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The Fragile Peace
Parallel stories of the IRA and the police in England, both racing to keep one step ahead. A Provo hitman in the pay of the British Intelligence Service is under orders to kill Billy and Liam - each on opposing sides of the conflict - before they destroy the fragile peace.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
2 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Paul Anthony
94 books70 followersPaul has written 7 full length fictional novels - crime fiction - plus a collection of poetry, a book of short stories, a non-fiction self help book regarding an authorship, and a children's fantasy book which was co-written with Meg Johnston. These books are in both print and Kindle. Four books make up the Boyd detective series and three are in the Davies King series. They are all stand alone books. In the past he has been published by a Vanity House and a Traditional Publishing House. He is currently an independent self publishing author with a store front on the 'Lulu' website as well as amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. He has written over 20 screenplays for both television and film either on his own, or with the award winning screenwriter, Nick Gordon. Our author is also a writer for Broowaha: an online newspaper based in America, but he is also a Linkedin Influencer where many of his articles, memoirs, short stories and non fiction articles appear. Paul Anthony is the pseudonym of a man born in Southport, Lancashire. The son of a soldier, he settled in Carlisle before joining the Police as a Cadet. Joining Cumbria police at the age of 19, he served throughout Cumbria. As a detective, he served in Cumbria CID, the Regional Crime Squad in Manchester, the Special Branch, the anti-terrorist branch, and other national agencies in the UK. He is the holder of an Honours Degree in Economics and Social Sciences, a Diploma in Management and a Diploma in Office Management. Paul is also a supporter of the Dyslexia Foundation UK who selected 'The Fragile Peace' to be the first book in their audio library. He is also a keen promoter of 'United Artistes', a casting agency operating from Carlisle, Cumbria, providing supporting artists (extras) for the television and film industries working in the Midlands, the north of England, and the whole of Scotland. The agency specialises in providing ex armed services and police personnel with 'specific' military and police skills required by film and television production companies. His blogsite and further details of his books can be found at paulanthonys.blogspot.com When not writing, Paul Anthony enjoys reading a wide range of works, reviewing same, and playing guitar badly. His favourite genre to read is 'non-fiction' and 'thrillers'. He also enjoys running, kettlebells, athletics, keeping fit, pilates, walking the Cumbrian Fells, dining out and dining in, keeping Koi carp, and following politics, economics and social sciences. He is married and has three adult children and five grandchildren. He is a member of the Independent Authors Network and a former winner of the featured authors contest. Paul is also a member of the League of Writers and a former featured author at the the 'Books Without Borders' event in Yonkers, New York, and a featured author at the Frankfurt Book Fayre.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 5, 2012
"The Fragile Peace" by Paul Anthony (@paulanthonyspen) is a excellent read, and one I highly recommend. It tells a story of the "Troubles," the decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland between those who wanted the six-county Province to be joined with the Republic to the south, and those who wanted to remain a part of the United Kingdom.
Thousands died in this conflict, by bombings and bullets, and thousands more had their lives shattered by the violence. Religion was the key: the "Republicans" were Catholic; the "Loyalists" were Protestant.
But if religion was the dividing line, both sides played by much the same rules: tit-for-tat violence, intimidation, murder. The Provisional Irish Republican Army, the "Provos," and other splinter groups of the PIRA and IRA faced off against the British Army, the police of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), and Protestant paramilitary groups like the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).
Before that tentative peace can be found, the Provos take their fight to England in an attempt to turn public opinion sour on the Province. Executions, gunfights and Bombs exploding in London mean the Provos now also have to worry about the Intelligence Service and Special Crime Units on the mainland.
Don't worry if you don't know the background going in: "The Fragile Peace" isn't a history lesson or alphabet soup of group names. There is a very human face put on the "Troubles" in the form of Liam Connelly, a Provo soldier, and Detective Inspector Billy Boyd, two men who find themselves on opposite ends of the battle but connected by their love of someone else.
Beginning in 1970, the early parts of the book, probably to the halfway point, set the stage for the exciting conclusion in 1995 after a tenuous ceasefire -- a temporary halt to the violence that factions on both sides distrust -- was put in place. I won't spoil the finale with too many details, but it is gripping and I stayed up into the early hours this very morning to finish it.
Those early glimpses of the development of Liam and Billy are seen in vignette, at critical crossroads on their way to finally meeting. Some may find this jumping around in time a bit confusing, but for me it felt just right; the key players are introduced and the missing pieces of information are provided in a very natural way.
