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A Decent Bomber
In a world where travellers are made walk barefoot through airport security in case there’s a bomb in their heels and we’re told 100ml of liquid is dangerous, what happens when a man capable of making bombs that weigh a tonne is torn out of retirement and forced to resume his old trade?
Carnage. That’s what.
Pat O’Carolan has been a farmer these past twenty years, living on a remote smallholding with his ghosts and occasional visits from his beloved niece. When he’s forced by Somali terrorist turned extortionist The Accountant to make a series of bombs using materials stolen from forgotten IRA caches, Pat joins the War on Terror as only he knows how.
New terror meets old terror in a deadly clash with only one winner.
Carnage. That’s what.
Pat O’Carolan has been a farmer these past twenty years, living on a remote smallholding with his ghosts and occasional visits from his beloved niece. When he’s forced by Somali terrorist turned extortionist The Accountant to make a series of bombs using materials stolen from forgotten IRA caches, Pat joins the War on Terror as only he knows how.
New terror meets old terror in a deadly clash with only one winner.
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First published November 5, 2015
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About the author
Alexander McNabb
19 books53 followersALEXANDER MCNABB
Alexander McNabb has been working as a journalist, editor and magazine publisher in the Middle East for some 38 years. Today he consults on media, publishing and digital communications.
Alexander's first serious novel was the critically acclaimed Olives - A Violent Romance, a work exploring the attitudes, perceptions and conflicts of the Middle East, exposing a European sensibility to the multi-layered world of life on the borders of Palestine. Published in 2011, the book triggered widespread controversy, finding a receptive audience in the Middle East and beyond.
Olives was followed in 2012 by testosterone-soaked international spy thriller Beirut - An Explosive Thriller. His third Middle East-based novel, Shemlan - A Deadly Tragedy, about a man dying of cancer unearthing a deadly past, published in 2013. Together, the three form the 'Levant Cycle'.
A Decent Bomber, set in Ireland, published in 2015. It tells the story of a retired IRA bomb-maker forced to resume his old trade, pitching 'old terror' against 'new terror' in a battle of wits between an Irish farmer with a violent past and Somali extortionists with a questionable future.
His next novel, Birdkill, is a psychological thriller about a teacher who has lost her recent past to 'The Void', a terrible incident she can't recall and nobody seems to be in a hurry to tell her about. Her friend Mariam embarks on a race to uncover the truth before Robyn is driven over the edge into insanity.
His latest, The Dead Sea Hotel, is part spy thriller, part morality tale, part ghost story. Krikor Manoukian is the proprietor of the run-down Dead Sea Hotel. His beloved wife Lucine has passed away, his daughter Araksi is mooning around in love with an unsuitable boy and Manoukian is in debt up to his eyeballs. The last thing he needs is a dead Englishman in one of his rooms, but that's just what he's got. Little does Manoukian know it but he's got the Englishman's ghost to deal with, to boot.
You can find Alexander and his books at www.alexandermcnabb.com.
Alexander McNabb has been working as a journalist, editor and magazine publisher in the Middle East for some 38 years. Today he consults on media, publishing and digital communications.
Alexander's first serious novel was the critically acclaimed Olives - A Violent Romance, a work exploring the attitudes, perceptions and conflicts of the Middle East, exposing a European sensibility to the multi-layered world of life on the borders of Palestine. Published in 2011, the book triggered widespread controversy, finding a receptive audience in the Middle East and beyond.
Olives was followed in 2012 by testosterone-soaked international spy thriller Beirut - An Explosive Thriller. His third Middle East-based novel, Shemlan - A Deadly Tragedy, about a man dying of cancer unearthing a deadly past, published in 2013. Together, the three form the 'Levant Cycle'.
A Decent Bomber, set in Ireland, published in 2015. It tells the story of a retired IRA bomb-maker forced to resume his old trade, pitching 'old terror' against 'new terror' in a battle of wits between an Irish farmer with a violent past and Somali extortionists with a questionable future.
His next novel, Birdkill, is a psychological thriller about a teacher who has lost her recent past to 'The Void', a terrible incident she can't recall and nobody seems to be in a hurry to tell her about. Her friend Mariam embarks on a race to uncover the truth before Robyn is driven over the edge into insanity.
His latest, The Dead Sea Hotel, is part spy thriller, part morality tale, part ghost story. Krikor Manoukian is the proprietor of the run-down Dead Sea Hotel. His beloved wife Lucine has passed away, his daughter Araksi is mooning around in love with an unsuitable boy and Manoukian is in debt up to his eyeballs. The last thing he needs is a dead Englishman in one of his rooms, but that's just what he's got. Little does Manoukian know it but he's got the Englishman's ghost to deal with, to boot.
