He is a police detective who leaves Dublin under a cloud and moves to Manchester. Here he focuses on two things, abstaining from alcohol, and assisting the police to hunt for the man rumoured to be planning retribution for the hanging of three Fenian supporters. Stephen Doyle is the man being hunted by O'Conner. The main characters are cleverly drawn, believable and vivid.
The story, set in 1867 Manchester, starts with the real event of the hanging of the Manchester Martyrs. The descriptions are atmospheric and paint a very real image of life at this time. The ending wasn't what I was expecting or what I wanted, but it was a brilliant read (as was 'The North Water' by McGuire). I listened to this as an audio book and thought Patrick Moy made a fantastic narrator. Thank you to Ian McGuire, Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in Manchester in 1867 where life is tough and not necessarily fair. Head Constable O’Connor has left Ireland under a cloud after the death of his wife and daughter that resulted in him hitting the bottle. So he takes up a new post in England.
3 Irish Fenians are due to be hanged after killing a policeman. This may create retribution as there is a lot of strife between the Irish and the locals. The fact that Connor is Irish puts him at a disadvantage. His card to some degree is already marked. His life becomes entangled with Stephen Doyle, a hardened, cruel soldier, with a cause.
This is quite an atmospheric read. It transports you back in time and produces very clear imagery, such that you can almost smell the squalor, and strong odours. It is quite dark, with a good cadence. The characters are intriguing and have hidden depths to them that constantly leaves you wondering if they can be trusted or whether they have ulterior motives. There are twists and turns, with an ending that could not have been expected. There is a grim reality to living at that time and the gritty reality is tangible. It felt highly original.

The Abstainer follows two main protagonists, Stephen Doyle and James O’Connor in their dark search for justice and retribution albeit from very different starting points. Doyle, an Irish-American war veteran and Fenian supporter is out to avenge the Manchester Martyrs following their hanging. O’Connor, a grieving Irish policeman with a chequered past is seeking to bring the Fenians to a close and halt the path of O’Doyle.

Both men are on a mission, both are desperate for their own reasons.

Whilst this is not my usual choice of genre, I always find a piece of literary fiction good for my soul. In The Abstainer I found a gripping but sorrowful read. This is not a cheery read, nor is it light by any stretch of the imagination. It is, however, so full of detail and historic accuracy that I found it hard not to be drawn in.

Having completed the book a few days ago, I have resisted writing the review until now as I wanted to reflect upon my thoughts and am really glad I have. Whilst there are one or two minor flaws and misgivings, I could easily forgive these and genuinely felt it did not detract from my overall enjoyment. I have, on several occasions, found myself thinking about James O’Connor and almost lamenting for him. To feel such personal and genuine upset for a fictional character can only be a good thing.

McGuire has, in my opinion, produced an excellent piece of writing steeped in such historic accuracy, I could only give this a 5* review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to review this ARC.

'The Abstainer' is set in 19th century Manchester, where the Fenians - campaigners for Irish independence - are becoming increasingly troublesome to the local police force. Jimmy Connor is a head constable brought from Dublin to lend his expertise to the local force, but has to face prejudice from his fellow officers. Meanwhile Stephen Doyle is an Irish-American former soldier, newly arrived in order to step up the Fenian fight, following the execution of three of its members. The story covers the cat-and-mouse game of these two men as one attempts to prevent the other committing an act of terrorism.

The first half of the book is really good = gripping and intriguing. It is a setting I'm not familiar with and a topic that I found interesting. Despite having read plenty of books set around the 20th century Irish republican movement - the Easter Rising etcetera - I hadn't any knowledge of its history prior to that. The characters are interesting and believable and I could sympathise with Jimmy. The plot had plenty of tension and the stakes rose higher when Jimmy's young nephew arrived from America and got drawn into the efforts to infiltrate the Fenians.

All was shaping up very nicely - so why the three star review? The problem for me was that the book peaked too soon. The dramatic denouement came about two thirds of the way through, leaving a lot of novel left to go. And once the main event had occurred, whilst the writing quality remained good, the plot lost its way a bit and could never recover the same momentum and tension that made the first part so readable.

If it had finished a hundred pages sooner, it would have been a solid four star book in my opinion. But the trailing ending left a disappointing afterimage and so it's only a three star. Ian McGuire remains a good writer though, and I'll be happy to read his next offering.

