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Undercover
When undercover detective Cormac Kelly infiltrates a ruthless gang bent on kidnapping and extortion, he is forced to break cover and shoot his way out of a hostage situation gone bad. Tearing through the dangerous streets of Belfast with a twelve-year-old boy and his seriously injured father in tow, Kelly desperately tries to evade the gang and reconnect the family with the boy’s mother, football agent Lydia Gallagher. But she is in London, unaware of their freedom and being forced by the gang to betray her top client. As Kelly breaks every rule in the book and crosses the line from legit police officer to rogue cop on the run, the role of dapper but deadly ex-spook Stephen Black means the difference between life and death…
What They're Saying About Gerard Brennan
"A cheeky slice of urban noir, a drink-soaked, drug-addled journey into the violent underbelly of one of Europe's most notorious ghettos, Wee Rockets makes The Outsiders look like The Teletubbies" – Colin Bateman
"Gerard Brennan stands apart from the Irish crime fiction crowd with a novel rooted in the reality of today's Belfast. The author's prose speaks with a rare authenticity about the pain of growing up in a fractured society, shot through with a black humour that can only come from the streets. Wee Rockets is urban crime fiction for the 21st century, and Brennan is a unique voice among contemporary Irish writers." – Stuart Neville
"In Wee Rockets Gerard Brennan has written a fast-paced, exciting story of West Belfast gang culture; brimming with violence, authentic street dialogue and surprising black humour. This is a great debut novel. Brennan takes us into the heart of Belfast's chav underclass, in a story that lies somewhere in the intersection between The Warriors, Colin Bateman and Guy Ritchie. This is the first in what undoubtedly will be a stellar literary career. – Adrian McKinty
"the real deal — the writing is razor sharp, the characters engaging, the ending a blast. From start to finish it's true Northern Noir, crafted with style and wit." – Brian McGilloway
"…a Coen Brothers dream, via Belfast… Gerard Brennan grabs the mantle of the new mystery prince of Northern Ireland…" – Ken Bruen
"It needs to be said that Gerard Brennan's The Point is terrific. Scorchingly funny, black humour at its finest and the most inventive car theft ever!" – Arlene Hunt
"Noir from Norn Iron! A lean slice of grindhouse from Belfast's new crime hack." – Wayne Simmons
What They're Saying About Gerard Brennan
"A cheeky slice of urban noir, a drink-soaked, drug-addled journey into the violent underbelly of one of Europe's most notorious ghettos, Wee Rockets makes The Outsiders look like The Teletubbies" – Colin Bateman
"Gerard Brennan stands apart from the Irish crime fiction crowd with a novel rooted in the reality of today's Belfast. The author's prose speaks with a rare authenticity about the pain of growing up in a fractured society, shot through with a black humour that can only come from the streets. Wee Rockets is urban crime fiction for the 21st century, and Brennan is a unique voice among contemporary Irish writers." – Stuart Neville
"In Wee Rockets Gerard Brennan has written a fast-paced, exciting story of West Belfast gang culture; brimming with violence, authentic street dialogue and surprising black humour. This is a great debut novel. Brennan takes us into the heart of Belfast's chav underclass, in a story that lies somewhere in the intersection between The Warriors, Colin Bateman and Guy Ritchie. This is the first in what undoubtedly will be a stellar literary career. – Adrian McKinty
"the real deal — the writing is razor sharp, the characters engaging, the ending a blast. From start to finish it's true Northern Noir, crafted with style and wit." – Brian McGilloway
"…a Coen Brothers dream, via Belfast… Gerard Brennan grabs the mantle of the new mystery prince of Northern Ireland…" – Ken Bruen
"It needs to be said that Gerard Brennan's The Point is terrific. Scorchingly funny, black humour at its finest and the most inventive car theft ever!" – Arlene Hunt
"Noir from Norn Iron! A lean slice of grindhouse from Belfast's new crime hack." – Wayne Simmons
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2014
19 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Gerard Brennan
36 books43 followersGerard Brennan's latest novel is Disorder, Published by No Alibis Press. His short stories have appeared in a number of anthologies; including three volumes of The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime and Belfast Noir. He co-edited Requiems for the Departed, a collection of crime fiction based on Irish myths which won the 2011 Spinetingler Award for best anthology. His novella, The Point, was published by Pulp Press in October 2011 and won the 2012 Spinetingler Award for best novella. His novels, Wee Rockets and Fireproof, were published as ebooks by Blasted Heath in 2012. He graduated from the MA in creative writing at Queen's University Belfast in 2012 and is currently working on a PhD.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 1, 2014
Wow. Gerard Brennan is one talented guy. We all know he can write a gritty little crime novel. This was a whole different deal. A must read for all Brennan fans. You can really see his growth as a writer and see that this has potential to be a really good series of books. I really like the lead character and look forward to more of Cormac Kelly in the future.
