Collusion

By: Stuart Neville

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the LA Times Book Award-winning author of The Ghosts of Belfast, Stuart Neville, comes the exciting sequel: Collusion

Collusion returns listeners to Belfast, where a new mystery haunts its underbelly. Jack Lennon is a Detective Inspector trying to track down his former lover, Marie McKenna, and their daughter, but his superiors tell him to back off. Bull O'Kane is a bitter old man who will stop at nothing for vengeance. The Traveller is an assassin without pity or remorse, who stalks Belfast, tying up loose ends. Forced into the center of it all is former IRA paramilitary Gerry Fegan, who must confront his past - and The Traveller - for the fight of his life.

The early reviews for Collusion are just as strong as those for The Ghosts of Belfast. And Gerard Doyle's narration complements Neville's taut, sinister, smart, and suspenseful story perfectly. Collusion is a feast for thriller fans.

©2010 Stuart Neville (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Irish author Neville follows his stunning debut with an even more powerful tale of revenge, violence, and redemption. Neville rides the perfect Celtic storm in an action-packed, cerebral thriller." ( Publishers Weekly)
"James Ellroy and Val McDermid were among admirers of Stuart Neville's corpse-filled debut [ The Ghosts of Belfast], and his follow-up Collusion is another mesmerising Belfast blood bath. The Traveller and O'Kane are memorably grotesque creations, and Neville's violent showdowns rival those in Jacobean revenge plays." ( Sunday Times)
" Collusion is a gripping thriller that transcends its genre through an unflinching examination of how 40 years of internecine strife has left unhealed scars that resonate in all levels of life in the North today." ( Irish Independent)

"As it lurches toward its bloody conclusion, the chapters of Collusion shrink, the world contracts, and, ultimately, all that remains is survival. The question Mr. Neville raises with singularly artful drama is whether survival is enough to keep one going." ( Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

"Doyle’s performance of Lennon’s grit and vulnerabilities gives credibility to both, and his portrayals of the brutal villains are downright terrifying." ( AudioFile)

Gripping Irish noir

In his second outing, Neville proves that his terrific debut novel, The Ghosts of Belfast, was no fluke. This is a well written, carefully constructed thriller full of dark and dangerous characters. The storytelling and pacing are near perfect. This is a book that stays with you after you've finished listening to it.

Gerard Doyle's brilliant narration adds immeasurable texture and richness to the reading experience. With his work on the two Neville books, together with his equally outstanding narration of Adrian McKinty's Michael Forsythe trilogy, Doyle has firmly established himself as the narrator of choice for Irish noir.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Tough Conclusion to Ghosts of Belfast

Hard but not as brutal as the first part of this epic Irish crime adventure. Read Ghosts of Belfast first. Wait a bit, then finish the story with "Collusion". Again Gerard Doyle makes this experience greater than reading the novel. You will have flashbacks… They're worth it. This story is gripping.Enjoy…


Now… Spoiler Alert… Don't read any farther if you've not read this novel.


How the hell did the hero detective get outta that basement? Was their a chapter missing in my download? Somebody help!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

A riveting return to a dark & chaotic N. Ireland

In Collusion we meet Jack Lennon, a character who, although he didn't actually appear in Ghosts of Belfast, has a tremendous significance to many of the characters introduced in that novel. Lennon is deeply flawed and unlikable (he seems almost to relish testing the limits of the few friendships he enjoys), and yet there is something indefatigable and at the same time human about him that endears him to the reader.

All the surviving characters from Ghosts have returned, their continuing stories adding to the tapestry Neville has created with these first two novels. Not all of them will be appearing in the third.

This novel is gritty, and full of intriguing characters. It lacks the freshness of Ghosts, but makes up for it with a taut, gripping complexity. It is by no means necessary that readers visit Ghosts before reading Collusion, but it might be helpful.

Gerard Doyle is excellent. Despite being an American, his superb accent work made all the characters distinct.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Reasonable sequel

I loved The Ghosts of Belfast so much that I pretty much had to get the sequel. It would be difficult to equal or better The Ghosts of Belfast; the somewhat-supernatural creep factor was so well done, and that paired with Gerard Doyle's narration made for a very intense and compelling listen. Collusion is more of a down-to-earth police procedural/thriller, with familiar plot twists. It felt formulaic. Gerry Fegan is a marvelous character, and it's good to know what happened to him after the first book. I'd say if you are compelled to know what happens next, listen to Collusion. But if you're looking for something close to as good as the first book and aren't really driven to follow this particular story, you could give this a pass.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Terrific narrator; weaker sequel

