Book Review: The Blood Upon The Rose by Tim Vicary

Set in Dublin after WWI and Michael Collins is leading the Irish Uprising in its final fling to gain independence from Britain.

Look Inside UK here
Look Inside US here 

Sean Brennan a Medical student at University College Dublin and his friend have joined the Cause.

Catherine Maeve O'Connell-Gort daughter of Colonel O'Connell-Gort head of Military Inteligence in Ireland and answerable to Field Marshal Sir John Denton Pinkstone French, KGB, KCMG, Viscount of Ypres and High Lake, Viceroy and Lord Lieutenant of His Majesty's Kingdom Of Ireland

Catherine is exercising her freedom and she too is studying to become a doctor at UCD, where she meets Sean Brennan.

While Catherine's family history is that of land ownership and part of the ruling classes in Ireland  a profoundly disturbing incident from her youth has made her despise her class and wish for the British to be out of Ireland for good...

Tricked by her father in getting onto theViceroy's train, Catherine embarrasses him by arguing with the Viceroy telling him that she wished they would leave Ireland to the Irish, accusing him and his Army and Police of unspeakable acts of torture and killings against innocent Irish.

Then, almost killed in an attack on the Viceroy's car, by Sean, this serves to drive her deeper into his arms and not away from him

Both are virgins and the tenderness of the love scene where they both come to sexual maturity is short, as one might expect the first tremblings of love to be, but it is written so tenderly and you feel for the lovers as they come together in the muted firelight of the tenement building that Sean is hiding out in.

Major Andrew Butler, a man who found that he is an efficient killer while serving in the front line, and surviving the horrors of WWI, is enlisted by O'Connell-Gort and Harrison, a Civil Servant, to find and kill Collins.

There are a number of twists and revelations in this that just enhance the story as it unfolds and like Julian Stockwin and his Kydd series of books, the mix of real life events into a political, murderous, love story novel has been done so masterfully by Mr Vicary and will make me check out his other books.

This book is a mix of political intrigue, honour and dishonour, of  cold blooded killing and tender lovemaking of a Country and a Woman who both want desperately to be recognised for what they are; Independent and able to stand on their own without bowing to Colonial Masters or to Male Dominance.

Link to Tim Vicary's website here

Editing for Kindle: 5 out of 5
Reading Enjoyment: 5 out of 5 
Plot: 5 out of 5
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5