Devil's Encore

by Martin John

It is ten years since peace came to Northern Ireland but not everybody is happy with the transformation. An alliance of dissident republicans and Jihadists is plotting a fresh campaign to force a final British withdrawal from Ireland. Having stumbled across the plot, Belfast journalist Terry Casey, who survived a bombing as a child, is once more a target. Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) unveils a Dubai-based arms deal with links to the U.S. and Ireland. Before long, its sister service MI5, along with the FBI and Ireland's Special Detective Unit is engaged in a desperate race to catch the organisers and abort looming disaster. As the killings mount across the globe, it is hard to friend from foe. The insurgents hold the political high ground, especially at the United Nations, where they make hay with accusations of racism and xenophobia. As the security net closes on the plot leaders, the authorities check up some significant wins but are still struggling to interdict an arms shipment to the terrorists in Ireland. As the drama reaches its climax, unseen links between the Troubles and events in Belfast thirty years later come to light, helping to explain the actions of current players on both sides of the contest. But many more will die before this happens.

ebook

Published June 30, 2020

Reviews

[Sandi Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Devil's Encore is a political thriller demonstrating how the Troubles continue to impact modern Ireland. A complex, enjoyable read and an ambitious debut novel. The author, Martin John, really knows how to spin a terrific and relevant story. Unfortunately, there are numerous typographical errors, particularly in terms of punctuation, and the story would've benefited from further editing. Still, I'd be interested in the author's next story.