When maverick police sergeant Jolly Macken is banished to the sleepy 1950s Irish border village of Blackwatertown, he vows to find the killer of his brother - even if the murderer is inside the police. But a lot can happen in a week. Over seven days Macken falls in love, uncovers dark family secrets, accidentally starts a war and is hailed a hero and branded a traitor. When Blackwatertown explodes into violence, who can he trust? And is betrayal the only way to survive?
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Sergeant Jolly didn't want to be a policeman any more. CHAPTER 1
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(@Unbound_Digital, 23 July 2020, 320 pages, ebook, #ARC from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 28 July via @RandomTTours)
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I'd never heard of the author before so had zero expectations for the book. I wanted to read it because it's set in Ireland which I thought would be interesting. I wanted to see how the author tackled the troubles between Protestants and Catholics, especially as the book is set in the 1950's when the IRA were prominent and customs posts were regularly blown up. The best thing about the book is the setting, the village is really brought to life and I got a great impression of Irish politics and life during the period the book is set in. Macken is a great character, a troubled man, who manages to keep his cool despite being verbally abused by his Protestant colleagues. The story is very dark but there are some lighter moments to let you take a breather before things go dark again. I loved the twists and turns and the fast paced plot. I had a great time with Blackwatertown.