The motivations of players on both sides of the conflict are muddied; while the "soldiers" of Active Service Units believe they are serving a great cause many Provo leaders earn big money running drug and protection rackets. In a similar way, some RUC and British police fight based on strongly held beliefs of right and wrong while others let ambition and ego color their actions.
The authenticity and sure-handedness of the tale are no surprise given Mr. Anthony's resume: "Working as a detective, he served in the CID, the Regional Crime Squad in Manchester, the Special Branch, and other national agencies in the UK." (from his Amazon.com author page). By the way, "Paul Anthony" is a pen name, used I believe to allow him to publish "The Fragile Peace" without violating any laws.
* * * *
My family and I had the pleasure of visiting Ireland just two short years after the events at the end of this book, and it was without a doubt the most pleasurable vacation I've ever had. I was stationed in Naples, Italy, with the U.S. Navy, and the tour we took was organized through the base Morale, Welfare and Recreation department. Our guide was a young man working on his Doctorate in Medieval History; he moonlighted with MWR to make some money by leading tours around Europe.
Much to my surprise, after landing in Dublin and seeing some sights in the Republic including the Boyne Valley and Newgrange, our tour bus headed north into the Province. In addition to seeing the Navan Fort and other parts of the southernmost four of the six counties — perhaps not surprising, the counties containing Londonderry, the scene for much of "The Fragile Peace" and Belfast were not on the itinerary — we saw British Army patrols and other signs of the "Troubles."
The people of Northern Ireland were just as friendly and open to our group of American military personnel and their families as those of the Republic, but there was also an undercurrent of tension. We were specifically advised against entering into any discussion with the locals about the political situation, but it crept in anyway.
I will never forget having dinner one night at a hotel near the border and our waitress, and older woman, asked my two girls, who were 10 and 8 at the time, how they liked Ireland. Both replied very enthusiastically and that seemed to please her, but when our youngest added she wanted to stay in Ireland and live there, the woman's face clouded. "Oh no, no," she said sadly, "It's not as wonderful and peaceful as it seems to you visitors."
Economic times are much tougher now than they were then, but I'd recommend a vacation in Ireland to anyone. It was a wonderful mix of good food, warm and pleasant people and interesting and varied activities.
At the same time, I highly recommend "The Fragile Peace" to anyone interested in an engrossing thriller, but it is absolutely a must-read for anyone wanting to see beyond the headlines and rhetoric of the "Troubles."
Thousands died in this conflict, by bombings and bullets, and thousands more had their lives shattered by the violence. Religion was the key: the "Republicans" were Catholic; the "Loyalists" were Protestant.
But if religion was the dividing line, both sides played by much the same rules: tit-for-tat violence, intimidation, murder. The Provisional Irish Republican Army, the "Provos," and other splinter groups of the PIRA and IRA faced off against the British Army, the police of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), and Protestant paramilitary groups like the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).
Before that tentative peace can be found, the Provos take their fight to England in an attempt to turn public opinion sour on the Province. Executions, gunfights and Bombs exploding in London mean the Provos now also have to worry about the Intelligence Service and Special Crime Units on the mainland.
Don't worry if you don't know the background going in: "The Fragile Peace" isn't a history lesson or alphabet soup of group names. There is a very human face put on the "Troubles" in the form of Liam Connelly, a Provo soldier, and Detective Inspector Billy Boyd, two men who find themselves on opposite ends of the battle but connected by their love of someone else.
Beginning in 1970, the early parts of the book, probably to the halfway point, set the stage for the exciting conclusion in 1995 after a tenuous ceasefire -- a temporary halt to the violence that factions on both sides distrust -- was put in place. I won't spoil the finale with too many details, but it is gripping and I stayed up into the early hours this very morning to finish it.
Those early glimpses of the development of Liam and Billy are seen in vignette, at critical crossroads on their way to finally meeting. Some may find this jumping around in time a bit confusing, but for me it felt just right; the key players are introduced and the missing pieces of information are provided in a very natural way.
The motivations of players on both sides of the conflict are muddied; while the "soldiers" of Active Service Units believe they are serving a great cause many Provo leaders earn big money running drug and protection rackets. In a similar way, some RUC and British police fight based on strongly held beliefs of right and wrong while others let ambition and ego color their actions.
The authenticity and sure-handedness of the tale are no surprise given Mr. Anthony's resume: "Working as a detective, he served in the CID, the Regional Crime Squad in Manchester, the Special Branch, and other national agencies in the UK." (from his Amazon.com author page). By the way, "Paul Anthony" is a pen name, used I believe to allow him to publish "The Fragile Peace" without violating any laws.