June 10, 2018
Undercover is a high octane, black humoured thriller, set between Belfast and London. It follows undercover agent Cormac Kelly as he becomes embroiled in an operation gone seriously wrong. Not knowing who to trust, he has to battle his way through, to protect a family taken hostage in a conspiracy involving gangsters, paramilitaries and high profile footballers.
The pace never lets up and the tone is both gritty and authentic. It's a proper page turner with two narratives intersecting, both full of drama and suspense.
The following novel, Disorder is also excellent and perhaps is the better book with a wider scope and narrative structure. But, personally I loved this one for it's tight writing and breakneck speed, full of colourful characters.
It reads like a joy-ridden, souped up Cortina on Buckfast.
The pace never lets up and the tone is both gritty and authentic. It's a proper page turner with two narratives intersecting, both full of drama and suspense.
The following novel, Disorder is also excellent and perhaps is the better book with a wider scope and narrative structure. But, personally I loved this one for it's tight writing and breakneck speed, full of colourful characters.
It reads like a joy-ridden, souped up Cortina on Buckfast.
December 26, 2014
This fast paced tale about a kidnapping that goes quickly wrong doesn't need a lot of setup from me. The particular pleasures I derived from it were, in no particular order, the usual sensitive perception that Brennan uses in his description of boys on the verge of manhood, his comic portrayal of the ex-spook Stephen Black, and the "excerpts" of the wholly fictitious memoir of footballer Rory Cullen which head up each chapter.
September 23, 2014
First things first.
I’m posting this a few days before the book’s release because if you like the sound of it you’ll still be able to pick up a cheap copy. It’ll be 85p or $1.32 (including tax) if you pick one up before Thursday when Undercover will be released to the world.
Mr Brennan was kind enough to send me a copy when he saw that I’d pre-ordered. Thanks, sir.
“There’s no ‘I’ in team. There’s an ‘M’ and an ‘E’ though. In fact, it’s an anagram of ‘ta me’ as in who you should pass it to if you want to win.” Rory Cullen, CULLEN: The Autobiography
Undercover opens with an uncomfortable scene in a hostage situation. Cormac Kelly is in the unenviable position of being an undercover police officer who has infiltrated the gang who have kidnapped a father and his teenage son. It stretches Kelly’s humanity to watch the treatment of the victims at the hands of the bunch of thugs he has to work for and it’s clearly not going to end well for someone. It might be easier for him to cope if the young boy who has been taken could just accept the situation, but his reactions are spirited and strong and happen to put him in a more precarious position than he needs to be.
The mother (Lydia Gallagher) of the kidnapped pair is a feisty lady who doesn’t find it easy to keep her mouth shut when faced with connections of the men responsible. She also happens to be the agent of Rory Cullen, the new signing of Manchester City Football Club. Cullen’s a course, vain man who happens to be a great striker. He’s on tour trying to sell his autobiography. With his Northern Irish nationality it’s easy for the press to make comparisons between Cullen and George Best. Cullen doesn’t make too many of those comparisons himself – he basically feels he’s better than Best (if grammar will allow that to be).
When Cormac Kelly can take no more of the hostage situation, he takes radical steps. This leads him to be on the hit-list of the mob and also as a target for the police, who believe he has gone rogue.
What follows is a thrilling ride through the streets of Belfast and London. It’s fast paced and exciting and the twists and turns of the plot are cleverly handled by the author. One can never be quite sure where Kelly is going next and the way the cleverness and experience of the man contrast with his reckless nature constantly add drama to the story. If that weren’t enough, a mercenary security expert, bent coppers and remnants of the IRA really ratchet up the tension.
Not only is this a tense read, it also has some of Brennan’s trademarks in there to ensure that it is not simply any old police thriller. This is layered with humour, dark as well as witty, and there’s a great quality to the observation of people and place throughout.
Each chapter opens with a wonderful quote from the Cullen autobiography. These snippets are so well-written that if the autobiography were ever to be published, I’d be the first in the queue to get mine.
This one’s a fabulous read and is a very worthy addition to the already bejewelled Blasted Heath list. Super stuff.
