logo
Book review: Gripping tale of right v wrong

Book review: Gripping tale of right v wrong

Irish Examiner24-05-2025

All Katie wants is a quiet life with her little daughter Hope and her mother living nearby.
She likes her hometown of Derry and her job as a cleaner and barmaid in O'Reillys pub.
All changes for her when two detectives approach her, wanting her to report back to them what she hears at the pub, particularly conversations between brothers Mark and Terry, her employers.
Her first-person narrative draws the reader in: it's absorbing, compelling.
What makes her likeable and convincing as a character is that she's not perfect and is honest about it.
She sleeps with married colleague Benny after a wedding across the border in Donegal, and it's not for the first time.
That is when her life changes. It's when leaving his hotel room that she's approached by the two detectives, who never reveal their identities, so she decides to call them Black-Hair and English.
Growing up in Derry, Katie is aware of what has happened to informers in the past.
She is faced with an impossible choice — if she reports to the detectives, she risks being discovered and probably killed. If she refuses, they threaten not only her but also her little daughter.
To convince her of their power, they show her proof that they have been watching her for months and know a lot about her life.
They then send Benny's wife Amy just one photo of her kissing him, while showing Katie much more compromising images of the two of them together.
When Amy physically attacks her, Katie understands why and feels bad about it.
Katie knows that getting on the wrong side of the O'Reilly brothers could mean her death.
The only way she can survive is by convincing them that she is the one they least suspect.
She's helped by Mark revealing that he's attracted to her, and so inclined to believe whatever she says.
Before discovering how he feels towards her, she had been aware of his kindness towards her. Now she has to cleverly manage to keep delaying having to be intimate with him, using various excuses.
The narrative moves at such a brisk pace, building up tension, that it is almost unbearable.
You cannot help identifying with Katie, who is faced with impossible choices. She seems so alone, apart from her mother and little Hope.
Although she has lived in the same place all her life, she appears to have no close friends, just colleagues.
The detectives are investigating drug-dealing and the violence associated with it — one would consider that a good motive behind them approaching Katie for help but the methods used are deplorable.
When she discovers that one of them is motivated by revenge, it makes her even more determined to evade them.
This is a gripping, nail-biting thriller that explores the fine line between right and wrong, justice and revenge. How do you choose which side to support when both are wrong?
The author cleverly builds up Katie's feeling of being trapped and her desperate attempts to survive.
She is an unforgettable character and it's a novel which will be remembered long after you finish it — it's a triumph.
Brian McGilloway is the author of 11 crime novels, including the Ben Devlin and Lucy Black series. He lives in Strabane, where he teaches.
Read More
Book review: All aboard for an enthralling ride in this explosive historical thriller

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Katie Price's high fashion ad BANNED for ‘objectifying and sexualising women'
Katie Price's high fashion ad BANNED for ‘objectifying and sexualising women'

The Irish Sun

time10 minutes ago

  • The Irish Sun

Katie Price's high fashion ad BANNED for ‘objectifying and sexualising women'

