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.

Thank you Netgalley for the early read of this book. Coming from Northern Ireland I love books that i can relate to. Brilliant police book

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This is a great twisty thriller based in Northern Ireland. I loved the characters and basically everything about it.

A thriller set in 1950s rural Ireland, this entertaining novel tells of the adventures and travails of police sergeant Jolly Macken who has been demoted to a sleepy small town. It turns out that life is not so sleepy in the town after all and over the seven days during which the novel takes place Jolly is confronted with some tough and dangerous exploits. Historically the book is interesting and an insightful exploration of contemporary political events, but I was less convinced by the characters which for me lacked subtlety and the black humour just didn’t appeal. It was all too quirky for me and played too much for laughs even though serious – indeed deadly - issues are being addressed. Just not one for me.

The book had lots going on with plenty of violence. The plight of the citizens living in a small Irish border town is highlighted as is the conflict between the Protestants and Catholics in Ireland in the 1950’s. Some very likeable Irish characters and just as many not. Macken is interesting but I felt I really did not get to know him. The book was long winded at times and the ending was the best part. The beginning was decent but after the incident in the car with Cedric the middle part was too bogged down.

For a novel with so much action packed into just one week, this was quite slow in places and took me a long time to get into. For the first third of the book I was not sure if I would or should finish it. However I did then become hooked on the story line.

In 1950s Northern Ireland, Macken is a Catholic cop in Protestant territory. His brother is dead, he wants to find someone to blame. The Border is heating up. And he thinks he has finally found true love, but everyone keeps warning him off her. Even his own lies start to blur to truth inside his mind. Can he stay alive? Can he find his brother killer, avenge his brother and assuage his own guilt? Can he trust any of his colleagues? What is the secret his girlfriend is hiding? And how will this affect the future they are planning?

Content/trigger warning: child abuse.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in return for my honest review.

Sectarian bigotry, hen houses and general mayhem

Jolly Macken is a policeman and does not like his job. And why not? He is a Catholic copper in the Protestant sectarian RUC in Northern Ireland in the 1950s. He must deal with Protestant sectarian bigoted marchers, bandsmen, police colleagues, politicians, landowners - and that is no fun at all. Now, despite the high quality of the author’s writing, I found myself getting a bit irritated with all this Protestant sectarian bigotry. This is because I fall into one of the categories (and I hope only one) and although I will not deny that sectarian bigotry exists, and is perhaps not uncommon in Northern Ireland, I would argue that it is not limited to those from a Protestant background.

However, that being so, I found myself becoming more and more involved in this story, especially from the halfway point when the general mayhem began. I did not find much of the tale particularly plausible, but I did find it exciting and interesting and that is worth a lot. As a first novel, this is well worth a read, even if the author at times appears to think, ‘My goodness, I may never get another book published. I need to say as much as I possibly can in this one!’ Oh yes, I did enjoy it, even with all the Protestant sectarian bigotry.

Footnote: The author has a good ear for Ulster dialogue and his geography of the borderland of Armagh and Tyrone is generally sound, but I have one problem. No policeman armed with a rifle on the roof of the Ritz cinema in Armagh could possibly keep watch on Gough army Barracks from that vantage point which is probably a mile distant and has most of Armagh’s buildings in between.

A fascinating, dark and gritty historical noir that I really appreciated.
It was like travelling back in time and discovering places and event I never heard of.
The author is a good storyteller and delivers an excellent story with an interesting cast of characters and a solid mystery.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.