Irish Lass

by John F. Hanley

Irish Lass
July 1941
After the failure of Operation Ruthless, Lt Commander Ian Fleming, sends Sub-Lieutenant Jack Renouf to neutral Ireland to obtain a schooner and sail it to the S.O.E. base in Helford, Cornwall. It should be a simple task but there are forces in Eire which are far from neutral. Soon Jack and his small team are fighting the IRA, and the Irish Navy.
Later, they are sent to German Occupied Jersey to report on the garrison and fortifications, as Stalin is demanding the British assault the island to draw off German troops from the Russian Front. But Fleming isn’t in full control of Operation Lochaber and Jack’s home is now a minefield of deception, treachery, and extreme danger for his family.

Kindle Edition

Published July 7, 2020

Reviews

[Marshall Dagger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having enjoyed The Last Boat, Against the Tide and Diamonds for the Wolf I was delighted to get hold of my copy of Irish Lass. I need a book to grab my interest early on or I lose interest and Irish Lass had me after the first few pages. The author has the ability to set the scene and paint a picture with just enough detail. He clearly has a remarkable insight into the murky workings of the intelligence services in wartime creating believable intrigue with a theme of continuous suspense. The main character, Jack Renouf, is unbelievably resourceful which is as well given the scrapes he seems to he gets into. His complicated family situation is a recurring theme in the plot compromising Jack's options throughout. An excellent and entertaining book, well written and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Richard Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was eagerly anticipating the publication of John F Hanley's latest novel continuing the adventures of Jack Renouf and was certainly not disappointed! With an explosive start in Ireland the non-stop action continued to Cornwall and then across the Channel returning to Jersey where the author's first novel is set. We are introduced to new characters as the plot thickens but fans of the series of books will be pleased to know that the author keeps us well and truly informed of our favourite characters from the previous books - including the good, the bad and the downright nasty ones (who may or may not get their rightful comeuppance - no spoilers here!) As with the previous novels there are many twists and turns and some really intriguing surprises along the way - what on earth will the protagonist Jack Renouf do when faced with real life battle conflict as well as with conflict of the heart and mind? Our hero is somewhat reminiscent of another Jack - Jack Reacher - for those familiar with Lee Child's tough ex-military cop always on a mission to do good but quite happy to do 'bad' to achieve his goal! As well as this being a gripping read I also learnt a huge deal about the Nazi occupation of a British Island learning how to survive and endure a war without any allied intervention. So a huge thank you to the author for quenching my Jack Renouf thirst but of course I'm now eagerly awaiting the publication of book no 5 to see what Ian Fleming's (Jack's senior commander and James Bond author!) latest plans are for Jack and his team to gather intelligence and hatch secret plots to bring down the Nazis... hurry up John F Hanley!