Gerard Doyle makes this book just as he did the first novel in this series, The Ghosts of Belfast. He is simply superb. He manages Irish accents, differentiates characters and keeps the story moving brilliantly. Thirteen was an incredible book. It would be hard for Neville to match it. This is a good book but not quite as good as the first one. And for readers who are unfamiliar with the intricacies of the plot of The Ghosts of Belfast this novel will be uninterpretable. Almost all of the action in Collusion stems from incidents and characters in the first book, and not a lot of explanation is provided for the novice reader. Neville is the best at writing short, action packed chapters that switch points of view among characters. He is a pleasure to listen to. If Doyle reads his next one, I will for sure be a listener.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A Must for fans of Irish thrillers

For all those who suffered withdrawal symptoms after reading Adrian McGinty's trilogy of violence and revenge, fear not, for here is Stuart Neville, promising to keep you on the edge of your seat or driving around the block. This is the sequel to Ghosts of Belfast, which should be read first. Gerard Doyle, as always, is terrific.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Great Sequel

I loved Collusion and The Ghosts of Belfast. Pretty rough and gritty and read really well by the narrator. the only negative is the mouth noises in Collusion were quite bad at times. After listening to Ghosts of Belfast, I wonder if this is an Audible problem with editing, as the first book was narrated beautifully. Still it wasnt so bad i couldnt finish it. I hope Stuart Neville keeps writing more books like this.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Falls far short of the first book

What would have made Collusion better?

In the first book, there was a mystery about whether the ghosts were real or just a madman's delusion which gave an interesting spin to a very violent story -- I enjoyed it a great deal and bought this (foolishly) without reading reviews. This sequel was just a long tedious slog through the squalid lives of characters I never want to "meet" again. How to make it better? Come up with another interesting original idea instead of wringing the last drops of bile from a story whose best part was already told.

Would you ever listen to anything by Stuart Neville again?

Not without reading a lot of glowing reviews beforehand. He clearly has talent but ths was awful.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

BOOK 2 IN THE SERIES DO READ 1 FIRST- JUST SUPERB

Any additional comments?

Collusion starts where his first novel, the Ghosts of Belfast, leaves off, & book one is just incredible. The series is based in Ireland directly after the ongoing troubles with the IRA & the Loyalists.

A modern noir writer with an outlook as bleak as it gets. Every task, even when successful, is thankless. In this story, an Irish cop has to save his daughter from an amoral murderer who is stalking the girl and her mother. Not only is the cop up against a wily and savage killer, he is thwarted at every turn by the corruption of an Irish police bureaucracy that doesn't want him to upset any apple carts. This is terrific writing from a singular voice is very highly recommended.

Has the same wonderful and colorful characters that you grew to love and hate. Don't read this series out of order, big mistake. Neville is the kind of writer who starts out rather slowly, and you're reading along and all of a sudden, Wham! And you say to yourself, "Did I just read what I thought I read?" Lots of action and suspense. You'll love this series.

But do start with Book One.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great follow up to Ghosts of Belfast

When deciding on which book book I wanted to spend my credit on I was choosing between Adrian Mcginty follow up to Cold Cold Ground or Stuart Nevilles Ghost of Belfast. I like the way Mcginty tells a story using time, place, and politics as the backdrop to really enhance the plot. However, I liked the story that Neville was telling.This book takes place in the aftermath of the Ghosts of Belfast where more than one corrupt faction does not want to let it go.Our anti hero,Fagan, was trying to get justice for the people he had killed. He was a young man literally haunted by past and one wee girl Ellen McKenna, helped him find some redemption. Now someone is after everyone involved in "the feud" and it is up to Fagan and Ellen's father DI Lennon to keep her safe. This book contained a lot of action and suspense along with heart. It is also beautifully narrated by Gerard Doyle. . Also if you like Nevile books you might also enjoy Adrian McGinty. They are both narrated by Gerard Doyle who has to be my favorite narrator.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

brilliant'

Would you consider the audio edition of Collusion to be better than the print version?

never read the print version but loved this book

What was one of the most memorable moments of Collusion?

all of it

What about Gerard Doyle’s performance did you like?

Gerard Doyle was the perfect narrator i suppose that's why the chose him. the story was very good but as with any audiobook, the narrator can make or break the story. i have downloaded all Aidrian Mac Kintys books and enjoyed every one of them.

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

laugh, yes

Any additional comments?

Mac Kinty and Doyle, great combination.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful