Some Service to the State

by Aidan McQuade

The year is 1925. In the borderlands of a newly partitioned Ireland, a doctor new to Northern Ireland begins a search for a missing patient, a young girl who has fallen pregnant.

Meeting a wall of silence, she enlists the help of a local, a former IRA volunteer recently released from jail. Their enquiry brings them into contact with a community still suffering from the wounds of civil war. More worrying for them, they find they are beginning to rattle skeletons that some powerful people would prefer went undisturbed.

As they slowly begin to unravel the truth of the girl’s fate, they find that the traces they are following lead to some crimes more monstrous that they ever previously considered.

“Some Service to the State is a superb book with dialogue that would not be out of place on the stage of the Abbey Theatre. Mick McAlinden is a former IRA man caught on the wrong side of the border and the wrong side of a law student who ends up working in an abattoir. Aidan McQuade has created a character whose travails highlight the thwarted dreams and the tragedy of partition for so many people in post-revolutionary Ireland.”

- Ronan McGreevy, journalist and author of Great the Assassination of Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson.

“Like Graham Greene, Dennis Lehane, and Louise Penny before him, McQuade takes the humble crime story and uses it like a scalpel to probe and expose the darkness in human souls and human society.”

- Martin W. Sandler, National Book Award-winning author and historian.

“The sparring sparky dialogue is a delight and never fails to vivify the darkness. McQuade shows prodigious skill in shining a spotlight on the scandal of mother-and-baby homes and in brilliantly imbuing the past with his own potent blend of heart, soul and wit.”

- Rosemary Jenkinson, multi-award winning playwright and author of Marching Season.

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 8, 2023

Reviews

[Eric Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aidan McQuade’s first novel, The Undiscovered Country (2020), was a bit of a hybrid — part crime novel, part history of Ireland in the period just after Partition. It was terrific because McQuade is both a natural story-teller as well as a first-rate historian. This is the sequel, set several years later. There are now two Irelands, one under British rule, the other a “Free State”. The dreams and hopes of many of those who fought for Irish independence have not been fulfilled. The story revolves around the former Republican Policeman (and later IRA fighter) Mick McAlinden, who has spent several years in British custody and is now resigned to a quiet life. But he’s recruited by a female doctor friend (another character from the previous book) to help him locate a patient, a 14-year-old girl who got pregnant and has disappeared. Her fate, and the fate of others around her, encapsulates the tragedy of Ireland at that time, and the terrible role played by the Church in its treatment of girls who “have sinned”. Because of McQuade’s background as a prominent anti-slavery activist, the book doesn’t hesitate to draw comparisons between what would happen to a girl like that and slavery. A gripping tale, well-told.

[Lina Lina · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Undiscovered Country, I was compelled to read this sequel. McQuade brings back his cast from the first book, but several years later and in South Armagh, where he himself hails from. As in the first book, crime weaves the plot of the book together, and again the reflections of McQuade on morality in the difficult context of (post) conflict stand out. Furthermore, in particular in current times, his reflections on fanatism, self-proclaimed righteousness and suppression in (Northern) Ireland are particularly interesting. Last and definitely not least, it's a gripping story and the writing is good. Hope there's a third forthcoming!

[Patrick Howse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really entertaining and thought provoking novel set in Ireland shortly after partition. Flawed but likeable characters (aren't we all?!) navigate their way through some horrific events and murky politics. It's a novel that works well as a page-turning whodunnit, but also paints a picture of the island of Ireland at a fascinating time in its history and events which played out over the next 80 years. Highly recommended.

[Nick Grono · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much as I enjoyed Aidan's first novel - The Undiscovered Country - I enjoyed this one even more. It's a fast-paced and gripping crime novel looking at a very dark chapter in Ireland's history. I'm a big fan of crime novels that provide deep insights into particular times and places in history - which this book does in spades. Highly recommended.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent balance of historical fact with dramatic, all too 'real' fiction.
Rising action ramps up throughout, with subtle twists, all leading to a clever climax.
The Historical Note, after the conclusion, is the idiomatic - icing on the cake; a one-day read, highly recommended! 4.5

[Si Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with deep, thought-provoking dialogue exploring complex themes. It’s historical fiction, but speaks very much to Ireland in our times. This will linger in my thoughts for some time.