When retired environmental activist Fred Hope receives word that his colorful, anti-fascist Uncle Ernie has died, he is drawn into a maelstrom of revenge, deception, and lust for power involving Nazis, the IRA, and a beautiful widow.
It's not impossible that there's a readable story in here, but many of the signs are discouraging. Every character, large and small, seems to have a backstory which must be indulged at slightly too great a length. It's a question of balance and the author has not quite achieved a comfortable footing, at least for my tastes. I want to get to the part of the story that's about ships at sea but so far it's all about the rascals and reprobates ashore. The other discouraging thing is that this book is almost 25 years old and has only one review on goodreads. My enthusiasm has dwindled to a stopping point at page 49.