Book Review: The Bomb Man by Andy Greenaway

Historical fiction but not the romantic kind. Are you in?

Blurb

A fast-paced novel based on real events.

Northern Ireland, 1973. Catholics and Protestants are at war. IRA terrorists have unleashed a bloody bombing campaign, indiscriminately killing women and children, policemen and soldiers.

Bomb disposal expert Dave Thomson has been sent to Londonderry by the British army. His job is to dismantle the countless explosive devices that are planted across the city every day.

When he captures a bomb-maker in the act of planting a device, Thomson crosses the line. He forces the terrorist to defuse his own bomb. A provocative act that ignites the fury of the IRA.

The terrorist organisation puts a price on his head.

With 30 days until his tour of duty ends, there’s only one question on Thomson’s mind. Will he make it home to his wife and children alive? Or in a body bag?

Review

I’m biased. If I’m offered the chance to review a book based in Ireland, I will never say no. I’m also curious as to how Ireland is depreciated in said book, another reason I’ll always say yes.

You can’t go into a book like The Bomb Man with a biased mindset. Although the book is based on events that happened decades ago, the sentiment and feeling toward the time is still quite raw. To this day, Northern Ireland is a complex topic, and the author does a great job of showing the different complexities without being biased toward one side or another. However, the reader must always remember that The Bomb Man just covers three months of a long battle and shouldn’t be taken as a complete insight into The Troubles.

I usually don’t enjoy these types of books because there is no real emotional connection with the characters. However, the author’s attention to detail and what I learned from this book was more than enough to make up for it.

Sounds like a book you would enjoy? The Bomb Man can be purchased here.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.