AN ad for clothing brand Diesel featuring Katie Price was irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence by objectifying and sexualising women, a watchdog has ruled. The 2 Katie Price has had her high fashion campaign banned Credit: TNI Press She appeared as part of the clothing giant's SS2025 collection. Katie Her boyfriend But the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 13 complaints that the ad objectified and sexualised women and featured a model who appeared to be unhealthily thin. Read More on Katie Price The advert was shown all around the world to over 100 countries with Katie appearing skinny and dressed in a glittering bikini while holding up a Diesel handbag to cover her stomach. It was first featured on the Guardian website on 26 March this year and then shared widely across social media, including on Katie's own accounts. Diesel said the ad was part of a brand campaign called 'The Houseguests', which was designed to challenge stereotypes and support diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry by reflecting a wide range of body types. They argued it showed Katie in 'an active and dynamic pose where she proudly showed off her body and the handbag." Most read in Celebrity Diesel added she "was well-known for her exaggerated appearance and larger-than-life personality and her large lips and breasts formed part of her curated public image. That exaggerated, eccentric and altered appearance formed part of the creativity of the campaign.' They believed the image was a "celebration of Katie's sexuality and empowerment and was not objectifying, degrading or sexualising" and further stated that Katie "was slender, she had excellent muscle tone and was not unhealthily underweight". Katie Price's £10k facelift looks tighter than ever in new video as fans say 'that looks painful!' Partly upholding the complaints, the ASA said the bikini only partially covered Price's breasts, and it considered the positioning of the handbag, in front of her stomach with the handle framing her chest, drew viewers' attention to, and emphasised, that part of her body. The ruling from the ASA said: "While we acknowledged that Ms Price was shown in a confident and self-assured pose and in control, we considered that because of the positioning of the handbag, which had the effect of emphasising and drawing attention to her breasts, the ad sexualised her in a way that objectified her. "We therefore considered the ad was likely to cause serious offence, was irresponsible and breached the Code." However, the ASA did not uphold complaints about Katie appearing to be unhealthily thin, and concluded that the ad was not irresponsible on that basis. They said: "Her hair had been styled away from her face in a beehive style, in such a way as to elongate her face and her head was slightly tilted downwards which added to that effect, but we did not consider she appeared gaunt. "None of her bones were obviously protruding." The watchdog ruled that the ad must not appear again, adding: "We told Diesel to ensure their future ads were socially responsible and did not cause serious or widespread offence." Katie Price's Surgery: A Timeline 1998 - Katie underwent her first breast augmentation taking her from a natural B cup to a C cup. She also had her first liposuction 1999 - Katie had two more boob jobs in the same year, one taking her from a C cup to a D cup, and then up to an F cup 2006 - Katie went under the knife to take her breasts up to a G cup 2007 - Katie had a rhinoplasty and veneers on her teeth 2008 - Katie stunned fans by reducing her breasts from an F cup to a C cup 2011 - Going back to an F cup, Katie also underwent body-contouring treatment and cheek and lip fillers 2014/5 - Following a nasty infection, Katie had her breast implants removed 2016 - Opting for bigger breasts yet again, Katie had another set of implants, along with implants, Botox and lip fillers 2017 - After a disastrous 'threading' facelift, Katie also had her veneers replaced. She also had her eighth boob job taking her to a GG cup 2018 - Katie went under the knife yet again for a facelift 2019 - After jetting to Turkey, Katie had a face, eye and eyelid lift, Brazilian bum lift and a tummy tuck 2020 - Katie has her 12th boob job in Belgium to correct botched surgery and a new set of veneers 2021 - In a complete body overhaul, she opts for eye and lip lifts, liposuction under her chin, fat injected into her bum and full body liposuction 2022 - Katie undergoes another brow and eye lift-and undergoes 'biggest ever' boob job in Belgium, her 16th in total 2023 - Opting for a second rhinoplasty, Katie also gets a lip lift at the same time as well as new lip filler throughout the year 2024 - Katie has her 17th boob job in Brussels after revealing she wanted to downsize. She performed at Dublin Pride just days later and surgeons warned the lack of recovery posed a risk of infection 2 The advert featuring the star has been pulled Credit: Getty

Dance nights and beach days: Tony's photos provide a glimpse of Kerry in the 1950s and '60s
Dance nights and beach days: Tony's photos provide a glimpse of Kerry in the 1950s and '60s

Irish Examiner

time4 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

Dance nights and beach days: Tony's photos provide a glimpse of Kerry in the 1950s and '60s

