Readers in the United States may be under the illusion that the Troubles in Northern Ireland ended simply because they don't highlight our news broadcasts anymore. In Blood Will Be Born, author Gary Donnelly shows us that it isn't true. There are too many still living from those days, too many who like their little crime syndicates, too many children who will never forget the wrongs done their families in times past.

The story is a steamroller with a stellar cast. John Fryer, a patient in a psychiatric hospital who is tortured by a beast he calls The Moley. Christopher Moore, a young man who should be in a psychiatric hospital but is free to begin a bloodthirsty rampage. Cecil Moore, a crime boss who enjoys his position and doesn't really want the past forgotten because it's what gave him his standing in the community. It's an excellent cast of bad guys, but the good guys are even better.

DI Owen Sheen, part of the Murder Squad of London's Metropolitan Police, has secured a three-month break to work on the Serious Historical Offences Team, a move which he thinks will be the perfect cover for him to find the man who killed his beloved brother (and nearly killed him). Whenever he and his partner stumble across a clue that could be related to his personal quest, Sheen tends to get tunnel vision, and readers really don't know if he's going to go off the rails or not. His partner, DC Aoife (EE-fuh) McCusker, is brand new to the Serious Crimes squad and eager to make a good impression. She's sharp and observant, and it's obvious that she's going to make an excellent detective, but she's got some baggage that could easily ruin her career. (In fact, it's Aoife's baggage that raised the one annoying little question in my mind that won't go away. Her blackmailer had plenty of time to carry through with his threat. Why didn't he?)

Blood Will Be Born moves from one point of view to another as the story progresses, letting readers know what's going on in the characters' minds, but we're still kept guessing to the end. With this high-powered start to a new series, I'm certainly looking forward to the next book. ( )

This is an engrossing story set in Belfast where the aftershocks of the Troubles still echo in the lives of those affected. Some want justice, some want peace & others just want to forget.

John Fryer wants a bit of all three. He used to be a hard man for the IRA but is haunted by a young man he “disappeared” in 1976. Now he spends his days in a psychiatric facility, battling mental illness & memories.

Christopher Moore is a young man bent on revenge. His sin was being born to a Protestant father & a Catholic mother. Shunned by his paternal family as a child, he’s back in Belfast to make them pay.

DI Owen Sheen was just a boy when his brother was killed by a bomb. The family fled to England where he eventually became a detective with the Met’s Murder Squad. His childhood left him with few memories & a need for justice. When a chance to lead the PSNI’s Serious Historical Offences Team comes along, he grabs it. He has one week before the job begins & he plans to spend it searching for the elusive bomber.

DC Aoife McCusker has finally landed her dream job with Serious Crimes in Belfast. She made big mistakes in the past but is determined to succeed. So she’s less than thrilled to be assigned babysitting duties. Some British DI has landed in town & she’s to deliver him to their latest crime scene. An elderly woman was murdered in her home. That’s bad enough but what no one realizes is her death will reignite old grudges & trigger a return to sectarian violence.

What follows is a gritty & bloody tale set in a city where peace is a fragile & transient thing. Each of these characters has been molded by their pasts & as their live intersect, the resulting chain reaction kicks off a turf war. As the cops race to find a killer, there are others who see an opportunity to exploit the dead for their own gain. With separate groups vying for control, truth can be a slippery thing & it soon becomes clear it’s not who is guilty that matters. It’s who gets blamed.

Shifty politicians, creepy criminals, hard working cops & the truly psychotic…they’re all part of a large cast. The 4 characters listed above take turns as narrator & it’s a clever choice. How you react is subtly manipulated by that character’s version of events & you might find your self sympathizing with them when you know you should be horrified.

The one false note for me was the romantic angle. Most of the story takes place over the span of one week & it felt rushed & unrealistic, especially given the personal history of one character. I thought it could have been left out entirely as there is more than enough to hold your interest & since this is book #1, there’s plenty of time for that to develop later.

Belfast is a living, breathing character in its own right & provides an atmospheric backdrop for this fast paced story. The action is nonstop & you wonder who will be left standing at the end. If you’re not familiar with the history of the Troubles and don’t know your UDA from your RUC, no worries. There’s a helpful glossary at the end that breaks down all parties involved. ( )