You can find Alexander and his books at www.alexandermcnabb.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 4, 2016
This fast-paced thriller sees a retired IRA bomb maker, turned farmer for the past twenty years, forced to make five bombs using materials from an old IRA cache. Their old passwords have been compromised. The resulting waves of planting these bombs leads the PSNI to old operatives, who have more than their political status to lose.
This action-packed novel starts in the thick of it with graphic violence and moves at a brisk pace giving you just enough time to catch your breath to keep up. The character of Patrick O'Carolan is compelling and palpably authentic as you picture him in your minds eye. I must admit his character reminded me very much of Liam Neeson's in the Taken films and I'm sure I can't be the only one to think so, as he battles to save his niece, Orla and prevent his bombs taking more lives.
The other characters are also well written and Orla is particularly memorable as she faces her Uncles past of which she has no knowledge. The tension between characters is also more than adequately depicted and as a reader I formed quite an attachment to a number of them as they followed leads to stop a global crisis.
Crime, political, conspiracy, action thriller, call it what you need to, this one is a page turner you do not want to miss. This is the second title I have read from this author and once again I am totally bowled over.
This action-packed novel starts in the thick of it with graphic violence and moves at a brisk pace giving you just enough time to catch your breath to keep up. The character of Patrick O'Carolan is compelling and palpably authentic as you picture him in your minds eye. I must admit his character reminded me very much of Liam Neeson's in the Taken films and I'm sure I can't be the only one to think so, as he battles to save his niece, Orla and prevent his bombs taking more lives.
The other characters are also well written and Orla is particularly memorable as she faces her Uncles past of which she has no knowledge. The tension between characters is also more than adequately depicted and as a reader I formed quite an attachment to a number of them as they followed leads to stop a global crisis.
Crime, political, conspiracy, action thriller, call it what you need to, this one is a page turner you do not want to miss. This is the second title I have read from this author and once again I am totally bowled over.
November 4, 2015
I read and reviewed prior novels by Alexander McNabb (Shemlan, Olives, and Beirut). I enjoyed all of them, and recommend them to anyone who enjoys a good thriller.
In my opinion, A Decent Bomber is the best yet. McNabb moves from the familiar ground of the Middle East to Ireland, and remnants of the Provisional IRA.
Is peace ever achieved? Twenty years after everyone thought a peace accord had been reached, after members had moved on with their lives, trying to fit into a new political structure, trying to reconcile their lives, the past rears its ugly head as another terror group pops up to utilize the IRA network to inflict its own damage. At the center is Pat O’Carolan, the guy who built bombs for the IRA. He’s spent the last 20 years isolating himself on a farm in Tipperary County with his dog, his cows, the bog, and a hidden cache of weapons, trying to reconcile his past.
Pat O’Carolan is a great character – smart, resourceful and necessarily tenacious. And yet… conflicted. McNabb does a great job of conveying the emotional depth of this character, letting the story unpeel the layers of conflict, internal and external, that O’Carolan experiences due to his past actions as a bomb builder for the IRA and the threat he is now under as a result. It’s rare to see a story where “old” terrorism meets “new” terrorism. In recent years, there’s been such a focus on specific terrorist groups, we sometimes forget terrorism isn’t new, nor is it confined to the Middle East. Pat O’Carolan burned with the fire once, but all that’s left are the ashes and the ghosts. I like that, at the age of 60, he’s a “senior.” I picture Liam Neeson playing him in the movie, with Cillian Murphy as Boyle, and Brendan Gleeson in there somewhere because he’s an awesome character actor (and there should be a movie!).
Pat isn’t the only character on whom the chickens come home to roost; he’s just the only one the terrorists need alive (for now). The chips fall right and left here, cutting a swathe of violence through the remnants of the former Provisional IRA. And, as is common in terrorism, the innocent also pay a price – and that’s really the message behind the action and the story. IF peace is achieved, is this how the surviving terrorists feel, how they move on with their lives? It’s an interesting glimpse behind the curtain.
But that’s not all!
Oh no – this story is action packed and fast moving! O’Carolan’s enemies are goal-oriented and brutal. For Pat to survive, and keep his family safe, he has to find a way to get a step ahead of them. It’s a helluva coaster ride, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It’s one of those books I couldn’t put down, but didn’t want to finish because I wanted to stay in the story as long as possible – and that’s the best place for a reader to be.
In my opinion, A Decent Bomber is the best yet. McNabb moves from the familiar ground of the Middle East to Ireland, and remnants of the Provisional IRA.
