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Northern Spy
An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.
The acclaimed author of Under the Harrow and A Double Life returns with her most thrilling novel to date: the story of two sisters who become entangled with the IRA.
A producer at the Belfast bureau of the BBC, Tessa is at work one day when the news of another raid comes on the air. The IRA may have gone underground after the Good Friday agreement, but they never really went away, and lately, bomb threats, arms drops, and helicopters floating ominously over the city have become features of everyday life. As the anchor requests the public's help in locating those responsible for this latest raid - a robbery at a gas station - Tessa's sister appears on the screen. Tessa watches in shock as Marian pulls a black mask over her face.
The police believe Marian has joined the IRA, but Tessa knows this is impossible. They were raised to oppose Republicanism, and the violence enacted in its name. They've attended peace vigils together. And besides, Marian is vacationing by the sea. Tessa just spoke to her yesterday.
When the truth of what has happened to Marian reveals itself, Tessa will be forced to choose: between her ideals and her family, between bystanderism and action. Walking an increasingly perilous road, she fears nothing more than endangering the one person she loves more fiercely than her sister: her infant son.
A riveting and exquisite novel about family, terror, motherhood, betrayal, and the staggering human costs of an intractable conflict, Northern Spy cements Flynn Berry's status as one of the most sophisticated and accomplished authors of crime and suspense novels working today.
The acclaimed author of Under the Harrow and A Double Life returns with her most thrilling novel to date: the story of two sisters who become entangled with the IRA.
A producer at the Belfast bureau of the BBC, Tessa is at work one day when the news of another raid comes on the air. The IRA may have gone underground after the Good Friday agreement, but they never really went away, and lately, bomb threats, arms drops, and helicopters floating ominously over the city have become features of everyday life. As the anchor requests the public's help in locating those responsible for this latest raid - a robbery at a gas station - Tessa's sister appears on the screen. Tessa watches in shock as Marian pulls a black mask over her face.
The police believe Marian has joined the IRA, but Tessa knows this is impossible. They were raised to oppose Republicanism, and the violence enacted in its name. They've attended peace vigils together. And besides, Marian is vacationing by the sea. Tessa just spoke to her yesterday.
When the truth of what has happened to Marian reveals itself, Tessa will be forced to choose: between her ideals and her family, between bystanderism and action. Walking an increasingly perilous road, she fears nothing more than endangering the one person she loves more fiercely than her sister: her infant son.
A riveting and exquisite novel about family, terror, motherhood, betrayal, and the staggering human costs of an intractable conflict, Northern Spy cements Flynn Berry's status as one of the most sophisticated and accomplished authors of crime and suspense novels working today.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 6, 2021
About the author
Flynn Berry
8 books1,351 followersFlynn Berry is the New York Times bestselling author of Trust Her (out June 2024), Northern Spy, A Double Life, and Under the Harrow. Northern Spy was a Reese’s Book Club Pick and chosen as one of the ten best thrillers of the year by The New York Times and the Washington Post, and Under the Harrow won the Edgar Award for best first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,440 reviews
May 17, 2021
this is a good book for anyone interested in the troubles or the history of northern ireland in general. i love that reese witherspoon picked this for her bookclub choice as i feel like this is a part of history that often gets forgotten.
im not sure i would recommend it for those wanting a mystery or thriller. although its labelled as such, the main focus is on two sisters and how the conflict in northern ireland impacts their lives. its more domestic drama with a bit of espionage, if anything.
its a short, slow-paced novel that explores how much a person is willing to do for their family, what loyalty really means, and what certain sacrifices will realistically achieve.
as someone who finds the struggle between nationalists and unionists in northern ireland terribly fascinating, this was definitely the book for me.
a big thanks to viking for sending me a copy!
↠ 4.5 stars
im not sure i would recommend it for those wanting a mystery or thriller. although its labelled as such, the main focus is on two sisters and how the conflict in northern ireland impacts their lives. its more domestic drama with a bit of espionage, if anything.
its a short, slow-paced novel that explores how much a person is willing to do for their family, what loyalty really means, and what certain sacrifices will realistically achieve.
as someone who finds the struggle between nationalists and unionists in northern ireland terribly fascinating, this was definitely the book for me.
a big thanks to viking for sending me a copy!
↠ 4.5 stars
July 5, 2021
I really enjoyed this book, but I didn’t truly love it. I follow Reese Witherspoon reading club choices and rarely ever am I disappointed. Her picks all have similar styles and structures. Northern Spy is written in first person present tense which makes it more immediate and at times intense. The main character is a strong female who is three dimensional, someone I wanted to accompany through the story. The voice makes the book, great voice and great character. I was immediately immersed in the book, in the Fictive Dream. The setting comes alive with the descriptions and lovely prose. This is a four-star read for me and of course I still recommend it.
Some critical points. Sometimes the forward motion of the story is greatly slowed by the domestic subplots which were interesting, but I wanted more spy story. It’s almost as if the spy story was an afterthought. Also, a couple of minor points, the author wasn’t knowledgeable or vetted the size of bombs. There are 45 tons of explosives to make 30 bombs, a ton and a half bomb would take down two or three buildings or more. There is also a listening device planted under the marble eye of a stuffed deer. How would the mic work glued-down under a marble? Sounds a little nit-picky even as I write this, though it did dump me out of the Fictive Dream.
