Strangers Things Have Happened

Hearty congrats to Michael Russell, whose THE CITY OF STRANGERS has been shortlisted for the CWA’s Historical Dagger award. Quoth the judges:

Having already brought 1930s Dublin and Danzig vividly to life in his outstanding debut THE CITY OF SHADOWS, Russell does the same for New York in a sequel that’s even better. The unique complexity of Ireland’s divided loyalties and enmities on the eve of the Second World War is explored with unusual clarity and intelligence, and there are plenty of thrills and spills too.

  Very nice indeed. The winner will be announced on June 30th; for all the details, and the full shortlist, clickety-click here …
  For more on THE CITY OF STRANGERS, clickety-click here …

Strangers’ Dangers

Sean Farrell reviewed Michael Russell’s THE CITY OF STRANGERS (Avon) in the Irish Independent last Saturday, and was very complimentary in the process. The gist:

“As before, Russell captures the time and the mood superbly, from the novel and exhilarating experience of flying transatlantic, to the atmosphere in the US as war beckons. It is a period when the USA, and New York in particular, harbours tens of thousands of Old IRA and many more exiles and sympathisers opposed to Eamon de Valera’s Ireland and all it stands for.
  “As pro-IRA, pro-German and isolationist groups increase pressure for the US to remain neutral in any conflict, the World’s Fair itself is dominated physically by the rival pavilions of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, both offering different and unappetising visions of the future. The sense of Ireland, as a small and vulnerable nation, alone in this situation, is very well conveyed.” ~ Sean Farrell

  It may well be nothing more than coincidence, but there appears to be an interesting trend developing in Irish crime and mystery writing, in which a handful of authors are engaging with Ireland’s historical relationship with Germany. Stuart Neville’s RATLINES is the best known, but there’s also Joe Joyce’s ECHOLAND. JJ Toner’s THE BLACK ORCHESTRA is a thriller set in Germany during WWII, while Cora Harrison’s CROSS OF VENGEANCE, set in the 15th century, turns on the murder of a German pilgrim, an evangelical devotee of Martin Luther.
  For the full review of THE CITY OF STRANGERS, clickety-click here …

Stranger Danger

Michael Russell follows up last year’s debut THE CITY OF SHADOWS with another title featuring Garda Sergeant Stefan Gillespie, THE CITY OF STRANGERS (Avon) – and a very handsome cover it is, too. Quoth the blurb elves:

“The past didn’t only come up at you out of the ground in Ireland; it walked around the streets following you, and if you turned round to complain it spat in your face.”
  New York, 1939: A city of hope. A city of opportunity. A city hiding dark secrets …
  A brutal murder in an affluent suburb of Dublin and the unexplained death of an Irish diplomat in Manhattan … Garda Sergeant Stefan Gillespie is sent to America to bring a killer to justice, but his mission soon becomes part of an increasingly personal struggle.
  A chance encounter with an old friend draws him deep into a network of conspiracy, espionage and terror with disturbing connections to home. When he suddenly becomes part of an Irish woman’s bid for freedom from the clutches of a corrupt Manhattan power-broker, Stefan discovers that the war that is looming in Europe is already being played out on the streets of New York, with deadly consequences.
  In a time when people must make a stand for what they believe in, willingly or not, the stakes for Stefan Gillespie, and everything he holds dear, couldn’t be higher.

  Michael will be appearing at ‘Irish Crime Fiction: A Festival’ in Trinity College at the end of November. Meanwhile, for more on Michael and his novels, clickety-click here …