The Abstainer is an incredibly difficult book for me to review, because I was so eager to pick it up after absolutely loving Ian McGuire’s previous book “The North Water”. I had expected, based on the premise, that both books would be equally dark and terrifying. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that was the case for his latest work.

The Abstainer takes place in 19th century Manchester where three Fenians, members of a secret society bent on ending the rule of the English in Ireland, are hanged. Stephen Doyle, an Irish-American veteran of the Civil War, comes to the city for revenge. He has to bring the revolution to the next level.

We mainly follow James O’Connor, an Irish constable in Manchester, who is intent on stopping the Fenians from wreaking more havoc. He has collected a group of spies around him to thwart the newcomer as much as possible. His nephew arrives from the USA whose new face offers even more opportunities to get closer to Doyle.

It could’ve potentially been such a dark story. The novel tries to show us the endless cycle of obsession and revenge. However, the narrative felt disjointed. It started right at the centre of the action with the hanging and Doyle’s arrival, then it dragged on until the 70% mark. Characters made silly mistakes, that I saw going wrong from the get-go. I marked a few passages where I put notes on how the actions would affect the story and all of them came true.

Towards the end, the novel did take some interesting turns. There were even moments where I felt uneasy, which was a feeling I was hoping to feel. I hoped the book would end on that same high note, giving me the opportunity to rate it with at least three stars, but my feelings were short-lived and the ending left me wanting way more from the story and the promising historical setting.

I would definitely like to pick up more books by Ian McGuire, but I have to admit that The Abstainer wasn’t for me.

*Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon Schuster for this advanced readers copy in return for my honest review. The book starts with the hanging of the Manchester Martyrs, is cleverly crafted and well researched. The ending however left we wanting more.

Manchester 1867 and the hanging of three Irish rebels needs to be revenged. The Fenian Brotherhood turn to their American supporters and they send an Irish-American killer, Stephen Doyle, to seek revenge. Searching for him is exiled Irish detective, James O'Connor, recently moved from Dublin following a bereavement and descent into drink. When O'Connor's nephew helps to prevent an assassination Doyle kills him and O'Connor is set on a path for vengeance.


This is a very dark and sparely written book, conjuring up both the grimy and unpleasant life in the Manchester of the mid-1800s and also the passion of the Fenians. The plot is fast-paced but feels as though it isn't, carefully put together and beautifully written. The sad story of O'Connor's life and his need for vengeance is completely believable and tale ends up more like an old-school Western morality tale. Absolutely superb.

Well, colour me disappointed. After the thrill ride that was Ian McGuire’s The North Water—that propulsive, addictive, historical adventure splattered with garish violence—I had high hopes for this follow-up. But The Abstainer, a police procedural set in 1860s Manchester in the aftermath of an Irish nationalist uprising, is a beige affair.

The protagonist, Jimmy O’Connor, is such a nothing character, remaining passive or at best, reactive, for most of the book. He’s neither good nor particularly bad at his job as a copper, he doesn’t do anything clever or stupid, things just happen around—and to—him… and then quite often they unhappen, with reversals that negate any attempt the book makes at a plot.

There’s no rising tension, no propulsion, no character development to speak of. Murders and reprisal killings happen ‘off stage’. Meanwhile we get to be present for… every staid meeting O’Connor has with his superiors. It’s just dull.

The ending, I think, will strike most readers as jarring and tacked on—a sudden switch to a very minor character, after Jimmy’s fate has been dealt with, once again, ‘off stage’—but I actually kind of liked it, because at least it caught me off guard? It’s a weird ending, maybe not in a good way, but it was unexpected if nothing else.

The Abstainer is not really a ‘bad’ book—it’s not interesting enough to be bad—it’s just not much of anything.

Will transport you to blood torn Ireland and place you in the middle of man battling against man. Ian McGuire weaves a seamless story that will have you happily flipping the pages. Absolutely a must read. Happy reading!