Is peace ever achieved? Twenty years after everyone thought a peace accord had been reached, after members had moved on with their lives, trying to fit into a new political structure, trying to reconcile their lives, the past rears its ugly head as another terror group pops up to utilize the IRA network to inflict its own damage. At the center is Pat O’Carolan, the guy who built bombs for the IRA. He’s spent the last 20 years isolating himself on a farm in Tipperary County with his dog, his cows, the bog, and a hidden cache of weapons, trying to reconcile his past.
Pat O’Carolan is a great character – smart, resourceful and necessarily tenacious. And yet… conflicted. McNabb does a great job of conveying the emotional depth of this character, letting the story unpeel the layers of conflict, internal and external, that O’Carolan experiences due to his past actions as a bomb builder for the IRA and the threat he is now under as a result. It’s rare to see a story where “old” terrorism meets “new” terrorism. In recent years, there’s been such a focus on specific terrorist groups, we sometimes forget terrorism isn’t new, nor is it confined to the Middle East. Pat O’Carolan burned with the fire once, but all that’s left are the ashes and the ghosts. I like that, at the age of 60, he’s a “senior.” I picture Liam Neeson playing him in the movie, with Cillian Murphy as Boyle, and Brendan Gleeson in there somewhere because he’s an awesome character actor (and there should be a movie!).
Pat isn’t the only character on whom the chickens come home to roost; he’s just the only one the terrorists need alive (for now). The chips fall right and left here, cutting a swathe of violence through the remnants of the former Provisional IRA. And, as is common in terrorism, the innocent also pay a price – and that’s really the message behind the action and the story. IF peace is achieved, is this how the surviving terrorists feel, how they move on with their lives? It’s an interesting glimpse behind the curtain.
But that’s not all!
Oh no – this story is action packed and fast moving! O’Carolan’s enemies are goal-oriented and brutal. For Pat to survive, and keep his family safe, he has to find a way to get a step ahead of them. It’s a helluva coaster ride, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It’s one of those books I couldn’t put down, but didn’t want to finish because I wanted to stay in the story as long as possible – and that’s the best place for a reader to be.
March 14, 2024
Redemption in a crazy world?
The one thing you are sure of in this book, no matter where you stand in the field of allegiance is: this is a story with players from all sides - no one angle is favoured other than to tease out ‘anything is possible’.
The characters are so diverse yet so capable of (eventually) finding understanding and commonality. This is a huge achievement by the author. I had no idea the book would be literally ‘so’ good!
I read this in a handful of hours (it’s not a short story, either) it: flows, tenses, builds, capitulates, drives, re-asserts, reaches, & crescendos! Buy this now, get reading and enjoy a fantastic tale of rich topics & emotions.
The one thing you are sure of in this book, no matter where you stand in the field of allegiance is: this is a story with players from all sides - no one angle is favoured other than to tease out ‘anything is possible’.
The characters are so diverse yet so capable of (eventually) finding understanding and commonality. This is a huge achievement by the author. I had no idea the book would be literally ‘so’ good!
I read this in a handful of hours (it’s not a short story, either) it: flows, tenses, builds, capitulates, drives, re-asserts, reaches, & crescendos! Buy this now, get reading and enjoy a fantastic tale of rich topics & emotions.
July 5, 2017
Fast paced thriller; a fun read. The writing makes the characters and scenes very visual. I was even forced to attach accents to the various characters in my head :)
March 28, 2020
Enterteining. Good material for an action film.
October 26, 2015
After the Gerald Lynch-trilogy of Olives, Beirut, and Shemlan, author Alexander McNabb changes settings and takes you to Ireland. With a past that most of us have forgotten, A Decent Bomber's fast paced plot pulls you in and keeps you hooked until you're done with the book. McNabb has the ability to make you champion and root for flawed characters and A Decent Bomber's Pat O'Carolan is the same. An excellent weekend read.
April 14, 2016
Fast enough that I read this in a couple of days.
Not linked to any of his previous works and as a new setting and new 'team' of characters works well.
Body count grows nicely, the secondary characters all play their roles well, the lead pair grow well together as the story evolves and some, only some of their individual secrets come to light. Space for a sequel here too :)))
Well recommended - needs a re-read in a couple of months
Not linked to any of his previous works and as a new setting and new 'team' of characters works well.
Body count grows nicely, the secondary characters all play their roles well, the lead pair grow well together as the story evolves and some, only some of their individual secrets come to light. Space for a sequel here too :)))
Well recommended - needs a re-read in a couple of months
February 14, 2016
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. A really pacy thriller with brilliant characters. Even managed to make me feel empathy and sympathy for some pretty dodgy characters. Highly recommended.
December 17, 2016
Not his best, but a good read nonetheless. I enjoyed the Irish setting.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews