Crossing Over

by Anne Cadwallader

1987, Belfast burns while Westminster looks away and lawyers pretend justice still exists. Lena Dawson arrives from London, thinking she understands the law. She's wrong. Fighting on behalf of a leading loyalist paramilitary, she quickly makes an enemy of a powerful QC. When an IRA 'godfather' challenges her to investigate the police killing of his brother, it leads to bitter clashes with her boss. Before long, however, she unravels a conspiracy reaching from Belfast's back streets to the highest levels of government. As bombs explode and bodies pile up, Lena realises the most dangerous enemy is the truth itself. 

Crossing Over is a raw and authentic exploration of love and morality in a fractured world.

For fans of Milkman by Anna Burns and Trespasses by Louise Kennedy, this is a story of courage, conflict and the cost of truth.




Anne Cadwallader covered the Troubles as an investigative journalist for forty years. Now, in her powerful debut novel, Cadwallader channels decades of frontline reporting into a propulsive legal thriller charged with political suspense and forbidden romance
















 

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 24, 2026

Reviews

[Mairead Hearne (swirlandthread.com) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crossing Over by Anne Cadwallader published with Mercier Press March 24th and is described as ‘a propulsive debut legal thriller…a story that doesn’t just explore history, it drags you deep into it.’ No stranger to the history of Northern Ireland, Anne Cadwallader spent years there as an investigative journalist for various media outlets. ‘In 2009, she quit journalism to work part-time for The Pat Finucane Centre, based in Armagh city. There she continued the PFC and Justice for the Forgotten’s decade-long research into collusion between loyalists and state forces.’ Now retired, and dividing her time between Donegal and Belfast, Crossing Over is her debut novel, having previously published two non-fiction books, including the acclaimed best-seller Lethal Allies: British Collusion in Ireland.

Authenticity is the first word that springs to mind when reading Crossing Over, ‘a thriller shaped by decades of reporting from the heart of the Troubles.’ In writing Crossing Over Anne Cadwallader allowed herself the freedom to explore those turbulent years through the eyes of a fictional young lawyer, Lena Dawson.

Lena was known as ‘the dreamer’ in the legal practice where she worked in London. Following a stint in New York, on her return she was frustrated by the lack of respect from her co-workers and was all too happy to jump in and volunteer for a temporary vacancy in a legal practice in Belfast. With limited knowledge about the history of Northern Ireland, and the political divide that exists there, she is naively enthusiastic, content that her existing comprehension of the law will stand to her.

After a short period of time Lena finds herself defending a loyalist paramilitary with, an unexpectedly, positive result. Her fresh approach, and ability to view the legal system from a outsider’s viewpoint, provides her with different insights. Unafraid to express her opinions she soon finds herself on the wrong side of a very powerful barrister while simultaneously drawing the attention of a very senior IRA member looking for justice for his brother’s untimely death.

Lena is determined and adamant that the law trumps everything, and everyone, but when she starts to dig a little deeper, she is shocked by what she uncovers, with collusion reaching high up into the ranks of government. Lena takes risks but they come at a very high price, exposing her to very real and dangerous threats. Lena’s eyes are soon opened forcing her make decisions about her burgeoning personal relationship, and her career. Lena ruffles feather, lots of them, but does she take it a step too far?

In the 1980s, The Troubles in Northern Ireland had been raging for twenty years, with a catastrophic level of violence experienced on all sides. Lena Dawson was an idealist when she arrived to Belfast but any idealistic notions are soon knocked out her head when she sees for herself the challenges and struggles faced by those searching for justice, searching for the truth.

With political motivations, courtroom scenes and paramilitary activity, Crossing Over is a fascinating, insightful and shocking story of a city in turmoil. Lena Dawson’s character is very well-developed as she herself becomes more hardened and frustrated by what she witnesses. Her grit and her ability to decipher the truth adds to her appeal but also exposes her to others who would wish to shut her down. Lena Dawson’s Belfast is drawn from Anne Cadwallader’s own personal experience which adds to the integrity of her character and the realistic nature of the plot. From an authoritative and reliable voice Crossing Over is a stark and atmospheric debut

[Mrs M E Haughey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and didn’t want it to end. An explosive, realistic portrayal of life as it was for us in the north. We need a sequel Anne.