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Woman Of State by Simon Berthon
Sep. 17th, 2017 10:44 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
From 1990s Belfast to the corridors of Whitehall.
To catch a traitor you must first walk among them.
SECRETS
1991, Belfast. The IRA have their sights set on an undercover British policeman. Rising star of the movement Joseph Kennedy recruits his 18-year-old girlfriend Maire Anne McCartney as a honey trap. She is told it is a one-off. There will be no violence. But the man is murdered.
To save herself, Maire must flee across the border and take on a new identity.
STATE
Present day, London. Renowned human rights lawyer Anne-Marie Gallagher is elected as an MP in the UK General Election and fast-tracked to the role of Minister of State for Security and Immigration.
At the same time, the Belfast police receive an anonymous call. The password is verified from the Troubles, and the co-ordinates lead DCI Jon Carne to a field. And a body.
BETRAYAL
When the new Minister receives a message from Joseph Kennedy, she realises that the identity she has crafted is at risk of being uncovered. And when Carne’s investigation brings Anne-Marie to his attention, she must decide where her allegiances lie.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Simon Berthon’s debut political thriller is a sturdy if predictable affair that clunkily weaves the 1990s IRA ceasefire and eventual Good Friday Agreement together with the machinations of modern politics and surveillance culture but the central character is far too naïve to be wholly credible either as a lawyer or a politician and although there’s an opening for a sequel I’m not sure there’s enough here for me to read on.
WOMAN OF STATE was released in the United Kingdom on 13th July 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
To catch a traitor you must first walk among them.
SECRETS
1991, Belfast. The IRA have their sights set on an undercover British policeman. Rising star of the movement Joseph Kennedy recruits his 18-year-old girlfriend Maire Anne McCartney as a honey trap. She is told it is a one-off. There will be no violence. But the man is murdered.
To save herself, Maire must flee across the border and take on a new identity.
Present day, London. Renowned human rights lawyer Anne-Marie Gallagher is elected as an MP in the UK General Election and fast-tracked to the role of Minister of State for Security and Immigration.
At the same time, the Belfast police receive an anonymous call. The password is verified from the Troubles, and the co-ordinates lead DCI Jon Carne to a field. And a body.
When the new Minister receives a message from Joseph Kennedy, she realises that the identity she has crafted is at risk of being uncovered. And when Carne’s investigation brings Anne-Marie to his attention, she must decide where her allegiances lie.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): ) The Verdict:
Simon Berthon’s debut political thriller is a sturdy if predictable affair that clunkily weaves the 1990s IRA ceasefire and eventual Good Friday Agreement together with the machinations of modern politics and surveillance culture but the central character is far too naïve to be wholly credible either as a lawyer or a politician and although there’s an opening for a sequel I’m not sure there’s enough here for me to read on.
WOMAN OF STATE was released in the United Kingdom on 13th July 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
