The Ghosts of Belfast

By: Stuart Neville

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Fegan has been a "hard man" - an IRA killer in Northern Ireland. Now that peace has come, he is being haunted day and night by 12 ghosts: a mother and infant, a schoolboy, a butcher, an RUC constable, and seven other of his innocent victims. In order to appease them, he's going to have to kill the men who gave him orders.

As he's working his way down the list, he encounters a woman who may offer him redemption; she has borne a child to an RUC officer and is an outsider too. Now he has given Fate - and his quarry - a hostage. Is this Fegan's ultimate mistake?

©2009 Stuart Neville (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Mystery / Thriller, 2010
• Notable Crime Books of 2009 (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times)
• The Year’s Most Mesmerizing Mysteries (Maureen Corrigan, NPR)

"Stuart Neville's debut novel about the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland is harsh, brutal, and unrelentingly grim. With spare, crisp dialogue, and a gift for turning an Irish phrase, Neville plants himself firmly in Adrian McKinty territory. And who better to narrate than Gerard Doyle? Doyle gets it—and so do we. His whine; his growl; his rough yet sensitive, always-passionate performance gives everything a listener could want from an audiobook." ( AudioFile)

"With this stunning debut, Neville joins a select group of Irish writers, including Ken Bruen, Declan Hughes, and Adrian McKinty, who have reinvigorated the noir tradition with a Celtic edge." ( Publishers Weekly)

Well done

This book came up in my audible recommendations, probably because I am a huge Adrian McKinty fan. I was hesitant to buy it, but based on the positive reviews I decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did.
There is no getting around the fact that this book is dark. Some of the material is upsetting. However, I found the character of Gerry so well developed and compelling that the material fit perfectly with his story, instead of just being gratuitous.
The story is both terribly sad and incredibly hopeful in its way. I found it very thought provoking and it touches on themes of guilt, fear, redemption, and profound loss.
The narration by Gerard Doyle is, as always, stellar.

Chose it for the reader but...

Love Gerard Doyle as a narrator so I picked this one up. Extremely and pleasanlty surprised at how good this book was. Excellent listen.

Irish noir at its best

This is a superb debut novel, featuring an original and gripping story, vivid prose, and finely crafted characters. The atmosphere is much like that in Adrian McKinty's remarkable "Dead" trilogy. Gerard Doyle's nuanced narration is perfectly matched to the book. His rich Irish brogue and his unique rendering of each character make for a truly pleasurable listening experience.

Very Enjoyable

A nice, quick listen--the book flows very well. Doyle's narration is spot-on as he switches effortlessly between various UK & Irish accents and dialects. For the most part, the characters are multifaceted and sympathetic, even the "heavies."

There is something of redemption in this book, but it never becomes treacly.

Great story, great reader

Very, very enjoyable story with a fantastic reader.

Like a whack to the side of the head!

This book felt like a whack on the head - much like one of the bricks used as weapons within it. As I listened I tried to fathom what is it about parts of Northern Ireland culture that makes murder acceptable. I'm from there so I know all the propaganda about freedom fighters, armed struggle etc. What this book did was show that it's all about power and money - political viewpoint be dammed.

I'm amazed that the author made me feel empathy for a mass murderer.

And then there are the most marvelous moments - the first time the little girl takes Fegan's hand for example. I think it says more about me than the novel, but I found the most shocking part to be the priest's betrayal of the confidentiality of the confessional.

I can't wait for Mr Neville's next book!

Unique

I will listen to Gerard Doyle read the phone book. I found Stuart Neville by searching for more performances by Doyle. I liked this book, but admittedly it has a lot to do with the reader. I do recommend all of Neville's books.

Dark, Compelling

This story pulls us through a spiral of violent death at a fast pace. That's a good thing because if it slowed down we might question the wisdom of going on such a dark ride. The estranged IRA gun man Gerry Fegan seems mad and near-ruined and unlikely to really be able to avenge all 12 of his killings. His quest, and the uniqueness of this haunted character, grabs our interest. And the few bits of light that penetrate this dark tale, such as Marie McKenna and her daughter, who takes a shine to McKenna as if to give him a dash of absolution, give us some hope. The side story of the undercover agent Davey Campbell adds interest; is he good or bad or, like most of the characters here, mostly badly damaged.
Doyle is a good narrator, at his best with the frightening old boss Bull O'Cain in the climatic farmstead scene. Bull's words of false comaraderie and comfort, rolling like tumbling marbles as he prepares to maim and kill, add to the chilling atmosphere of this tale.

As the chapters go by, it gets more exciting.

Starts a little strange, but once the book finds its feet, it is very entertaining.

Great story with some warnings

First, Gerard Doyle is a WONDERFUL narrator. I love that he conveys so much without over-acting it. I could listen to him all day.

Second, the story is absolutely riveting and very well-written as so many others have said.

However, it truly is not for those who are sensitive to violence. I had to skip through a few parts. The violence is graphic and horrifying. I wouldn't say it is gratuitous as these are "hard men" but it doesn't lessen the impact, at least for me. There is a dog-fighting scene that I couldn't listen to as well as several incidences of men being questioned using torture.

If this is something you can handle or if you're willing to skip through, it's a great listen.