All of life's carnival is on display in a collection of photographs recently acquired by the Kerry Writers' Museum. Tony Fitzmaurice passed away in 2019 aged 87. Little did the wider world – including some close relatives – know of the archive he built up over half a century taking photos of his homeplace, Ballybunion, and the people of north Kerry. His photos from the 1950s in particular evoke the world of the Brooklyn film starring Saoirse Ronan, a time when cigarette-smoking was de rigueur. Kathy Reynolds, neé Kathy Fitzmaurice, left Ballybunion as a 13-year-old in the 1960s, emigrating to London. Her father was Fitzmaurice's guardian. She is a photographer, as is her English husband. They called to Fitzmaurice's house shortly after his death. Fitzmaurice's widow, Madeline, had asked them to do something with the photos and negatives that were stored in her late husband's office at the back of the house and in their loft. While rooting around, they stumbled upon Fitzmaurice's calling card, 'Tony's Photo Service: Kerry's Youngest and Best Ballroom Photographer'. As a child, Reynolds remembered her surrogate uncle's darkroom, effectively an 'oversized cupboard' at the bottom of the kitchen, but she had no appreciation of the photos he took. 'I had this vague impression he used to do photography, but I didn't realise he did ballroom photography,' says Reynolds. 'It's clear he did it to fund his photographic hobby. It was kind of a weekend thing.' Reynolds adds: 'My interest is in landscape photography. I talked to Tony umpteen times about landscape photography, about different films, different cameras, different lenses to produce particular types of shot. So when I got his archive, the first thing I said to Madeline was, 'I'm really looking forward to going through this because you'll have some fabulous landscape shots of Ireland.' And she looked at me and said, 'Why Kathy? He took people.' ' Jack Savage pictured in 1960. Picture by Tony Fitzmaurice, courtesy of Kerry Writers' Museum Fitzmaurice live out his life in Ballybunion. 'It was his inspiration, his subject, in that he took photos of its people throughout that time. The only place he stood for hours waiting for a sunset was on Ballybunion Castle Green. It was the first thing that surprised me – the fact he didn't do a lot of landscape photography, as he was in the most wonderful place. 'One of the early photographs I found was of a sunset in Ballybunion. It was taken in October 1968. It wasn't printed – it was a Kodak colour slide. "I've been in touch with archives in Ireland, like the John Hinde archive, and they haven't got anything like it. It's probably my favourite photograph because it's the castle of my childhood, what I remember as a child. If you go back there now, most of the top of the castle – what you might call the chimney part – is gone. So that's my childhood in Ballybunion.' Fitzmaurice was born in 1932. He spent his working life as a civil servant with the Kerry County Council, while moonlighting as a photographer. He got his first camera in 1953 as a gift for his 21st birthday, initially taking photos of family and friends, of young people in their late teens and early twenties, in their homes, and on the strand in Ballybunion, learning and developing his craft. His first recorded photograph dates back to 1954. 'The first commercial work he did was the annual Teacher's Dress Dance in Listowel in 1956,' says Reynolds. 'It was a big social event. Once we began digitising those photos, we realised they were amazing, that there was really good photographs of people. "People were dressed up to the nines in their evening wear, which tells us so much about the fashion, the social mores at that time. The fashion of the ladies was incredible. A lot of their dresses were handmade. After the war, cloth wouldn't have been that easy to get. 'I came across things like 1960 Confirmation Day in Ballybunion. That was amazing because it was the character of the kids that shone through. They were dressed up for their day. There are ones from a Wren Boys competition in Listowel. Most of them are around the dance hall, but those dances are very much community-based like The Pioneers' Social. That one is wonderful because there isn't a drink in sight. It's tea and cake, everybody sitting there. It's those moments captured that are important.' A couple at a dance. Picture by Tony Fitzmaurice, courtesy of Kerry Writers' Museum Reynolds and her husband spent 'three winters' digitising their haul. Then began the great search to put names on faces. They started posting Fitzmaurice's photos on a webpage. They reached out to the public through a variety of channels, including north Kerry Facebook pages and through a friend, Noelle Hegarty, a retired postmistress in Lisselton, who recognised people and connected Reynolds with others who could name those photographed. Last year, Reynolds's project kicked on a gear when she approached the Kerry Writers' Museum in Listowel, who agreed to archive and help restore the collection she has gifted to them. The Heritage Council has already invested €100,000 over two years in the restoration work. This includes the job of cataloguing more than 26,000 photos in a searchable database, and making them freely available to the public. In mid-May, there was a showcase event at the collection's new home, in which a 10x8-feet montage of 70 photos were put on display in the museum. The idea was to start a conversation with the community around north Kerry. There are plans for a book, and an exhibition based on the book, which is being led by the curator Ciarán Walsh. Mary Walsh (right) and an unnamed woman looking happy in one of Fitzmaurice's pictures. Picture by Tony Fitzmaurice, courtesy of Kerry Writers' Museum 'Kathy Reynolds liked the idea of the collection going into a small museum in north Kerry where it would not be monetised, but would be made publicly available to everyone,' says Walsh. 'She saw it was like handing it back to the community from whence it came. I suppose if you were to ask me one word that defines this collection it's 'community'. 'What stands out is how Tony had total access to the community of Ballybunion. The result is an extraordinary intimacy of portrayal. Take the girl in a floral dress where she's lying beside a couple wrapped around one another in the sand dunes. "Another photograph – and take that this is around 1954 – there's a family on the beach and the mother is sunbathing in her bra. It's that complete absence of difference between the photographer and the people he's photographing. There are no inhibitions, no walls. 'There's a photo we used on a poster of two girls lying on the grass. From a woman's perspective, the 1950s in Ireland were pretty grim. Here you have two young women full of life. It's so positive. It's a close-up. He must have been only about two or three feet from their faces. There's this wonderful intimacy about that photograph, but it's also the joy that comes through.' The Tony Fitzmaurice Collection is housed at Kerry Writers' Museum, Listowel, Co Kerry. See: and Other images from the Tony Fitzmaurice collection Men sip their tea a dance in Ardee. Pictures by Tony Fitzmaurice, courtesy of Kerry Writers' Museum A couple kiss in the dunes. A group of young people at a dance. A happy-looking couple at a dance. Three Kerry women, including one who is almost finished eating her apple. A woman shades children on the beach. A woman and man at a dance in Asdee in 1957.

