The Guns of Heaven Audiobook By Pete Hamill cover art

The Guns of Heaven

A Hard Case Crime Novel

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The Guns of Heaven

By: Pete Hamill
Narrated by: Christian Conn
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On a visit to Northern Ireland, newspaper reporter Sam Briscoe meets with a mysterious IRA leader and agrees to deliver an envelope to his supporters in New York City. It's a decision with grave consequences - not just for Briscoe, but for his 11-year-old daughter as well. Because the bloody Irish conflict is about to come to the streets of New York, and Briscoe is the only man standing in its way...©1983 Deirdre Enterprises, Inc. ; 2008 BBC Audio Hard-Boiled Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction New York
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Pete is one of my favorite writers. I found this entertaining, if not as fulfilling as his other works. It passed the time nicely

Entertaining

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Good story. Hamill brings together a reporter, the IRA, northern Ireland, and southern U.S Jesus freaks in a way I didn't expect.

Plot has an interesting 70's Irish backdrop.

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Hamill drops us into the middle of adventure. Sam Briscoe is our protagonist and he’s a man down on his luck. His wife left him and his kid is in some boarding school in Europe. Lucky for Briscoe he’s a first generation American, and has family in Ireland - where thanks to the IRA there’s a story. He gets his paper to pay his way to Europe to cover the story, and on his return trip home he works it out so he has a lay over near his daughter and can see her.

The fucking oppressive British, unethical behavior on Briscoe’s part, gangsters, kidnapping - and as always, murder most foul. Briscoe meets a high ranking member of the IRA and agrees to bring a letter back to NY. Next thing we know he’s being followed across countries and oceans. There are fist fights, and car chases and explosions; double and triple crosses and some bland sexy scenes.

If the story had stayed in Europe and focused on Ireland and the IRA it would most likely have been the five star story it started out as. Instead were brought back to New York, Irish Americans, love of the old country, and the weight of it all fades even as the sex and the violence kick up a notch.

It’s fine. But that’s it. Fine. I wanted to read the plight of the oppressed Irish throughout. I wanted this to be about a reporter who got sucked back into old family grudges and debts, but instead it became another detective noir. Which is fine. I just wanted more Ireland and proper IRA, none of this watered down American idealist IRA.

2.5 out of 5

The IRA is alive and well in NY

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