Some critical points. Sometimes the forward motion of the story is greatly slowed by the domestic subplots which were interesting, but I wanted more spy story. It’s almost as if the spy story was an afterthought. Also, a couple of minor points, the author wasn’t knowledgeable or vetted the size of bombs. There are 45 tons of explosives to make 30 bombs, a ton and a half bomb would take down two or three buildings or more. There is also a listening device planted under the marble eye of a stuffed deer. How would the mic work glued-down under a marble? Sounds a little nit-picky even as I write this, though it did dump me out of the Fictive Dream.
March 20, 2021
Tessa works for the BBC in Belfast on a weekly political programme and gets the shock of her life when her sister Marion appears on TV participating in an IRA robbery of a petrol station. What unfolds is a scary journey for Tessa whose overriding thoughts are about protecting her baby son Finn. The story is told by Tessa.
First of all, the book definitely grabs your attention and there are certainly some scary and tense scenes as the threat level in Northern Ireland escalates. I like the premise of just how well do you actually know someone as Marion sure fools Tessa for years and it also about how a parent will do all they can to survive in order to protect a much loved child.
However, I have major issues with the book. The writing is very dispassionate except when describing Finn but I’ll give the author the benefit of the doubt on that one and assume that is deliberate and that Tessa’s actions are out of numbness rather than lack of emotion. I think the book would have been much more interesting and revealing if we’d had Marion’s perspective, after all its mostly her story. There are big plot holes such as Marion’s unmasked revealed face at the petrol station (she did put it on), that’s a rookie error that someone with seven years experience in the IRA would not make. Once the NI police know that Marion is IRA then no way would the cell ask Tessa to scout for them as they know Tessa would be under surveillance nor would Marion then attend a wedding for the same reason. I could go on as there’s at least one more especially towards the end. My biggest problem is that it describes the province during the Troubles and not years on from the Good Friday Agreement. I checked three times that it is set post GFA! I absolutely acknowledge this is a work of fiction and also that the problems have not magically gone away but I think it’s misleading. However, that’s just my opinion and others may feel differently. On a smaller point although I really like how the book gets its title, Northern Spy apples are not widely available in the UK and I’d never heard of them before!!
Overall, I really liked Flynn Berry’s previous books and I’ll always want to read what she comes up with but this one is not for me. There are some very good sections in it however not sufficient to outweigh my issues.
With thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the arc in return for an honest review.
First of all, the book definitely grabs your attention and there are certainly some scary and tense scenes as the threat level in Northern Ireland escalates. I like the premise of just how well do you actually know someone as Marion sure fools Tessa for years and it also about how a parent will do all they can to survive in order to protect a much loved child.
However, I have major issues with the book. The writing is very dispassionate except when describing Finn but I’ll give the author the benefit of the doubt on that one and assume that is deliberate and that Tessa’s actions are out of numbness rather than lack of emotion. I think the book would have been much more interesting and revealing if we’d had Marion’s perspective, after all its mostly her story. There are big plot holes such as Marion’s unmasked revealed face at the petrol station (she did put it on), that’s a rookie error that someone with seven years experience in the IRA would not make. Once the NI police know that Marion is IRA then no way would the cell ask Tessa to scout for them as they know Tessa would be under surveillance nor would Marion then attend a wedding for the same reason. I could go on as there’s at least one more especially towards the end. My biggest problem is that it describes the province during the Troubles and not years on from the Good Friday Agreement. I checked three times that it is set post GFA! I absolutely acknowledge this is a work of fiction and also that the problems have not magically gone away but I think it’s misleading. However, that’s just my opinion and others may feel differently. On a smaller point although I really like how the book gets its title, Northern Spy apples are not widely available in the UK and I’d never heard of them before!!
Overall, I really liked Flynn Berry’s previous books and I’ll always want to read what she comes up with but this one is not for me. There are some very good sections in it however not sufficient to outweigh my issues.
With thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the arc in return for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2022
It may have been a mistake to listen to the audiobook version of this one. 😬 I found my mind wondering and continually had to rewind and re-listen. I tried upping the speed, which just made me super tired and want to sleep. 💤 Overall, I couldn’t connect with any character and didn’t really care what was going to happen next. 🙄 It just couldn’t keep my attention. 🤷🏼♀️
April 13, 2021
A disappointing read that failed its historical context
As a pro, this book was somewhat entertaining and a quick and suspenseful read. However, the one thing I couldn't get past the entire book was that the historical context was so poorly set up. This book did a basic interpretation of common events of the Troubles in a modern setting and mentioned historical events as well as the 1998 Good Friday agreement, but then proceeded to write the story as if that event hadn't taken place and never explained the events that led to continued intense violence in the book. It never acknowledged the political parties the IRA has evolved into or the New IRA. It also failed to introduce the reason for the conflict other than a simple Catholic v Protestant perspective. I really felt like this would have been much better and more impactful if it had been set earlier on in the conflict or if it had tried to establish a more well explained what-if alternate scenario.
I just feel this book failed what is likely to be a largely American audience by giving a bare bones history lesson that didn’t come close to capturing the complexities of this conflict and wrapped it up in a thriller that left the reader with a ton of plot holes and lazily researched storyline.
I’m honestly disappointed that this was a Reese’s book club pick because it shows whoever picked it does not understand this conflict.
As a pro, this book was somewhat entertaining and a quick and suspenseful read. However, the one thing I couldn't get past the entire book was that the historical context was so poorly set up. This book did a basic interpretation of common events of the Troubles in a modern setting and mentioned historical events as well as the 1998 Good Friday agreement, but then proceeded to write the story as if that event hadn't taken place and never explained the events that led to continued intense violence in the book. It never acknowledged the political parties the IRA has evolved into or the New IRA. It also failed to introduce the reason for the conflict other than a simple Catholic v Protestant perspective. I really felt like this would have been much better and more impactful if it had been set earlier on in the conflict or if it had tried to establish a more well explained what-if alternate scenario.
I just feel this book failed what is likely to be a largely American audience by giving a bare bones history lesson that didn’t come close to capturing the complexities of this conflict and wrapped it up in a thriller that left the reader with a ton of plot holes and lazily researched storyline.
I’m honestly disappointed that this was a Reese’s book club pick because it shows whoever picked it does not understand this conflict.
August 18, 2021
"Northern Spy" by Flynn Berry is a story with too many implausible issues!
Tessa, a producer at the BBC in Belfast, can't believe what she's seeing on the screen right now. The anchor is reporting the latest IRA incident with film taken at the scene of the armed robbery showing Tessa's sister Marian pulling a mask over her face.
This can't be possible! Tessa and Marian hold the same view point about the violence of the IRA. It can't be Marian, she's on vacation and out of the area. When Tessa reaches out to Marian for answers, there's never a response.
Tessa believes Marian was abducted and forced to assist the IRA. She'd never do something like this willingly. The police disagree and are actively searching for Marian. They're asking Tessa lots of questions she can't answer and her concern for Marian's safety is spiking! Why isn't Marian responding to Tessa and where is she now?
This story is told entirely in the first person voice of Tessa. There's a lack of emotion in her words, her voice always sounding monotone and matter-of-fact. It's like she's reporting facts and not living the experience of someone whose sister is seen in the act of committing a crime. I craved to hear Marian's voice for another perspective and to add the depth to this story that is noticeably lacking.
A very slow moving story that I didn't connect with until 75% in is far too long to wait to become engaged. However, the book is only 286 pages and I was curious how it would end. I should have listened to my inner-voice though because the ending was completely improbable.
I listen to the audiobook and the narrator Katharine Lee McEwan did a fine job. It was the story I didn't care for and the format I chose wouldn't have mattered. While listening to this IRA based story I kept thinking, "Well, that would never happened".
There are too many glaring implausible issues to make this one a satisfying read for me! Time to move on....
2.5 stars rounded up for the efforts of this wonderful narrator! Her voice was perfect.
Tessa, a producer at the BBC in Belfast, can't believe what she's seeing on the screen right now. The anchor is reporting the latest IRA incident with film taken at the scene of the armed robbery showing Tessa's sister Marian pulling a mask over her face.
This can't be possible! Tessa and Marian hold the same view point about the violence of the IRA. It can't be Marian, she's on vacation and out of the area. When Tessa reaches out to Marian for answers, there's never a response.
Tessa believes Marian was abducted and forced to assist the IRA. She'd never do something like this willingly. The police disagree and are actively searching for Marian. They're asking Tessa lots of questions she can't answer and her concern for Marian's safety is spiking! Why isn't Marian responding to Tessa and where is she now?
This story is told entirely in the first person voice of Tessa. There's a lack of emotion in her words, her voice always sounding monotone and matter-of-fact. It's like she's reporting facts and not living the experience of someone whose sister is seen in the act of committing a crime. I craved to hear Marian's voice for another perspective and to add the depth to this story that is noticeably lacking.
A very slow moving story that I didn't connect with until 75% in is far too long to wait to become engaged. However, the book is only 286 pages and I was curious how it would end. I should have listened to my inner-voice though because the ending was completely improbable.
I listen to the audiobook and the narrator Katharine Lee McEwan did a fine job. It was the story I didn't care for and the format I chose wouldn't have mattered. While listening to this IRA based story I kept thinking, "Well, that would never happened".
There are too many glaring implausible issues to make this one a satisfying read for me! Time to move on....
2.5 stars rounded up for the efforts of this wonderful narrator! Her voice was perfect.
February 25, 2021
Couldn't get through this. Main character purports to be "neutral" but the author only ever describes the big bad IRA as "terrorists" and nothing more. No examination of the origins of the conflict, how it changed throughout the decades, doesn't even mention the word Ulster. It is possible and would be perfectly fine to write this book from the stance of anti-violence but I was hoping for a lot more background since I expect this will be read widely by an American audience who has absolutely no knowledge of the Troubles other than that it was "catholics vs. protestants." I kept waiting for a description of Loyalist violence or even a tiny bit of history of the incredibly complicated conflict but all I got was "the IRA is bad and made my sister read Marx and now she's Patty Hearst."
May 3, 2021
Over half the book was about babies. It claimed to be about spies.
April 13, 2021
I had major issues with this book, the biggest of which is the totally inaccurate portrayal of Northern Ireland today. Though it’s set in present day (I had to check several times to see that it was indeed, set after the Good Friday Agreement; indeed it says two decades post the GFA) the political climate is that of the sectarian violence before then. This is a huge disservice as it gives those unfamiliar with “The Troubles” the impression the conflict is continuing as if there was no GFA.
June 16, 2022
I am late to the Flynn Berry party, but very glad I am here now. Northern Spy is fantastic: a slow burn page turner of two sisters caught up in the politics, violence, and, yes, spy craft of the Irish Republican Army and MI5. What makes this novel such a treasure is Berry's prose -- always beautiful and surprising and evocative and precise -- and narrator Tessa's desperate love for her baby boy.
June 7, 2021
This short book was an eye opener for me. I had assumed the Troubles were over after the Good Friday Agreement. But this book put that myth to bed. It might be two decades after the Good Friday Agreement, but the IRA is still alive and well, albeit more underground.
