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)

Would be a great movie!

As I listened to this book, I found it quite easy to visualize the characters and situations they found themselves in. It evokes real emotions from the listener and, at one point, brought me to tears. I think this book could make to a great movie.

Complex story and characters

Really well written and worth a listen. Good narrator, compelling story. I would recommend this book.

Good Listening

Would you listen to The Ghosts of Belfast again? Why?

Yes I would, because it kept you in a state of good listening. The listener will be able to understand what the writer was talking about.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Ghosts of Belfast?

When the politician was finally killed, and he fell out of power over Belfast.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the ghosts finally called for the death of the priest.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No I didn't, but put me in the state of a good suspense movie.

Any additional comments?

I hated the dog fighting. Didn't like that at all.

Had to put it down

Although the writing and the narration was good, the story just did not hook me. It seemed too predictable, but I have high hopes for this author.

Wow

I honestly had no idea what to expect from this book as I know nothing about Northern Ireland but I was blown away by this book. Great writing.

Gripping and exceedingly well told

Grabbed this one from out of the blue. Tightly written, taut, informative, believable, highly strung characters, all rendered by a top-notch narrator (how does he keep all those terrific impersonations apart?) My best of the year...and that's saying something!

Literate page-turner with strong narrator

The book is about an ex-IRA killer with a conscience. (Skip to Amazon if you'd like to read additional very positive reviews about the book -- 4.5 stars there). And it has a great narrator, someone who makes you feel you're in Belfast, or with an imported thug from Scotland.

Quite good.

Quite good. Northern Ireland setting and themes made me go and look up "the Troubles"
Reader is good too. You wind up rooting for a homicidal basketcase. Hope he writes more set in this milieu.

A Christmas Carol With Guns and Bombs

OK, I guess. Steady Irish/Scots accent from narrator doesn't differentiate between the characters much, but all the characters are pretty much the same so there's not much to distinguish between anyway. The plot gets started and plows ahead at a steady pace like a bulldozer tearing up the land for a road in a slow steady growl. Constant plot, constant narration, little movement; ghosts and guns...somewhat dull like a steady drone. Maybe worth a credit, certainly a little different. Not a keeper.

Surprised.

What made the experience of listening to The Ghosts of Belfast the most enjoyable?

The title intrigued me. The story kept my interest peaked and the performance by Gerard Doyle was spot on.