I enjoyed this book all the way up to around the 90% mark and then if just fell through the floor. Almost as if the authour thought " meh, really can't be bothered to write an ending... This'll do" - Totally ruined a very good story in my opinion. I'm sure many may think otherwise but for me it really let itself down after such a worthwhile and tense read. So 3 stars it is ( If i'd written this review the day i finished the book i'd have likely given it one star for infuriating me )

Starting with a historical event, the hanging of three Fenians (later known as Manchester Martyrs) for the killing of a policeman in Manchester in November 1867, Ian McGuire has crafted a tightly plotted, atmospheric tale of retribution and obsession. A former Union soldier, Stephen Doyle has been sent by the Fenian Brotherhood in New York to plot and execute revenge for the hangings; Joseph O’Connor is a recent transfer from Dublin police to Manchester with a task to root out and prevent any Fenian retribution. Michael Sullivan is O’Connor’s nephew who crossed from New York on the same ship as Doyle, now drawn in to help the police.

As the two main protagonists circle each other, we learn about their pasts and what drives them. O’Connor turned to drink after the death of his wife, damaging his career. Giving up alcohol and the transfer to Manchester are his attempts at a fresh start only as an Irishman, he doesn’t feel particularly welcome in England. Doyle’s family died during the Great Famine and he emigrated to the US aged 13, finding fulfilment of sorts in being a soldier at the expense of giving up feelings. The abstainer of the title could equally refer to both men.

This is a suspenseful, compulsive read. Like The North Water, I found it very cinematic. It is also incredibly bleak and dark, especially the final part. Highly recommended.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster UK, Scribner and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review The Abstainer.

Set in 1867 Manchester, James (Jimmy) O'Connor is an Irish police man involuntarily transferred from Dublin following the death of his wife and his subsequent fondness for alcohol. The move represents a new start for Jimmy as he vows to stay off the drink. The Fenians (a band of Irish men fighting against British Rule in Ireland) are active in Manchester and Jimmy has a network of informants and spies keeping him abreast of plans and developments.

Three Fenian men are hanged at the start of the book, and this is where the story begins. Outrage at the hanging is rife among the Fenians and retaliation is promised. Enter Stephen Doyle, a dangerous Irish American and former Civil War soldier. Doyle comes to Manchester at the behest of the Fenians to wreak revenge for the hanging of their three comrades. He takes up their plight and intends to execute a plan that the British authorities cannot ignore. When Michael Sullivan, nephew of Jimmy unexpectedly arrives from NYC, he infiltrates the Fenian group to try to capture the elusive Doyle. Needless to say, things do not go to plan.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Being Irish, I loved reading about the side of the anti-British Rule effort outside of Ireland. 1867 Manchester comes alive, it is dirty, dark, oppressive and totally atmospheric. The characters are extremely well developed and written. Jimmy is a very likeable character, despite his flaws. He is still grieving the death of his wife and his old life and invokes sympathy and empathy. Despite being a slow burner, it is a tense read and hugely enjoyable to a history nerd like myself. An extremely interesting, immersive and gritty story that I enjoyed a lot. I rate this book a 4* read and not a 5* as I found the ending quite removed from the rest of the story and a little dissatisfying. However, if you enjoyed The North Water by this author, no doubt you will enjoy this book too.

It was a fascinating read and I learned something new.
The author is talented storyteller that mixes historical fiction with other genres creating something new and exciting.
The historical background is well researched and vivid, the plot flows and keeps you hooked, the characters are well thought and interesting.
A good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I think I'm just going to have to accept that McGuire isn't a writer who speaks to me: I didn't get on with his The North Water and liked this less. His fiction seems to take its lead from nineteenth century classics: Moby Dick first time, and this feels a bit Dickensian with a soupcon of Hugo's Les Miserables.

This story has so much potential as Irish Fenians struggle for independence pursued by the dogged O'Connor whose own past makes him far from objective. The atmosphere is dark and doomy but can focus more on plot than depth. The history of intergenerational violence is strong but this feels more like a page-turner than anything deeper. I think it's me not the book...

Exciting historical novel set in Manchester in the late 1860s a time of Irish unrest. It starts with the hanging of three fenians witnessed by a policeman seconded from Dublin with a history of his own . The plot develops with a revenge plot for the hangings centred around an assassin newly arrived from the USA. Three informants are murdered by the assassin and the policeman O'Connor is desperate to find him and a cousin who arrived on the same ship as the killer is used in the hunt. Brutal violence and killing are everywhere in this tale and our hero even has a spell in prison after leaving the police wrongly accused of being an informant himself. After release the action moves to Pennsylvania for the shock denouement. The final chapter rather lets the story down but it's still a worthwhile read.