I’m posting this a few days before the book’s release because if you like the sound of it you’ll still be able to pick up a cheap copy. It’ll be 85p or $1.32 (including tax) if you pick one up before Thursday when Undercover will be released to the world.
Mr Brennan was kind enough to send me a copy when he saw that I’d pre-ordered. Thanks, sir.
“There’s no ‘I’ in team. There’s an ‘M’ and an ‘E’ though. In fact, it’s an anagram of ‘ta me’ as in who you should pass it to if you want to win.” Rory Cullen, CULLEN: The Autobiography
Undercover opens with an uncomfortable scene in a hostage situation. Cormac Kelly is in the unenviable position of being an undercover police officer who has infiltrated the gang who have kidnapped a father and his teenage son. It stretches Kelly’s humanity to watch the treatment of the victims at the hands of the bunch of thugs he has to work for and it’s clearly not going to end well for someone. It might be easier for him to cope if the young boy who has been taken could just accept the situation, but his reactions are spirited and strong and happen to put him in a more precarious position than he needs to be.
The mother (Lydia Gallagher) of the kidnapped pair is a feisty lady who doesn’t find it easy to keep her mouth shut when faced with connections of the men responsible. She also happens to be the agent of Rory Cullen, the new signing of Manchester City Football Club. Cullen’s a course, vain man who happens to be a great striker. He’s on tour trying to sell his autobiography. With his Northern Irish nationality it’s easy for the press to make comparisons between Cullen and George Best. Cullen doesn’t make too many of those comparisons himself – he basically feels he’s better than Best (if grammar will allow that to be).
When Cormac Kelly can take no more of the hostage situation, he takes radical steps. This leads him to be on the hit-list of the mob and also as a target for the police, who believe he has gone rogue.
What follows is a thrilling ride through the streets of Belfast and London. It’s fast paced and exciting and the twists and turns of the plot are cleverly handled by the author. One can never be quite sure where Kelly is going next and the way the cleverness and experience of the man contrast with his reckless nature constantly add drama to the story. If that weren’t enough, a mercenary security expert, bent coppers and remnants of the IRA really ratchet up the tension.
Not only is this a tense read, it also has some of Brennan’s trademarks in there to ensure that it is not simply any old police thriller. This is layered with humour, dark as well as witty, and there’s a great quality to the observation of people and place throughout.
Each chapter opens with a wonderful quote from the Cullen autobiography. These snippets are so well-written that if the autobiography were ever to be published, I’d be the first in the queue to get mine.
This one’s a fabulous read and is a very worthy addition to the already bejewelled Blasted Heath list. Super stuff.
January 3, 2015
There are a rich group of talented Irish writers which include Gerard Brennan.
Undercover is a rich and detailed account of an operation that goes wrong and where Cormac Kelly a PSNI detective has to break cover in the hope of saving a couple of hostages.
The action comes rapidly in brief accounts alternating between the victim’s plight and hope for rescue and the story of the wife/mother who is blackmailed into co-operating with the criminals.
I enjoy the language and crisp dialogue used; the clarity of character and the abhorrence of violence displayed even though many circumstances are life-threatening and it is literally kill or be killed.
A rogue cop whose motives are not fully understood add to the tension but the tension never dips in this fast paced thriller.
The action scenes also come quickly on top of each other so it seems difficult at times to draw breath as you are fully involved in this story.
I really loved the additional effort in starting each chapter with an extract from the key character's ghosted auto-biography.
Undercover is a rich and detailed account of an operation that goes wrong and where Cormac Kelly a PSNI detective has to break cover in the hope of saving a couple of hostages.
The action comes rapidly in brief accounts alternating between the victim’s plight and hope for rescue and the story of the wife/mother who is blackmailed into co-operating with the criminals.
I enjoy the language and crisp dialogue used; the clarity of character and the abhorrence of violence displayed even though many circumstances are life-threatening and it is literally kill or be killed.
A rogue cop whose motives are not fully understood add to the tension but the tension never dips in this fast paced thriller.
The action scenes also come quickly on top of each other so it seems difficult at times to draw breath as you are fully involved in this story.
I really loved the additional effort in starting each chapter with an extract from the key character's ghosted auto-biography.
March 10, 2018
Tension on every page
Believable characters, action aplenty, tightly written. I hope that Cormac Kelly comes back for another adventure. I recommend this book.
Believable characters, action aplenty, tightly written. I hope that Cormac Kelly comes back for another adventure. I recommend this book.
