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)

Solid bloody Irish thriller

This is a violent, bloody novel where the violence and bloodshed actually serves a purpose, rather than just trying to shock the reader. It's a revenge story, a political thriller, and a tale of redemption, with the main character being a former IRA thug who's now trying to atone for his past crimes. His atonement, however, consists of killing a lot more people, because the ghosts of his former victims won't leave him alone until he does.

The question of whether the ghosts are real or only in Gerry Fegan's head is only slightly interesting. They are real to him, and as a result, he's put on a path of bloody retribution in which he takes down former comrades, party bosses, and other important people in the fragile new peace of Northern Ireland. Initially introduced to us as a merciless thug and killer, someone who did hard time in prison and deserved it and probably should have stayed there longer, Fegan becomes one of the most sympathetic characters in the book. He wants nothing more than to wash the blood off his hands, but he can't because his ghosts won't let him. So he has to keep killing, and as we learn the stories behind each of the men he kills and the ghosts demanding the next sacrifice, we see that Fegan was never more than a small cog in a big, bloody, grinding machine. Everyone in Northern Ireland, from the IRA to the Unionists to the Brits, played very, very dirty. You have to keep reminding yourself just why Fegan is being haunted or you'd start to like the guy. He genuinely wants to redeem himself, and yet his killings threaten to unleash a new wave of violence.

This sort of loose cannon run amok story is standard fare for Hollywood, and I think The Ghosts of Belfast would make a great movie, though they'd probably screw it up. It's not written like a movie, though. There is a lot of introspection and angst and some delving into the politics of the "movement" before the peace accords and the current state of the Irish criminal underworld. The writing is taut, not overly verbose, not full of narrative flourishes, and lean on descriptive details, but it was good work and carried the story along. Most of the non-Fegan characters aren't developed much, since they're basically ducks being lined up to die so all you need to know is why, but this is a story where characters definitely take a back seat to plot and action.

For all the bloodshed, it was never gratuitous and never went on overly long. I found this is a compelling listen with a good plot, and will look for more from this author.

The narration by Gerard Doyle adds an extra level to experiencing this audiobook: normally I like a narrator to be as non-intrusive as possible, with a nice crisp British narrator for British authors and a neutral American accent for everyone else ('cause I'm American, sorry -- that's "neutral" for me). Gerard Doyle has a thick rolling Irish accent and brings every character to life just as if you were listening to them on the streets of Belfast. If I were reading this book in text form, I would substitute my own voice for all the dialog and the book would be a totally different experience. I don't think I'd want to listen to a Dickens novel or a space opera narrated by Doyle, but he was perfect for this book.

THE BEST NEW WRITER, AND THE BEST AUDIO LISTEN.

WOW, NOW I KNOW WHAT ALL THE HYPE IS ABOUT THIS AUTHOR. STUART NEVILLE IS A TOP CONTENDER FOR BEST NEW CRIME FICTION WRITER; AND THIS BOOK - THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST- IS SIMPLY AMAZING; AND THE AUDIO VERSION IS A MUST. THE NARRATORS VOICE IS JUST PITHCH PERFECT FOR THE MATERIAL. TRUTHFULLY, ITS A BETTER LISTEN THEN IT IS A READ BECAUSE OF NARRATOR GERALD DOYLE PERFORMANCE AND COMMAND OF AUTHOR STUART NEVILLE'S MATERIAL. THIS WAS ONE AUDIBLE PURCHASE THAT I JUST DIDN'T WANT TO END. THE STORY OF AN I.R.A. KILLER WHO IS LITERALLY HAUNTED BY HIS PAST IS TRULY ENGROSSING FROM START TO FINISH.

Crime and Punishment

I have had to let a few days go by before reviewing this book because of some conflicting feelings. This is a brutal story, pulling no punches about the violence in the men who run Belfast, even when this war-torn city is on the cusp of peace at last. A familiar theme of a movement struggling for justice and freedom degenerating into deadly power plays common to all revolutions when the political hyenas move in for the kill. The corrupt underbelly of the politicians vying for control is as murderous as the previous IRA rebellions, and it is nearly impossible to find anyone relate to.

But in the midst of this ugliness, there is Gerry Fegan, a former IRA soldier whose soul yearns for redemption from the guilt of the murders he committed during the rebellion. Haunted by his ghosts, he is driven to make amends, and in the process becomes the hope for a young woman and her daughter as they try to survive the current political dangers. Gerry’s newly found humanity is the saving grace of this very harsh story, giving us someone to root for, to pray for his safety and his hard sought redemption. Redemption isn’t free and the price he, and others may have to pay is very high – everyone has to pay in the end.

As difficult as it is to listen to, this is a well told story that had me riveted throughout. Gerard Doyle’s narration was outstanding, adding to the sense of character and place. Recommended, but only for those who are prepared for an unforgiving level of violence.

Good story, slow start

Any additional comments?

This story starts off a bit slowly but picks up around mid way. I didn't find find the subject matter as hard to listen to as some of the other reviewers did, but I guess that's a personal thing.
The narrator also took some getting used to, but overall I think he did a good job.

If you like thrillers with a good dose of blood and politics, this is the book for you.

Gripping story and outstanding narrator

Informative and gripping story -- and particularly outstanding narration. It is helpful to know something about the history of Northern Ireland - but one learns as one reads.

Violent disturbing book but well worth the ride

What a book! Set in the aftermath of The Troubles in Ireland and the tentative peace, Neville takes an unblinking look at the motives and actions of the IRA, the British, the hit men and the politicians who once ordered the hits. That Neville has made the protagonist so sympathetic testifies to the power of this book. Not for the faint of heart but a powerful, compelling book. Highly recommended.

Very good!

Fagen is one hard man. It was hard to really understand what was going on in the beginning of the book, but once I caught on the the twelve followers and really understood them, I found it quite interesting.

The story never really stops moving. I did find it hard to believe that Fagen was still very agile and "with it" even when he was near unconscious from drinking.

I would recommend this if you like a good Irish mystery that is rather gory at times.

Loved it

I read the book and then listened to it on audible about a year later. I was swept away with both, but more so with the audible performance. I'm not sure if it's one reader or more, but it sounded like a voice for every character, which I loved. I almost gave the story a four star, because of the violence, but then realized that violence IS the reality of the plot, and one can't wish it away.

pretty good listen

it started off really well. then it kind of lost momentum. still good enough to finish though. I liked it overall and would recommend it.

All that blood

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I would read another story from this author and i can recommend it, thou it is really bloody.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

This was one of the first book I have read from that war. It was very interresting and it seems that the author was up to date on the history facts.

What three words best describe Gerard Doyle’s performance?

Accent, well read and for an not english speaking person easy to understand.

Do you think The Ghosts of Belfast needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. It ended as it should.