The year is 1867 and we make the acquaintance of James O’Connor, Head Constable of police in Manchester. It’s a difficult time for the city as three men are about to be hung for the killing of a policeman. The men are all members of a gang of Fenians, a secret society whose intention is to end British rule in Ireland. Tensions are running high in Manchester as it’s likely there will be a reaction to the executions, so O’Connor is working his network of ‘spies’ in an effort to gain some understanding of what retribution the Fenians might be planning. In addition, he’s fighting some demons of his own: he recently left Dublin to take up this post having fallen foul of his bosses in Ireland for taking to the drink, this following the death of his young wife. His present role represents a chance for a fresh start, but the temptation to grab a tipple is a constant companion. He is the abstainer.

Stephen Doyle is an Irish-American, a scarred veteran of the civil war. He’s a born soldier and not only is he drawn by the romance of a cause he also takes pleasure in the fighting itself. And now he’s travelling to England to join up with the Fenians, his aim being to cause damage and send a message to the English. Doyle and O’Connor are on a crash course, what mayhem will result and who will ultimately prevail?

Having read the author’s superb novel The North Water I was somewhat prepared for a dark noirish tale. I wasn’t disappointed, this book delivers big on atmosphere and character development – I was instantly delivered to the grimy streets of the capital of the North and met two protagonists who are complex and flawed and both, in their own way, totally captivating. I rooted for O’Connor, who was not only fighting the burning desire to find solace in a bottle but also has to deal with the rampant bigotry of many of his colleagues and his superiors. But in Doyle he’s surely found a foe that is more than a match for him, hasn’t he? Then a nephew he hasn’t seen for many years turns up at the policemen’s door and it’s not clear whether this is to prove a blessing or a curse. Soon the nephew too is embroiled in the hunt for the mysterious American O’Connor’s spies have said is now amongst them.

The action and the language is brutal, this is certainly not a soft read. But if you’ve the stomach for it then there’s a huge amount here to appreciate - the narrative is a taut a guitar string and although the pace is relatively slow this just means that the tension is ratcheted up page by page. It’s a brilliant piece of writing. I just love the way that McGuire does not allow the reader an easy escape, on the evidence of the two books I’ve read his preference is to sweat you, to make you think and when it’s over to place something in your head that will be there for some time.

Ian McGuire follows The North Water with this impressively researched, utterly brilliant, tautly plotted, historical noir, a tense thriller set amidst the fraught, deadly arena of the savage, no holds barred war between the British and the underground fight by the Irish for Independence in the 19th century, set in the dirt and grime of Manchester and America. Three Irishmen have been hanged in Manchester, their deaths bestowing them with a martyrdom to the Irish community that serves as a rallying call for vengeance. James O'Connor has relocated to Manchester from Ireland for a new, more sober beginning, working with the police to quash any Fenian plots, although being Irish, he attracts little in the way of respect, liking or trust.

O'Connor runs informers and spies in the Irish community and rumours begin to reach him of a scarred man of interest. Hard man Stephen Doyle is an Irish American veteran of the civil war who steps off the boat into the city of Manchester, stepping off the same boat is O' Connor's nephew, 19 year old Michael Sullivan looking for work. Doyle and O'Connor circle each other as Doyle looks to pull off an audacious reckoning, a battle into which the police drag in the young Sullivan. In the most thrilling and suspenseful of narratives, we learn of the past histories of the two men, the tragedies that O'Connor could hardly bear, his struggles with the demon drink, and a life spiralling out of his control that led to his deployment in Manchester, and the backstory, violence and events that shaped the brutal man that is Doyle .

O'Connor ends up going to America concludes the novel with the most surprising, almost completely out of the blue, gut wrenching, bleakest and shell shock of a ending. McGuire's powerful, vivid, convincing storytelling of retribution is never less than compulsive, gripping the reader by the throat, with events and a dynamics that echo the nature of British history with the Irish. There are times when it feels so loaded, even overloaded with tension, this is a period historical thriller that packs one hell of a punch, a punch that is likely to leave an indelible mark on the reader. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for an ARC.