Tessa works as a producer at the BBC when a clip about a robbery at a gas station comes through. The clip shows the three robbers as they put on their balaclavas and one is her sister. She is in a state of disbelief. Her sister had given no clue that she was involved with the IRA. In fact, Tessa initially remains convinced that her sister was somehow abducted or coerced.
I loved the writing, concise but still descriptive. Broken glass was “Belfast confetti”.
The story delves into the bonds of family. What risks are you willing to take to protect those you love? This book just drew me in. It’s not fast paced, but there is a strong sense of suspense and tension throughout.The characters, especially Tessa, were well developed.
I listened to this and enjoyed Katherine Lee McEwen’s performance. She captured the emotions of Tessa and the stress of the situation.
Tessa works as a producer at the BBC when a clip about a robbery at a gas station comes through. The clip shows the three robbers as they put on their balaclavas and one is her sister. She is in a state of disbelief. Her sister had given no clue that she was involved with the IRA. In fact, Tessa initially remains convinced that her sister was somehow abducted or coerced.
I loved the writing, concise but still descriptive. Broken glass was “Belfast confetti”.
The story delves into the bonds of family. What risks are you willing to take to protect those you love? This book just drew me in. It’s not fast paced, but there is a strong sense of suspense and tension throughout.The characters, especially Tessa, were well developed.
I listened to this and enjoyed Katherine Lee McEwen’s performance. She captured the emotions of Tessa and the stress of the situation.
May 4, 2021
I'm between three and four stars for this one. The story, though somewhat predictable, was entertaining, the characters were well developed and the author crafted a sense of building tension as the story unfolded. The situation in Northern Ireland, past and present, is intriguing and something I was curious to learn more about, so I was excited when I heard about this book. However, I listened to it as an audiobook and I highly recommend not doing this. The narrator's voice was so monotonous, and it just didn't work for me at all. Overall, I liked The Northern Spy well enough, but I imagine I would have liked it better if I'd read it and not listened, which is my own fault, so I'll round up to four stars and leave it at that;-)
Find my book reviews and more at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find my book reviews and more at http://www.princessandpen.com
January 3, 2022
I was confused at first because I thought this book was set during the Troubles but at some point the cell phones and technology drove me to the internet where I discovered the IRA has rebranded itself and continues to fight. (The USA still calls it the IRA; other places it's referred to as The New IRA.) The novel is sent twenty years after the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, which the internet says ended "most" of the violence. Well this is the other part. One article even links it to Brexit.
It starts with Tessa, a single mother who works for the BBC from Belfast. The police think her sister Marian is working for the IRA, which is unfathomable, and the more she knows, the more she gets pulled in.
I love a good spy novel but also feel I should say the writing is stellar, and the author captures the complexity of the lives of women and female relationships amidst a very tense plot, very impressive.
Here are a few examples, not final copy so wording may vary slightly:
"At home, I take off my dress and drop it in the hamper...Once the dress is washed, maybe it won't seem tainted by today, though I already know I'll never wear it again, like the jumper I had on that day on Elgin Street, and the necklace I took off my throat while walking away from the collapsed building, like having it on was disrespectful, frivolous."
"There's always someone, for a mother, to tell you to pull your socks up." (so many opinions from strangers and neighbors about every little child rearing thing)
"We keep talking, and something settles in me, like silt falling to the bottom of a river. I feel more calm than I have in weeks. This isn't so difficult. I'm a woman, after all, so I've had a lifetime of practice guessing what a man wants me to say, or be. Seamus wants me to be brisk and capable, and he wants me to be angry, which I am, only not in the direction he thinks. Seamus asks me questions, and as I answer them, directly and mostly honestly, I think: I'm going to destroy you."
"Damian has some scotch, and I watch him carefully note down each of his drinks in the ledger. He's planning to murder someone tomorrow, but he won't steal drinks from an honesty bar."
"On air, the students are thoughtful and wry and tough... They painted extra letters onto one mural, changing it from Join the IRA to Join the Library."
(I found this was a real thing that happened!)
I had an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley; it came out April 6th. Reese picked it for her book club so it should be everywhere soon.
It starts with Tessa, a single mother who works for the BBC from Belfast. The police think her sister Marian is working for the IRA, which is unfathomable, and the more she knows, the more she gets pulled in.
I love a good spy novel but also feel I should say the writing is stellar, and the author captures the complexity of the lives of women and female relationships amidst a very tense plot, very impressive.
Here are a few examples, not final copy so wording may vary slightly:
"At home, I take off my dress and drop it in the hamper...Once the dress is washed, maybe it won't seem tainted by today, though I already know I'll never wear it again, like the jumper I had on that day on Elgin Street, and the necklace I took off my throat while walking away from the collapsed building, like having it on was disrespectful, frivolous."
"There's always someone, for a mother, to tell you to pull your socks up." (so many opinions from strangers and neighbors about every little child rearing thing)
"We keep talking, and something settles in me, like silt falling to the bottom of a river. I feel more calm than I have in weeks. This isn't so difficult. I'm a woman, after all, so I've had a lifetime of practice guessing what a man wants me to say, or be. Seamus wants me to be brisk and capable, and he wants me to be angry, which I am, only not in the direction he thinks. Seamus asks me questions, and as I answer them, directly and mostly honestly, I think: I'm going to destroy you."
"Damian has some scotch, and I watch him carefully note down each of his drinks in the ledger. He's planning to murder someone tomorrow, but he won't steal drinks from an honesty bar."
"On air, the students are thoughtful and wry and tough... They painted extra letters onto one mural, changing it from Join the IRA to Join the Library."
(I found this was a real thing that happened!)
I had an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley; it came out April 6th. Reese picked it for her book club so it should be everywhere soon.
April 7, 2021
Northern Spy is a riveting novel of how two sisters become dangerously entangled with the Irish Republican Army. Political news producer and mother to a six-month-old baby boy, whose custody she shares with her ex-husband, Tessa Daly is at work at the BBC Belfast bureau one day when the news of another IRA raid comes on the air. It's 2019, and although the IRA may have gone underground since 1998 and the two decades since the Good Friday Agreement, they never really went away; the zeitgeist in Northern Ireland remains at a constant simmer. Lately bomb threats, security checkpoints, and helicopters floating ominously over the city have become features of everyday life. As the news reporter requests the public's help in locating those responsible for the latest raid - a robbery at a gas station, security footage reveals Tessa's sister, the bohemian paramedic Marian, pulling a black ski mask over her face. She was one of the gun-toting trio involved. The police believe Tessa’s younger sister has joined the IRA, and Detective Fenton and his team decide to interrogate Tessa on the basis that she must have known about her sister’s involvement with the resurgent IRA and even that she herself may also be one of them. But Tessa is convinced Marian must have been abducted or coerced; the sisters have always opposed the violence enacted in the name of uniting Ireland. And besides, Marian is vacationing on the north coast; Tessa just spoke to her yesterday. When the truth about Marian comes to light, Tessa is faced with impossible choices that will test the limits of her ideals, the bonds of her family, her notions of right and wrong, and her identity as a sister and a mother.
She is shocked when Marian confesses to being an IRA member for the past 7 years, yet after a bomb she made failed to explode she is being carefully watched by her counterparts and viewed with suspicion. And all for good reason since she's been feeding information to MI5 but is now no longer able to meet her British handler. Once the shock of the revelations wear off, Tessa agrees to become a double agent too and is accepted into Marian’s crew. She's asked to take part in some pretty dangerous tasks for the IRA and then reports these to her British handler. But Tessa isn't as cut out for deceit, deception and espionage as her free-spirited sister and struggles to balance her life as mother of young Finn in a small, remote town and walking the tightrope between terrorist and informer hoping for a brighter, safer and more secure future for both Ireland and her precious son. This is a scintillating spy thriller set against a volatile Belfast backdrop and featuring a wickedly twisty plot with a theme of sisterhood at its heart. Taut, moving and palpably tense, this is a tale of tested and conflicting loyalties in a deeply divided Northern Ireland still experiencing reverberations from the dreaded days of The Troubles. Through the use of short, pithy chapters, Berry ratchets up the suspense and at times it becomes almost unbearably perilous. Fighting their way through a minefield of loyalty, betrayal and chilling ideology, this claustrophobic and oppressively atmospheric work of lyrically written Irish noir is an exploration of the contemporary IRA, the love we hold for family, the trials and tribulations of motherhood and the sacrifices we must make to achieve peace. Highly recommended.
She is shocked when Marian confesses to being an IRA member for the past 7 years, yet after a bomb she made failed to explode she is being carefully watched by her counterparts and viewed with suspicion. And all for good reason since she's been feeding information to MI5 but is now no longer able to meet her British handler. Once the shock of the revelations wear off, Tessa agrees to become a double agent too and is accepted into Marian’s crew. She's asked to take part in some pretty dangerous tasks for the IRA and then reports these to her British handler. But Tessa isn't as cut out for deceit, deception and espionage as her free-spirited sister and struggles to balance her life as mother of young Finn in a small, remote town and walking the tightrope between terrorist and informer hoping for a brighter, safer and more secure future for both Ireland and her precious son. This is a scintillating spy thriller set against a volatile Belfast backdrop and featuring a wickedly twisty plot with a theme of sisterhood at its heart. Taut, moving and palpably tense, this is a tale of tested and conflicting loyalties in a deeply divided Northern Ireland still experiencing reverberations from the dreaded days of The Troubles. Through the use of short, pithy chapters, Berry ratchets up the suspense and at times it becomes almost unbearably perilous. Fighting their way through a minefield of loyalty, betrayal and chilling ideology, this claustrophobic and oppressively atmospheric work of lyrically written Irish noir is an exploration of the contemporary IRA, the love we hold for family, the trials and tribulations of motherhood and the sacrifices we must make to achieve peace. Highly recommended.
May 29, 2021
3.5 stars
That feeling of not being able to escape once you get involved in an organization such as the IRA, or MI5, of a noose around your neck, pulled tighter and tighter the more you try to escape. Nothing is what it seems and no one can be trusted.
That feeling of not being able to escape once you get involved in an organization such as the IRA, or MI5, of a noose around your neck, pulled tighter and tighter the more you try to escape. Nothing is what it seems and no one can be trusted.
March 23, 2022
"I'm going to see them again...one day, when we're old".
Oh, how I loved every moment of this novel! I can understand why Reese Witherspoon chose this for her book club.
"Northern Spy" tells the story of a BBC producer named Tessa who is covering a burglary carried out by the IRA. In the middle of the coverage, she suddenly sees her sister (Marian) hop out of a van and put a ski mask over her face. Tessa refuses to believe that her sister has joined the terrorist group. As the police start questioning Tessa and revealing facts to her, she soon finds out that there are a lot of secrets Marian has been keeping from her for years.
Tessa has to make a decision to either put her son's life at risk and fight for the greater good or to walk away, leaving her sister to fend for herself and possibly be killed.