* * * *
My family and I had the pleasure of visiting Ireland just two short years after the events at the end of this book, and it was without a doubt the most pleasurable vacation I've ever had. I was stationed in Naples, Italy, with the U.S. Navy, and the tour we took was organized through the base Morale, Welfare and Recreation department. Our guide was a young man working on his Doctorate in Medieval History; he moonlighted with MWR to make some money by leading tours around Europe.
Much to my surprise, after landing in Dublin and seeing some sights in the Republic including the Boyne Valley and Newgrange, our tour bus headed north into the Province. In addition to seeing the Navan Fort and other parts of the southernmost four of the six counties — perhaps not surprising, the counties containing Londonderry, the scene for much of "The Fragile Peace" and Belfast were not on the itinerary — we saw British Army patrols and other signs of the "Troubles."
The people of Northern Ireland were just as friendly and open to our group of American military personnel and their families as those of the Republic, but there was also an undercurrent of tension. We were specifically advised against entering into any discussion with the locals about the political situation, but it crept in anyway.
I will never forget having dinner one night at a hotel near the border and our waitress, and older woman, asked my two girls, who were 10 and 8 at the time, how they liked Ireland. Both replied very enthusiastically and that seemed to please her, but when our youngest added she wanted to stay in Ireland and live there, the woman's face clouded. "Oh no, no," she said sadly, "It's not as wonderful and peaceful as it seems to you visitors."
Economic times are much tougher now than they were then, but I'd recommend a vacation in Ireland to anyone. It was a wonderful mix of good food, warm and pleasant people and interesting and varied activities.
At the same time, I highly recommend "The Fragile Peace" to anyone interested in an engrossing thriller, but it is absolutely a must-read for anyone wanting to see beyond the headlines and rhetoric of the "Troubles."
January 26, 2013
The Inside Story of The “Troubles”
The Fragile Peace is an important book if you have any interest at all in the war between the Catholics, Protestants and the British Government in Northern Ireland. The setting of the story is from 1969 to 1995. As the reader, you not given a tutorial of the war, you are dragged into the middle of it. You are the IRA man, the RUC patrol, the informer, the British intelligence agent, the anti-terrorist detective and the victim.
It is quite evident that the author, Paul Anthony, lived this story in his former life as a member of a Scotland Yard anti-terrorist team. It is a work of fiction, but the book is so vivid and realistic there can be no other explanation. The way the book written makes the reader feel like a part of the story.
I highly recommend the book. I read the original edition and I understand it has been rewritten because Paul Anthony has learned much about writing since he first wrote The Fragile Peace. As a writer, I did see some technical flaws in the first edition, but the story is so powerful it is easy to overlook those flaws.
Read it. You will not be disappointed.
The Fragile Peace is an important book if you have any interest at all in the war between the Catholics, Protestants and the British Government in Northern Ireland. The setting of the story is from 1969 to 1995. As the reader, you not given a tutorial of the war, you are dragged into the middle of it. You are the IRA man, the RUC patrol, the informer, the British intelligence agent, the anti-terrorist detective and the victim.
It is quite evident that the author, Paul Anthony, lived this story in his former life as a member of a Scotland Yard anti-terrorist team. It is a work of fiction, but the book is so vivid and realistic there can be no other explanation. The way the book written makes the reader feel like a part of the story.
I highly recommend the book. I read the original edition and I understand it has been rewritten because Paul Anthony has learned much about writing since he first wrote The Fragile Peace. As a writer, I did see some technical flaws in the first edition, but the story is so powerful it is easy to overlook those flaws.
Read it. You will not be disappointed.
October 3, 2013
Insightful and balanced viewpoints, telling both sides of the story without prejudice to either party.
The plot line was gripping and followed a game of cat and mouse, blackmailing and double crossing. The tension built up, keeping a fast pace as the book reached its climax and the stakes were of epic proportions.
It was interesting to see how both sides thought and worked. References to real life events kept the feel of the story very realistic, the prior experiences of the author and his knowledge clearly apparent throughout.
The plot line was gripping and followed a game of cat and mouse, blackmailing and double crossing. The tension built up, keeping a fast pace as the book reached its climax and the stakes were of epic proportions.
It was interesting to see how both sides thought and worked. References to real life events kept the feel of the story very realistic, the prior experiences of the author and his knowledge clearly apparent throughout.
September 25, 2013
If a good suspense/thriller is the type of read you like then you can’t go wrong with Paul Anthony’s “The Fragile Peace”. As I am Irish it was one of his many books that caught my eye. I like a gripping plot, large as life characters and a fast paced read. I got all of this with “The Fragile Peace.”
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews