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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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NORTHERN SPY

Flynn Berry

The acclaimed author of Under the Harrow and A Double Life returns with her most thrilling novel to date: the story of two sisters who become entangled with the IRA.
A producer at the Belfast bureau of the BBC, Tessa is at work one day when the news of another raid comes on the air. The IRA may have gone underground after the Good Friday agreement, but they never really went away, and lately, bomb threats, arms drops, and helicopters floating ominously over the city have become features of everyday life. As the anchor requests the public's help in locating those responsible for this latest raid - a robbery at a gas station - Tessa's sister appears on the screen. Tessa watches in shock as Marian pulls a black mask over her face.

The police believe Marian has joined the IRA, but Tessa knows this is impossible. They were raised to oppose Republicanism, and the violence enacted in its name. They've attended peace vigils together. And besides, Marian is vacationing by the sea. Tessa just spoke to her yesterday.

When the truth of what has happened to Marian reveals itself, Tessa will be forced to choose: between her ideals and her family, between bystanderism and action. Walking an increasingly perilous road, she fears nothing more than endangering the one person she loves more fiercely than her sister: her infant son.

A riveting and exquisite novel about family, terrorism, motherhood, betrayal, and the staggering human costs of an intractable decades-long conflict, NORTHERN SPY cements Flynn Berry's status as one of the most sophisticated and accomplished authors of crime and suspense novels working today.

Flynn Berry is a graduate of the Michener Center for Writers and the recipient of a Yaddo fellowship. Her first novel, Under the Harrow, won the 2017 Edgar Award for Best First Novel and was named a best book of the year by The Washington Post and The Atlantic.
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Published 2021-03-02 by Viking

Comments

A thrilling tale of espionage and conflicting loyalties in a deeply divided Northern Ireland, NORTHERN SPY is also a tender and honest portrayal of those fierce, all-consuming early days of motherhood and a stunning story, beautifully told, of the complicated bonds between sisters, mothers, and daughters. I couldn't put it down.

A taut and compassionate thriller.[and a] reflection on personal choice and consequence.a poignant and lyrical novel that asks what is worth sacrificing for peace.

UK: Orion

When the Good Friday agreement was signed in 1998, the IRA went underground but did not disband. Their presence in Northern Ireland remained a source of fear among the populace. Flynn Berry puts the reader in the space of living with terror on a daily basis while bringing home the extraordinary courage we find within ourselves when those we love are threatened. A fast-paced novel I devoured in one day!

Calling all self-proclaimed detectives! If you love a mystery, then you'll devour this month's Reese's Book Club pick, NORTHERN SPY by Flynn Berry... I loved this thrill-ride of a book, especially the twist that I did not see coming. Sisterhood, motherhood and espionage all in one book. Read more...

In her thrillingly good third novel, Flynn Berry shows a le Carré-like flair for making you wonder what's really going on at any given moment.Berry won an Edgar for Under the Harrow in 2017. Here comes another contender.

With psychological suspense, plot twists and character development, Berry is taking us into the middle of the conflict in divided Northern Ireland and tells a story of survival, struggle, and family bonds.

a twisting thriller of espionage, competing loyalties and sisterhood.[a] title everyone will be talking about this season.