January 24, 2019
Cracking crime thriller, fast paced edge of your seat stuff with some added dark humour. It's the first Gerard Brennan book that I've read but I've already downloaded my 2nd.
January 2, 2020
A page turner for sure, but the characters are two-dimensional, and some of the action is ludicrous. It was like reading an action/adventure movie.
September 28, 2014
Lydia Gallagher is the agent for star footballer Rory Cullen, recently transferred for a record fee from Chelsea to Manchester United. She and her family are over in Belfast, Cullen’s home town, following the release of his controversial autobiography. But her husband John and 12-year-old-son Mattie are taken hostage by a gang of masked men. Lydia has to betray Cullen, or her family die. With their threats ringing in her ears Lydia travels around Belfast with Cullen on the tour, all the while waiting for instructions from the kidnappers.
Cormac Kelly works as an undercover cop with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). He has managed to infiltrate the gang holding Lydia’s family and is gradually working out a plan to save them but everything goes wrong. One of the gang starts to beat up Mattie and Cormac steps up. In the process John is shot and Cormac’s cover is blown. He manages to get Mattie and John out and calls his handler so he can come in. But something doesn’t ring true, and Cormac thinks someone on the inside is feeding information to the gang. So, he goes rogue.
The Irish leg of the tour complete Lydia and Cullen head over to England to strike a series of lucrative sponsorship deals that she has been working on. Enter McGoldrick, a wily, well connected Scot with a reputation for making tough deals. He learns about Lydia’s situation and offers to help. With the support of McGoldrick’s security consultant, an ex-spook called Stephen Black, the group work on a plan to get her family back…
This novel should really have been titled Relentless, because it is. The pace doesn’t let up from beginning to end. The opening immediately pulls you in with the kidnapping when masked men enter Lydia’s house. From then on the action is non-stop. Lydia’s fear is palpable – she’ll give up anything to keep her family safe, but how far will she go? It’s up to you go guess.
The narrative cuts between Lydia and Cormac’s perspectives – for the first half of the book the pair are not aware of each other’s activities. Lydia is being manipulated so her family will be allowed to go free, bur McCormack already has them. It’s not straightforward for McCormack – Lydia’s husband has been shot and he thinks there’s a mole in the PSNI, feeding the opposition information about him. So McCormack cuts loose and takes things into his own hands. It is this tool that Gerard Brennan cleverly uses to maintain the pace. Even when you think rescue is at hand he throws in another twist, another problem for his lead characters to resolve.
The Belfast based author clearly draws upon his Northern Irish surroundings and experience for inspiration, but without aggrandisement. McCormack himself is a great character. He has a dark and troubled background that is only brushed upon, just enough to give him motivation, whilst allowing the real McCormack to skulk in the shadows. As Undercover is sub-titled ‘Cormac Kelly 1′ then it’s reasonable to assume this is the start of a series, and that’s a good thing.
Overall a very satisfying read with a strong blend of intrigue, mystery and tension from beginning to end.
Originally reviewed for Crime Fiction Lover.
Cormac Kelly works as an undercover cop with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). He has managed to infiltrate the gang holding Lydia’s family and is gradually working out a plan to save them but everything goes wrong. One of the gang starts to beat up Mattie and Cormac steps up. In the process John is shot and Cormac’s cover is blown. He manages to get Mattie and John out and calls his handler so he can come in. But something doesn’t ring true, and Cormac thinks someone on the inside is feeding information to the gang. So, he goes rogue.
The Irish leg of the tour complete Lydia and Cullen head over to England to strike a series of lucrative sponsorship deals that she has been working on. Enter McGoldrick, a wily, well connected Scot with a reputation for making tough deals. He learns about Lydia’s situation and offers to help. With the support of McGoldrick’s security consultant, an ex-spook called Stephen Black, the group work on a plan to get her family back…
This novel should really have been titled Relentless, because it is. The pace doesn’t let up from beginning to end. The opening immediately pulls you in with the kidnapping when masked men enter Lydia’s house. From then on the action is non-stop. Lydia’s fear is palpable – she’ll give up anything to keep her family safe, but how far will she go? It’s up to you go guess.
The narrative cuts between Lydia and Cormac’s perspectives – for the first half of the book the pair are not aware of each other’s activities. Lydia is being manipulated so her family will be allowed to go free, bur McCormack already has them. It’s not straightforward for McCormack – Lydia’s husband has been shot and he thinks there’s a mole in the PSNI, feeding the opposition information about him. So McCormack cuts loose and takes things into his own hands. It is this tool that Gerard Brennan cleverly uses to maintain the pace. Even when you think rescue is at hand he throws in another twist, another problem for his lead characters to resolve.
