NORTHERN SPY

An instant New York Times bestseller which shows a le Carré flair, an author new to us which has caught our attention. This is an excellent book about Ulster in recent times set against the turmoil of civil conflict in Northern Ireland. Tessa is at work when the news of the latest IRA attack - a petrol station robbery - comes on the air. As the anchor requests the public's help in locating those responsible, Tessa's sister Marian appears on the screen, pulling a black mask over her face. Tessa knows this is impossible. They have attended peace vigils together and besides, Marian is away on holiday. But when the truth reveals itself, Tessa is forced to choose between her ideals and her family, and risk endangering the one person she loves more fiercely than her sister - her infant son. It is difficult to tell whether it is set now post Anglo-Irish Agreement and the standing down of the IRA. With super descriptions of places in the North East you will actually recognise like the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. 278pp, paperback.