Night Crossing

by Don J. Snyder

A novel of political intrigue (the time is 1998) with overtones of a classic Hitchcock thriller; a story of a romantic encounter—of two strangers suddenly invading each other’s lives.

Night Crossing carries us from a quiet Boston suburb to a wild pursuit across the northern counties of Ireland. The man and woman who find themselves bound together are from two different worlds. Nora is an American, married, pregnant, leading the most ordinary middle-class life until, one day, she finds her husband in the arms of another woman—and explodes out of her house, out of Boston, headed for an Irish countryside she long ago fell in love with, intending to walk across the open green fields where she will decide how her life is to proceed. But on the way, waiting in a clinic in Northern Ireland, contemplating an abortion, she hears a woman screaming in the street. A mammoth bomb has exploded.

Immediately, instinctively, Nora comes to the aid of a wounded man, a British soldier. And from that moment everything spirals out of control. Suddenly Nora is on the run, in the middle of someone else’s nightmare—her pursuers are revealed as British Intelligence, and the anonymous wounded Brit as a man with a past, a personality, a direction, an importance, a name—and an adversary—of his own. What follows through eight terrifying days is a chase in the grand manner—his life in her hands, her life upended—culminating in a daring night crossing of the Irish Sea to Scotland and to the moment of truth.

Genres: Fiction, Ireland, Thriller

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 12, 2001

Reviews

[Billy Beasley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story but slow & tedious at times.

[Madison]

This book was really good actually. It is about an American woman that lives in Boston, she's preganat and finds out that her husband is cheating on her. In the midst of finding this out Nora (the American woman) decides to go back to northern Ireland, where her and her husband and two children traveled twenty years earlier. But what she doesnt realize is that there is a major war going on between Ireland and Britian. when she reaches Ireland she has to make the decision on how she wants her life to proceed. As nora is waiting in a clinic in Omagh a bomb goes off. Like every other person would she comes to the aid of a wounded soldier. now shes on the run, moving from place to place to try to keep this soldier alive, whom she doesnt even know who he is at first. The soldier is Captin James Oliver Blackburn, the british intelligence, or IRA, are after James and Nora. The book follows them through eight days, and how Nora has James's life in her hands, and her life upended. The last night is a daring night crossing of the Irish sea to Scotland and then the moment of truth.

I don't see much difference between their culture and American culture. I would say the biggest difference would be religion wise, because the whole book is based on the catholic religion.

The authors purpose was to inform the world and let them remember that August night in 1998 when many people lost their lives. And to make people realize that we live a sheltered life from other people in the world and whats going on in their country. The author talks a lot about the bombing and how many people died, he also has the main character realize that she did live a sheltered life from everyone around her, and in this book he makes it evident that she realizes how much she has and how fast it could be taken away.


The theme of the book is to make people realize how much they have, and that it can be taken away in a instant. Also it shows Americans how lucky we are to have our freedom and not have a war going on in our country. The evidence is showing how many people died and how their families were affected. Also by following an American through the most dangerous, I guess I would say, adventure shows how everyone is effected. Even if they dont live in Ireland, throughout the whole book she could of taken the many offers of being sent home, but she chose to stay back and help James.

I would recommend this book. I usually don't like reading about wars, but this book ties in a history lesson while also following a romance. I think that makes this book apply to all kinds of different people. And it also is based on true facts, the war in Ireland really did go on, and the bombing of August 1998 really did happen in Omagh.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this book 5 stars but there was some foul language and a couple minor scenes that were off color but not too graphic or crude. I was a little surprised that this book was so interesting to me. The plot is so unusual and almost too crazy to be realistic, yet somehow it drew me in. It's about a woman who has been married over 20 years and the marriage has grown a little cold. She ends up alone on a trip to Ireland in 1997 and gets caught up in a mess. I think I liked it because she was only a little older than I and I could relate to some of her feelings and I dream of just taking off sometime, unencumbered. I would rather have my husband with me on a trip like this though! I don't think this book has mass appeal, but if you are a newlywed or in your early twenties, I would like to know if you liked this book.

[Sheridan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much time spent in Nora's head. I know Nora is thrown by her husbands infidelity and the bombing but telling the story from her confused point of view just confused me at times. It was also slow. I like the idea of this book/story, however, I feel it could have been executed better.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

happened to pick this off the library shelf at random, it was so good, i stayed up all night to finish.

[Alice Persons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well paced, skillful and intriguing novel. This is the first Snyder book I have read and I will definitely read more.