4 out of 4 stars
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Ireland is a country with a violent and troubled past. I had learned this back in school history classes and had passed it off as something which had happened long ago. In The Navigator II: Irish Revenge, Steve Coleman portrays how relevant this history is in this day and age, having long-lasting effects on generation after generation.
Joe, as a newly employed CIA agent, finds himself on his first case, working undercover in the small Irish village of Ballycastle. Charged to watch for any suspicious behaviour, he’s to try to gain as much information as he can on the local IRA group. Posing as a sailor visiting from America, Joe finds that it's not easy to go unnoticed in the coastal village. Met with suspicion by the locals, Joe gets an eye-opening look at the political hotbed of rural Irish life, where your religion defines everything about who you are.
Unsure where his relationship with Mary, the woman he left behind in America, is going, Joe finds himself enamoured with a local red-headed beauty, Fiona. Will Joe be able to navigate not only the treacherous waters of religious conflict but also that of his heart? Will he remain unscathed, or will he be drawn into the darker underbelly of troubled Ireland?
Written in third person, the story follows Joe as he tries to gain the trust of the local village and the various characters who he encounters. Joe is portrayed well as he makes all too realistic mistakes and takes what he has for granted. He develops well as a character, coming to see the terrible toll revenge has on people, himself included. Fiona’s character is a good example of the product of conflict and anger and how it gets passed from one generation to the next. With her family subject to tragedy, her whole life revolves around this anger and the need for revenge.
There are many other characters scattered throughout the book, but one which grew on me was Big Ryan. Steady and loyal, but currently unsure of his purpose in life, he unexpectedly finds himself friends with Joe. From a family of both Catholic and Protestant faith, he is able to show Joe the religious side to both Ireland and human nature, while proving himself to be a loyal friend.
It's an interesting way to portray the perspective of Irish conflict through the eyes of a tourist, which Joe essentially is. It enables a lot of aspects to be explained without it seeming forced, while also giving an outsider’s opinion on the topic.
As the second in the series following Joe, this is definitely a stand-alone book. The previous book has some ties to this one, but very few. These points are explained well to not put anyone at a disadvantage for not reading book one.
While the writing flows well and there are very few errors, I found the interaction Joe had with Fiona a little forced. He acted more like a teenage boy than a grown man in his infatuation, especially in regard to his status as a CIA agent. This, however, was the only negative point which I had about the book and I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. Overall it was an interesting portrayal of a country in unrest, one that often gets passed by as not being actively at war. This is definitely a book for anyone with an interest in Ireland, its past and present conflict, as it is brought to life through the eyes of an outsider.
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The Navigator II: Irish Revenge
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