I was riveted with this story from beginning to ending, not sure how it was going to play out until the end. I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Katharine Lee McEwan. Her Irish accent is amazing! Five stars for me. 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Oh, how I loved every moment of this novel! I can understand why Reese Witherspoon chose this for her book club.
"Northern Spy" tells the story of a BBC producer named Tessa who is covering a burglary carried out by the IRA. In the middle of the coverage, she suddenly sees her sister (Marian) hop out of a van and put a ski mask over her face. Tessa refuses to believe that her sister has joined the terrorist group. As the police start questioning Tessa and revealing facts to her, she soon finds out that there are a lot of secrets Marian has been keeping from her for years.
Tessa has to make a decision to either put her son's life at risk and fight for the greater good or to walk away, leaving her sister to fend for herself and possibly be killed.
I was riveted with this story from beginning to ending, not sure how it was going to play out until the end. I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Katharine Lee McEwan. Her Irish accent is amazing! Five stars for me. 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
May 18, 2024
This book was well written and the storyline was interesting. The reason for the three stars? Just not for me. I’m sure lots of people throughly enjoyed it.
December 5, 2020
I received a copy of this from Netgalley and Viking in exchange for a review.
Flynn Berry has a new book out! And with all the publishing book buzzes I've watched online this year I somehow hadn't heard about this one before a few weeks ago, so there's a small delight in this ridiculous year, in which I have now read one good novel set in Ireland and written in the present tense. This was meant to be my read-on-work-breaks book for the week but instead I absolutely inhaled this, missing the atmosphere and the characters and Berry’s impeccably lovely little details when I had to do anything other than continue with it. Her writing is just as rich and ethereal as ever, and though this is a tense but not air-tight thriller about the IRA for reasons I’ll get into in a moment, the real delight and heft of the story lies in Tessa's relationship with her baby Finn, whom she is raising mainly alone, Finn’s dad Tom on the periphery for parenting time with his son on Sundays. I adored Tessa’s devotion to her son and all of the little facets about caring for a baby that are easy to forget about since it’s been over ten years since I was in that game. How it physically aches to be away from him, the unbelievable exhaustion and how delightful he is in spite of it. Sometimes life just sits in its groove and does its thing and you let slip from your mind the wonder that you’ve made a whole other person and how remarkable and marvelous that is (especially when they happen to be a totally awesome smart-ass genius like my particular person) and I loved how much Tessa cherished her son.
The only bummer of this book is that the more I pick at the plot the more it unravels like a ratty sweater. However, one of my very favorite books ever is The Likeness, the premise of which is absolutely mad on its face and that doesn’t stop me from loving it to bits, nor shall the suspension of disbelief required to read this book keep me from loving it as well. At some point Tessa asks herself, “Why would I need help? I have my son. I have my body, I have food, weather, a stack of books to read,” which is so like what I tell myself in gratitude every night of every day I’m allowed that it made me pause and wonder if Berry was in my brain (this is nonwithstanding the fact that Tessa, much like all of us, has suffered quite a bit of trauma and does definitely need help) and it feels worth four stars just for that.
Flynn Berry has a new book out! And with all the publishing book buzzes I've watched online this year I somehow hadn't heard about this one before a few weeks ago, so there's a small delight in this ridiculous year, in which I have now read one good novel set in Ireland and written in the present tense. This was meant to be my read-on-work-breaks book for the week but instead I absolutely inhaled this, missing the atmosphere and the characters and Berry’s impeccably lovely little details when I had to do anything other than continue with it. Her writing is just as rich and ethereal as ever, and though this is a tense but not air-tight thriller about the IRA for reasons I’ll get into in a moment, the real delight and heft of the story lies in Tessa's relationship with her baby Finn, whom she is raising mainly alone, Finn’s dad Tom on the periphery for parenting time with his son on Sundays. I adored Tessa’s devotion to her son and all of the little facets about caring for a baby that are easy to forget about since it’s been over ten years since I was in that game. How it physically aches to be away from him, the unbelievable exhaustion and how delightful he is in spite of it. Sometimes life just sits in its groove and does its thing and you let slip from your mind the wonder that you’ve made a whole other person and how remarkable and marvelous that is (especially when they happen to be a totally awesome smart-ass genius like my particular person) and I loved how much Tessa cherished her son.
The only bummer of this book is that the more I pick at the plot the more it unravels like a ratty sweater. However, one of my very favorite books ever is The Likeness, the premise of which is absolutely mad on its face and that doesn’t stop me from loving it to bits, nor shall the suspension of disbelief required to read this book keep me from loving it as well. At some point Tessa asks herself, “Why would I need help? I have my son. I have my body, I have food, weather, a stack of books to read,” which is so like what I tell myself in gratitude every night of every day I’m allowed that it made me pause and wonder if Berry was in my brain (this is nonwithstanding the fact that Tessa, much like all of us, has suffered quite a bit of trauma and does definitely need help) and it feels worth four stars just for that.
February 8, 2022
I’m going right down the middle with my three star rating for this book. While the book held my interest and kept me turning pages fast enough, I’m still left a little underwhelmed with the whole story. This story felt too rushed and convoluted for me.
Northern Spy gives you a glimpse into the violence in Northern Ireland, and what the IRA members were and what they did. You also have a little glimpse of the informers. Also at the center of this story is that of two sisters Tessa and Marian. If I’m being honest, I don’t think either one of these two individuals made good choices. Especially that of Tessa- I feel that she made hasty decisions and worried more about her sister than newborn son. I don’t have any sisters, so maybe my thoughts on this are not right.
