Bridget O'Neill was swept off her feet by her husband, a man from Belfast with links to the IRA, married him and settled into uneasy domesticity in the remote border country of Armagh. Francis O'Neill is a trained operative with the IRA, executing terrorist acts in Britain and the Continent, and controlled by 'Gentleman Joe', a high ranking leader. During a trip to Singapore both Francis and Bridget are separately approached by British intelligence to act as 'touts', however Francis' younger brother has recently been executed by the IRA for just this. Years later and Francis is involved with a plot to bomb and army barracks but is caught and sentenced. Francis knows he was betrayed and so does Gentleman Joe.

Having read Searle's first novel 'The Good Liar' I knew that this would be a fast-paced and twisty story but this second book is way beyond the first. Given recent events in which former leaders of the opposing sides in the Conflicts have been prominent there has been a lot of looking back at the bad times of the 1980s and 1990s, the shootings, the bombings and the general sense of fear. Searle looks at the impact on the communities and the individuals, the reader feels empathy for Francis, caught up in something that he can't get away from, and also for Bridget, her life limited to an isolated house and a distant husband. The title refers to both the O'Neill family and also the bigger IRA family and there is a dark sense of humour here, the obsession with cups of tea and cleaning the house, but there is also a rattling good storyline. The final twist is excellent - I didn't suspect who was the traitor. ( )

A Traitor In The Family – All Families Have Dark Secrets

Nicolas Searle second book, A Traitor in the Family, goes inside the family of a Republican fighter during the troubles in Northern Ireland, not an easy subject at the best of times. The book starts in 1989, with a murder of a soldier based in Germany, through to the Good Friday Agreement and beyond. Searle examines the problems of a soldier and his wife have when you feel oppressed by another nation’s armed forces in your own country.

Francis O’Neill has been brought up in a strong republican family in West Belfast and his family would be well known amongst the families along the Falls Road. He had been taken under the wing of Gentleman Joe Geraghty who guided him and taught him in the ways of the Republican Army and pressed him into active service.

Having been brought up in Carrickcloghan, Bridget had dreams of going to University to study English and make something with her life. When her sister left for Cork, her mother convinced her to put off University for a year or so. She found work in the local post office on the counter and still loved her reading when she was at home. Her world was turned upside down when she met Francis O’Neill in a pub, she knew his reputation, but she was in love, her life was never the same again.

When they were allowed to fly to Singapore for a wedding it was Bridget’s first time out of Ireland and she did not really want to mix with others in the wedding party. Wandering around she met Sarah who would become a friend, and she found herself enjoying her company and she enjoyed her time. Whereas Francis went out hard drinking, even though many were English, he did not allow that to get to him, until he was picked up by the local police. In the police station, he met an English spook who did all the talking and gave him his number to remember, Francis was not going to help him.

Bridget never talked to Francis about his work and where it took him so that she could not say anything if the RUC ever came calling, which they would. But Bridget had Sarah to talk to, which she did on a regular basis and even though she was careful she did not want anyone to know about their meetings.

It was a job in England, a flatbed truck with a device to take out a power substation should cause maximum damage and cause chaos in London. They all stuck to the plan, made sure nobody was following them, made sure that all of his team knew their jobs and got on with it. While taking a pit stop on the M25, Francis was arrested by armed anti-terrorist police, his interviews would consist of him saying no-comment. It did not matter, he was sentenced to 41 years in prison, and he was sure that someone had given the mission up, and handed him over to the police on a plate. Francis wanted answers even if it would take the whole of the 41 years.

Francis had served 7 years by the time he was eligible for early release as part of the Good Friday Agreement and he went home to brood. He wanted answers still, but none were going to be provided, and one person he suspected wanted to kill him. Even when he was spirited away in the dead of night he and Bridget would not be safe, who could aid them now?

An engrossing thriller, that while you may not like Francis you are full of sympathy for Bridget, a story full of twists and surprises. A Traitor in the Family delivers on every level. ( )