England footie ace Millie Bright's hunky new personal trainer lover revealed as kickboxer dad of SEVEN
England footie ace Millie Bright's hunky new personal trainer lover revealed as kickboxer dad of SEVEN

The Irish Sun

time5 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

England footie ace Millie Bright's hunky new personal trainer lover revealed as kickboxer dad of SEVEN

THIS is the hunky personal trainer that England star Millie Bright has fallen for after splitting with her fiancee. We revealed on Saturday how 3 England footie ace Millie Bright met the married father-of-seven last year Credit: Getty 3 Martial arts enthusiast Dave Zetolofsky became her PT at her local gym Credit: Facebook He can now be named as martial arts enthusiast Dave Zetolofsky, 39, and the pair's new romance has seen him move into her Surrey home. The Lioness World Cup captain last week devastated fans by making herself The trophy-laden However, she has told friends that her new romance is nothing to do with her withdrawing from the squad. Read more on Millie Bright There is also no suggestion that the pair cheated on their partners. However, their relationship has 'devastated' the hunk's wife Katie, who gave birth to their baby last January. Pals said Millie, 31, began training at the 21st Century Combat gym in Redhill, Surrey, where she met fighter Dave. Most read in Football The beefcake is still co-owner of the fitness hub with his wife Katie, despite their sudden marriage split. Sources say Three Lions icon Millie joined a PT group in February this year and 'began flirting' with Dave - a former pro kick-boxer. England football ace Millie Bright leaves fiancé & falls for married personal trainer 'in a big way' They 'got more serious' after Millie ended things with Levi, and Dave split from Katie 'out of the blue'. Friends claimed Millie paid for Dave, an expert in Muay Thai - a full contact combat martial art - to stay in hotels after he walked out of the family home. And shortly afterwards Dave was seen at Millie's luxury pad on a private road in Surrey, leaving his five-month-old baby with devastated Katie. A source said: 'Their relationship is no secret and they've even been seen out and about together and in the gym together. 'I think you can understand that Katie has found the whole thing pretty devastating. 'The fall-out has been enormous, but Millie has fallen hook, line and sinker for this guy.' Millie, who has won a staggering 19 gongs during her career with the Blues, declared herself 'not happy' before pulling out of the England squad for the tournament in The England squad will begin their tournament preparations on June 16, and kick-off against much fancied 3 Millie has split from husband-to-be Levi Crew Credit: Instagram

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store