Review: The Ghosts of Belfast

The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I tracked this down after reading The Final Silence. Interestingly, while this is listed as Jack Lennon Investigations, Jack is only briefly mentioned in this one. Still, his presence, while not crucial, still plays a role, and it's clear to me how/why the later books spin out of this one.

Instead of Jack, we're introduced to Gerry Fegan. Fegan is, we quickly learn, not a very nice man. In fact, he's one of the most feared and respected men in Northern Ireland. He's a stone cold killer who acted as an enforcer and hitman for the IRA. At the height of his career, he was who the IRA turned to when they wanted to make sure someone was "dealt with" in a very final way. Now, having spent twelve years in jail, Fegan is technically a free man. He's done his time, and the organization takes care of its own. He has a free paycheck, and no responsibilities, but drowning himself in liquor.

Technically free, because, while he's not in a prison cell, he's haunted by the blood of twelve innocent people who died at his hands. Fegan literally sees them, following him in shadows, demanding retribution. An eye for an eye; they want Fegan to go after the people who were responsible for sending Fegan after them in the first place.

Neville digs deep into the background of his characters, and traces a decades-long path of death and destruction leading up to the tenuous and fragile peace in Ireland. This is the sort of story where there are no heroes, just tough people in bad situations. Fegan is no hero, but he's not the man he once was, either. It's up to the reader to decide how far he's really come. The book gives us glimpses into the back history and lives of most of the characters; most of them are fleshed out well enough for them to feel very solid, even if they're only secondary characters. It's to Neville's credit that even some of the low legal thugs that litter this book felt like they were real people.

The plot clips along fairly quickly and manages to take a few unexpected turns. A working knowledge of modern Irish history is certainly helpful, but this isn't historical fiction, so as long as you understand the basics of the Troubles for context, I think that you can work through the rest.

All in all a very strong first novel.





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