I may not have even chosen this book to read, but because I’m in a love/hate relationship with Reese Witherspoon and her book club picks, I gave this a go. This book was okay, but I’ll probably forget all about it by weeks end. This book was not one of my favorites from Reese’s book club picks.
Northern Spy gives you a glimpse into the violence in Northern Ireland, and what the IRA members were and what they did. You also have a little glimpse of the informers. Also at the center of this story is that of two sisters Tessa and Marian. If I’m being honest, I don’t think either one of these two individuals made good choices. Especially that of Tessa- I feel that she made hasty decisions and worried more about her sister than newborn son. I don’t have any sisters, so maybe my thoughts on this are not right.
I may not have even chosen this book to read, but because I’m in a love/hate relationship with Reese Witherspoon and her book club picks, I gave this a go. This book was okay, but I’ll probably forget all about it by weeks end. This book was not one of my favorites from Reese’s book club picks.
April 8, 2021
I was expecting this to be a great book. but I was highly disappointed. NOTHING happened until 60% into the book, even then it went to the climax and straight down to plain and boring. The climax happened as quickly as it came. Once everything happened it was boring again. I believe Reese Witherspoon could have picked a better book for her Book Club than this one.
September 12, 2021
I thought that this was going to be a spy thriller in the usual sense, and in some respects, it was. I learned a lot about the IRA, the tactics, the recruitment, the counter espionage employed by England. However, it was really a story of Tessa, her search for her sister Marian, and her son Flynn. Their personal lives provide the storyline and the fact that Marian has joined the IRA, is almost a subplot.
The writing is what saves this and the characters are thoughtful and well-developed. I am seeing that the story is out of context historically, but that doesn't bother me. The troubles in Northern Ireland provided the backdrop needed to help Tessa on her emotional journey which included whatever she could do to make the world a better place for her son, Flynn.
The writing is what saves this and the characters are thoughtful and well-developed. I am seeing that the story is out of context historically, but that doesn't bother me. The troubles in Northern Ireland provided the backdrop needed to help Tessa on her emotional journey which included whatever she could do to make the world a better place for her son, Flynn.
June 8, 2021
I had so many issues with this book. As I kept going, hoping it would improve, it steadily got worse. This does no justice for the Northern Irish & Irish that lived/ are living through these troubles. I sure did learn a lot about the life of Tessa’s baby, Finn though. *Eye roll*
April 23, 2021
(c/p from my review on TheStoryGraph) UGH!!!!! Colonialist pro-cop bullshit. Nothing short of predictable bootlicking with a poor plot and flat characters with the depth of a tea cup. Honestly so annoyed at this whole book I cannot even come up with a more coherent response other than being MAD
May 7, 2021
I have major issues with the author’s handling of the Northern Irish conflict. The author oversimplified the conflict and exaggerated the current state of violence in Northern Ireland. There I have said it and as much as I try to give a positive review since I see the amount of work writers put in and the fact that every book is not for every reader or even every reading mood or time, but this aspect of the book kept annoying me and I was not really able to let it go ... had the book been set in the 70s or 80s it might have worked better but even than there were different paramilitary factions and so many other forces at play ... I was reminded of the American Dirt conflict and the question who can write which fiction, but this for me is a case of it having gone a little of the rails.
The pacing was quick and the book kept me engaged, and I was able to read it in a few relatively short sittings...
The characters on the other hand felt flat and archetypal. The author portrayed Tessa as the young single mother whose sole preoccupation is raising her infant son. She was constantly thinking about him which seemed at odds with her decision to become a spy and risk her life. I am all for heros but to decide on such a path as a gainfully employed single mother of an infant at a point in time where she could have just stepped away seemed quite implausible and plausible explanation were not provided. Her character wasn’t the only one who lacked depth. It just wasn’t the book for me !
The pacing was quick and the book kept me engaged, and I was able to read it in a few relatively short sittings...
The characters on the other hand felt flat and archetypal. The author portrayed Tessa as the young single mother whose sole preoccupation is raising her infant son. She was constantly thinking about him which seemed at odds with her decision to become a spy and risk her life. I am all for heros but to decide on such a path as a gainfully employed single mother of an infant at a point in time where she could have just stepped away seemed quite implausible and plausible explanation were not provided. Her character wasn’t the only one who lacked depth. It just wasn’t the book for me !
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January 12, 2022Wow, what a fun read! The book is about two sisters, Tessa and Marian, and how their bond shifts as one sister becomes involved with the IRA. Tessa does not believe that Marian could have joined the IRA willingly, and is determined to uncover the truth, even though it may jeopardize her infant son. The story is a quick-paced, action-packed read, making it a perfect book for a long weekend or plane flight! If you enjoy books about sisterly bonds and the lengths people will go for the people they love, this is for you! – Rachel M.
April 28, 2021
I was looking forward to this book for a number a reasons. A new author I had never read before and subject matter about which I knew very little, set in a place about which I knew even less. I assumed the author is Irish and had first-hand knowledge of the ongoing conflict in her country, but sadly I was very wrong. And I mean seriously wrong. It seems calling mom "mam" and a lake "lough" is the extent of her knowledge of Northern Ireland.
The biggest flaw I found in this book has to do with one of the basic tenets of spycraft - secrecy. Spies don't tell everyone what they are doing. Secret agents don't blab about their latest escapade. Undercover police don't share the details of their assignments. Except in Flynn Berry's world they do. Just ask and they'll tell you everything with no concerns that you just might let it slip to the wrong person what you now know.
Then again, maybe not. Because even the police and government officials are morons too who have no clue how to conduct an investigation. I don't even want to explain how flawed the execution of witness protection is in this book, or the fact that top, trained snipers can't hit the broad side of a barn.