The Belfast based author clearly draws upon his Northern Irish surroundings and experience for inspiration, but without aggrandisement. McCormack himself is a great character. He has a dark and troubled background that is only brushed upon, just enough to give him motivation, whilst allowing the real McCormack to skulk in the shadows. As Undercover is sub-titled ‘Cormac Kelly 1′ then it’s reasonable to assume this is the start of a series, and that’s a good thing.
Overall a very satisfying read with a strong blend of intrigue, mystery and tension from beginning to end.
Originally reviewed for Crime Fiction Lover.
January 7, 2015
Undercover by Gerard Brennan.
I’m not a crime-thriller sort of reader and find them to be generally fairly formulaic; but having devoured Gerard Brennan’s ‘Wee Rockets’ and ‘Wee Danny’ back to back, I picked up Undercover, confident that Brennan’s writing would see me through.
Pacey, smart and entirely driven by Brennan’s skilful narrative style and insightful characterisation, Undercover has more heart than a butcher’s window and the makings of a great series of novels in its main Character, Cormac Kelly.
Harbouring none of the clichéd mannerisms, foibles or ghosts of his pulp-noir peers, Kelly (whilst engaging and very much the focus of the story) is used (wisely) sparingly at times by Brenan, who carefully switches narrative perspective and allows his story’s ‘victims’ to come to the fore. This allows the potentially minor characters to show all their own strengths and weaknesses and truly affect the outcome of the relentless tale. Each is given time to develop and show their courage and cowardice, fears and strengths; and drive Kelly through the narrative.
Lydia, Rory, and young Mattie are all given central roles in the story and fully-fleshed characters. The ‘supporting cast’ are very much driving Kelly through their world, rather than being utilized as mechanisms for placing Kelly in various perils. I found this refreshing.
I’m a convert to Brennan’s style of crime novel and can’t recommend this book highly enough.
I’m not a crime-thriller sort of reader and find them to be generally fairly formulaic; but having devoured Gerard Brennan’s ‘Wee Rockets’ and ‘Wee Danny’ back to back, I picked up Undercover, confident that Brennan’s writing would see me through.
Pacey, smart and entirely driven by Brennan’s skilful narrative style and insightful characterisation, Undercover has more heart than a butcher’s window and the makings of a great series of novels in its main Character, Cormac Kelly.
Harbouring none of the clichéd mannerisms, foibles or ghosts of his pulp-noir peers, Kelly (whilst engaging and very much the focus of the story) is used (wisely) sparingly at times by Brenan, who carefully switches narrative perspective and allows his story’s ‘victims’ to come to the fore. This allows the potentially minor characters to show all their own strengths and weaknesses and truly affect the outcome of the relentless tale. Each is given time to develop and show their courage and cowardice, fears and strengths; and drive Kelly through the narrative.
Lydia, Rory, and young Mattie are all given central roles in the story and fully-fleshed characters. The ‘supporting cast’ are very much driving Kelly through their world, rather than being utilized as mechanisms for placing Kelly in various perils. I found this refreshing.
I’m a convert to Brennan’s style of crime novel and can’t recommend this book highly enough.
November 2, 2016
Cormac Kelly is an undercover Belfast cop. When the criminal gang he has infiltrated botches a kidnap, Cormac finds himself out of his depth. He can trust no one, not even his own handler, so he takes matters into his own hands in a very spectacular way.
This is a good debut, with great writing and credible, likeable characters. But all this was subsumed for me by excessive violence, knifey, fisty violence that seemed to go on and on for ever, and also overshadowed the deftly structured and resolved plot.
A shame, I really wanted to enjoy this a lot more than I did.
This is a good debut, with great writing and credible, likeable characters. But all this was subsumed for me by excessive violence, knifey, fisty violence that seemed to go on and on for ever, and also overshadowed the deftly structured and resolved plot.
A shame, I really wanted to enjoy this a lot more than I did.
November 16, 2016
Cormac, an undercover PSNI officer, is involved in a kidnapping. He is compassionate, thoughtful and unable to maintain personal relationships. The story line works well with main characters who are believable. The detailed descriptions of violence and the head count of injuries seemed to be included to allow for the inclusion of one of the main characters. Look forward to reading more.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews