Anthony J. Quinn

When the blurb says "In Northern Ireland's darkest corner" it means it. It's winter, it's wet, dark, cold and black. A landscape full of old houses, swamps and fast running streams, there's an overwhelming sense of dark, deep, close-held, life-long, simmering secrets in the world that Inspector Celcius Daly now lives.

A Catholic Irishman, he's returned to his father's house after a stint in Scotland. His father's recent death, his own marriage breakdown - it's exactly what you'd expect of show more somebody living in this place, although Daly's a bit of a dark horse himself. He's also stubborn and a decent man who does not easily let go of a case when he believes something is wrong.

There is something very apt about the setting for DISAPPEARED. For a non-Irish reader it feels so right that this dark and slightly obsessive cop would be exiled to this place, full of people with the same personality traits. There's also something very apt about the intertwining of generations of families with the IRA, Special Branch, and a whole heap of secrets.

Everything about the setting, the scenario and the characters felt spot on when reading DISAPPEARED. Even the character of David Hughes, in the early stages of dementia, still with enough awareness of his own situation to know what's happening, know what he knows and more importantly, be able to identify the things he should know but can no longer recall. The dogged way that Daly pursues his investigation, despite the blatant interference of Special Branch matches the dogged manner in which Hughes sets out to right some wrongs, and the way that Oliver Jordan's young son pursues his own aims. The other element of this book that feels exactly right is the way that the Troubles inflicted damage on these generations of families, on the communities they live in, and even on the place itself.

Everything about DISAPPEARED worked. It's dark and uncomfortable reading at times, and for something that travels through as much human misery and cruelty as it does, it moves with a gentleness, a respect for the experiences of all the characters.

By way of confession - this book has been sitting on my to be read list for way too long. On the upside, DISAPPEARED has now been followed by BORDER ANGELS which was released this year and is now on the same list - marked with a much heavier handed reminder.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-disappeared-anthony-quinn show less

I wanted to like this, I really did. The premise is intriguing: WB Yeats (or at least his creature) as detective investigating a murder via rosicrucianism or similar; set in 1916 and including a major role for - who else? - Maud Gonne. I wouldn't classify myself as an expert on Yeats, but I've read and studied my fair share. I think there's scope here for great fun.

But I'm sorry: try as I might, I just couldn't get in to this novel. The elements are in place, but nothing gels. The author is show more in places a good phrase-maker, and perhaps herein lies the problem. This is a thriller trying to be literary fiction and falling between the stools. Pace and plot are sacrificed at the purple altars of mood and explication of Irish republican internecine complications. Characterisation isn't so much unconvincing as just plain uninteresting, and before very long one simply can't be bothered to sustain the effort required. show less

Border Angels – Stunning!

Border Angels by Anthony J. Quinn is the stunning follow up to his first Inspector Celcius Daley thriller in the brilliant debut in Disappeared. From what he began in Disappeared he has taken a shot gun to what he wrote blew it away and come back with something even better. Disappeared was not just my crime thriller of the year but I was in the exalted company of The Mail and The Times. Border Angels knocks his previous Inspector Daley Thriller into a cocked show more hat!

Inspector Celcius Daley is based in Armagh the county town for the border country that in the times of the troubles was often referred to as bandit country where the snipers were always on duty. Since the peace the Police Service of Northern Ireland in Armagh has had its fair share of economic troubles with people smuggling to add to the fuel and tobacco smuggling. At the same time money is flowing in to various areas of the border through peace funding.

Lena Novak a Croatian brothel worker has disappeared at the same time as Jack Fowler, a former IRA man, a developed under investigation dies in mysterious circumstances. The former leaders of the IRA are worried that Fowler’s death might shine a light on some of their current dealings. While at the same time the leader of the East European Mafia, Mikolajek, is running round Armagh threatening those who put his business in danger. The IRA also brings back a former killer from Spain to help find Fowler’s money and remove any threat to them Irish or Croatian.

Celcius Daley knows that Lena Novak is the key to all that centres on what is happening in the border country, but he is competing with the IRA and the East Europeans to find Lena. He finds himself unwittingly at times working with Lena to find the truth but Lena trusts nobody especially men. His investigation takes him further in to the border country in what becomes a life or death race against time. Lena uses the country to her advantage as she really does not want to be found but is not afraid to lead the men after her to where she has power for a change.

All this is going on as the politics of the new Northern Ireland rumbles around them and Daley’s commanding officer is the supreme number cruncher who cares more about reports than catching Lena. He is the commanding officer who does not really understand policing outside of the Station and certainly not an odd ball like Celcius Daley.

The prose in Border Angels is so lyrical one could imagine the burr of Irish accents as you read the imagery it gives off is that of a hard country, a confusing country where the answer may be right but not necessarily correct. Quinn’s writing is persuasive and he lays out the deep ambivalence that hangs around Northern Ireland since the peace process and those who were once terrorists are now business men. His descriptions are haunting and unflinching of a harsh country that is coming to terms with its new none violent life.

Disappeared was good Border Angels is even better and I cannot recommend it highly enough. show less

Disappeared, Brilliant Inspection of Recent Irish History

On the cover of Disappeared by Anthony Quinn there is a quote from Strand Magazine that calls the book; ‘One of the best books of the year’ my first instinct was yeah right but now I think it is an understatement. This book which is well written, the prose is crisp the imagery strong and it evokes a strong dollop of tension. For a debut novel Disappeared has raised the bar and is an excellent example of Irish writing which ticks show more many boxes whether that be literary, historical or crime fiction as it could sit in all those genres and stand on its own feet.

We are introduced to Catholic Police detective inspector Celcius Daly a recently returned from his career in Scotland where he had taken his career to get away from the Northern Ireland of his birth and more importantly from the border area of County Tyrone. As a child he had seen his mother killed in the ‘crossfire’ between the republicans and the British.

We are introduced to this recently separated detective when he is called out to find a missing person, a man with the early onset of dementia. Later he was called out to an island in the middle of Lough Neagh to a dead body. The dead body has all the hallmarks of being executed by former republican paramilitaries for being a spy in their midst.

As Daly tries to investigate the death and the missing person case, he comes across a wall of silence and betrayal from his colleagues in Special Branch who seem to know more than they are saying, while meeting another wall of silence with the republicans. Daly is advised to leave the past where it is and not to stir up memories of the troubled times.

When he comes in to contact with the troubled Dermot Jordon who is the son of one of the disappeared do things really take a turn. Dermot wants to know where his father is buried and hunts down those who may know. He does not realise the danger that he places himself in especially as there is a killer hunting both him and his new friend David Hughes the dementia ridden former Special Branch Officer.

The dementia that Hughes suffers could be said to be a metaphor for a lot of what is happening in the new Northern Ireland where the secrets of the troubles really need to stay hidden. Hidden to protect those on both sides who committed the crimes; and now lead the country or protect it, while it is the innocent that suffer.

There are many in Ireland that could recognise this story of their own, especially those that lived through those troubled times and Disappeared seems to give a voice to those people. Quinn has written one of THE books of the year giving a voice to those who have none. This book speaks to us and tells us that however much we may want to run from history the past never dies and the truth will always out.
Anthony Quinn has written a beautiful book that is a pleasure to read, easy to sympathise with Daly’s trials and tribulations. This book helps to bring Irish History to a wider readership it does not preach, but it has bags of tension all the way through. This really is a fantastic read. show less