So if you're looking for a political thriller, which is how this book is being marketed, you'll be very disappointed. It's much more about the strange, bad choices a mother makes and the angst she feels as a result. Then again, even this came off as overly melodramatic and I had to wonder if the author has ever met the mother of a small toddler let alone been one.
So nothing to recommend here. Glad I'm done.
The biggest flaw I found in this book has to do with one of the basic tenets of spycraft - secrecy. Spies don't tell everyone what they are doing. Secret agents don't blab about their latest escapade. Undercover police don't share the details of their assignments. Except in Flynn Berry's world they do. Just ask and they'll tell you everything with no concerns that you just might let it slip to the wrong person what you now know.
Then again, maybe not. Because even the police and government officials are morons too who have no clue how to conduct an investigation. I don't even want to explain how flawed the execution of witness protection is in this book, or the fact that top, trained snipers can't hit the broad side of a barn.
So if you're looking for a political thriller, which is how this book is being marketed, you'll be very disappointed. It's much more about the strange, bad choices a mother makes and the angst she feels as a result. Then again, even this came off as overly melodramatic and I had to wonder if the author has ever met the mother of a small toddler let alone been one.
So nothing to recommend here. Glad I'm done.
April 16, 2021
A page-turning historical fiction with sparks of interwoven thrills and horror. This novel takes a deep dive into the tough and gut-wrenching times of a war-torn Ireland where fear, despair, and devastation were the norm. The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) is an oath-bound organization deeply dedicated to establishing Ireland as an independent democratic republic from 1858 to 1924, ultimately free from British rule. They are vastly seen as terrorists, killing numerous innocents while striving towards their goals. The main lead finds herself in a position where she unwillingly, due to unfortunate circumstances, becomes a government informer and poses as an IRB member with the overall intend to achieve peace between the parties. Situated in a very dangerous position, she struggles to protect her son, sister, and her country. A moving story that had me holding my breath and wanting to know more. The writing style was fluid and the relationship dynamic, especially between the lead and her sister, was incredible to read about. Also, I loved the portrayal of motherhood; the little moments between the lead and her son, I will forever remember. It was beautifully written in a way that was realistic and inspiring. Moreover, it was intriguing reading about the dynamics within the members of the IRB as Flynn reveals a side to them hidden from the world. This is a definite must-read!!
April 14, 2021
Очень хороша книга - не детектив, не триллер, просто драматичная история одной семьи в Северной Ирландии, связанная с IRA. Раз история семейная, то одни сцены - грудной ребёнок, свадьба двоюродной сестры, купание в холодном море, раздумья насчёт пользы от крема против растяжек после родов, чередуются с изготовлением бомбы, раскапыванием схронов с оружием, убийствами полицейских и политиков, закладыванием бомб, которые часто не взрываются. И вот изложенная таким достаточно спокойным тоном история становится очень жуткой из-за того, что может случиться с теми, кто попал в поле зрения IRA, по своей воле или нет, и из-за того, что террор - это просто работа, бомбу подложил - пошёл в бар с друзьями выпить виски, а потом спокойно поехал на основную работу. Было иногда очень страшно.
April 13, 2021
The writing is compulsively readable but when I found out that the author was not native to Northern Ireland, it genuinely disappointed me. I thought I was reading a story from the actual perspective of someone from or living in that area right now, where attacks are becoming more prevalent again. Also, the MC is supposed to be from a Catholic family but seems to identify more with the Protestants/Loyalists, which doesn't seem right. She works for the BBC (which is well-known to have poorly covered the events like Bloody Sunday - this is just brushed away in two sentences), wants to get out of Ireland, is super judgmental towards her sister even though she has had family members and friends growing up who joined the IRA, still maintains that she wants a free Ireland but doesn't seem to sympathize with any sort of cause -it obviously doesn't have to be a terrorist group! - ). She immediately rats out her sister, with whom she is very close, to the police when she sees the video of the robbery. This automatically made me not like the MC. At times the story trivializes the persecutions the Catholic residents of Northern Ireland have dealt with for literally hundreds of years and the constant prejudices that can lead to radicalization. It had so much potential but, honestly, I wouldn't recommend this unless you want a quick thriller that doesn’t take any set opinion on the English occupation set in Northern Ireland.
December 4, 2021
Set in 2018 in Northern Ireland, Tessa is a single mother to six-month-old Finn. She works as a producer at the Belfast arm of the BBC. When she sees her sister on camera, committing a robbery with the IRA, she assumes her sister was abducted. She is questioned by the police. She eventually must choose whether or not to get involved.
The premise of the story is that the IRA has gone underground but is still active despite the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. It explores how far we will go to protect family and whom to protect when we cannot protect everyone. As a story of family, difficult decisions, and suspenseful situations, it is effective. However, I do not think the author sets up the historical context very well. She immensely oversimplifies the issues involved in The Troubles. It would have made more sense to set the story in the 1970s - 1990s. It reads like an alternate history, which is, perhaps, the author’s intent, but it should be made clear to the reader.
The premise of the story is that the IRA has gone underground but is still active despite the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. It explores how far we will go to protect family and whom to protect when we cannot protect everyone. As a story of family, difficult decisions, and suspenseful situations, it is effective. However, I do not think the author sets up the historical context very well. She immensely oversimplifies the issues involved in The Troubles. It would have made more sense to set the story in the 1970s - 1990s. It reads like an alternate history, which is, perhaps, the author’s intent, but it should be made clear to the reader.
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