It's good to see David Thewlis, one of the finest British actors of his generation, play the lead in a British film – as he did in his prime, and not a side character in Hollywoodian films like Harry Potter. The plot is set around the Northern Irish reporter Dan Starkey who gets entangled into a web of political intrigue and Irish sectarian violence, at the same time as Northern Ireland is set to elect a new Prime Minister.

Starkey and Parker are taken to a council block Keegan controls, where Keegan threatens to kill Parker unless Starkey hands over the tape. divorce'') sends the fugitive Starkey in pursuit of a tape that reveals the sordid past of the leading candidate in the upcoming election for prime minister. This paves the way for bad decision number two and the beginning of a domino effect in Starkeys life. It is a dark, black comedy and there are signs that it's not ageing well, but if viewed in context it's fine.

You understood that he was an unconventional weirdo and that’s why he did the things he did, which somehow always worked out in his favor. In this audio version, the narrator has the right accent and brings the characters to life but he does read quite a few sentences with what I would consider the wrong emphasis. I learnt quite a few things about Ireland in the book, including how back in the 1970s the majority of the Northern Ireland popolustion are Protestant and they do not often visit businesses with Catholics names. McKinty also has a mineshaft seam of black humour, and his character Sean Duffy drinks more than seems humanly possible at times, but the Duffy novels have greater depth and reality.

It turns what happened was Dan’s lover Margaret is the daughter of David McGarry, political ally of Mark Brinn, who is the front runner for prime minister of Northern Ireland at the upcoming election that is less than two weeks away. First line: I was upstairs with a girl I shouldn't have been upstairs with when my wife whispered in my ear, "you have 24 hours to move out".The author was born in Northern Ireland in 1962 and educated at Bangor Grammar School before joining the County Down Spectator, where he was deputy editor for many years. Northern Irish drunken journalist Dan Starkey, makes his biggest mistake when he beds the girlfriend of a local killer. As political satire it functions even better, reminding me that laughing while climbing to the gallows pole is one way to keep sane while the world around burns.

But when his past catches up to his present, he's forced to take his unsuspecting family on the road trip of a lifetime. As a Catholic cop in the RUC, Duffy’s character is constantly ambivalent, conflicted, pulled all ways and mistrusted on all sides. There's a little piece of trivia in the book that almost passes unnoticed but it is enough to make me not want to find out more about the game of Irish roulette: it involves a petrol bomb and an ability to blow out matches very quickly. While Starkey is a bit of an everyman who inexplicably draws the eye of every attractive woman he crosses, I found myself more intrigued by the characters he meets along the way. As a final impression, the novel holds together well in the plot and character department, but the general vibe is of light reading, as the more serious tones (present and truly disturbing) were subverted by the need to be funny at all cost.With the exception of an unexpected ending turning on double murder, the plot machinations are formulaic, but Bateman rarely lets the action flag. Access Codes: Unless the book is described as "New," please assume that the book does *not* have an access code. By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. An insider's view into the raging political scene of Northern Ireland in the mid 90s and the warped marriage of a co-dependent couple are tightly conveyed.