The Bomb Man - Andy Greenaway

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?

NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR

Even though the events in this novel occurred almost fifty years ago, they still touch a raw nerve among many whose lives were touched abhorrently and indelibly by the conflict.

To this day, The Troubles give rise to deep passions. The perspectives of the people embroiled in the conflict, as you might expect, differ greatly. Acute bias exists depending on which side people were on.

In writing this book, I have tried to give an insight into the circumstances that led to The Troubles. I touch on the blatant social injustice and religious discrimination that was endemic in Northern Ireland. I open a window into the deadly excesses of the British Army, who exacerbated the problem and contributed to the rise of the IRA.

But this is not a book about the rights and wrongs of the conflict. It's a novel. A story which has been inspired by my father. A bomb disposal man who was posted to Northern Ireland in 1973, at the height of the bombings. It is through the eyes of a British soldier that we view the events that unfold. I'll be honest. It is one-sided. That is not to say there aren't other valid perspectives of what happened. As they say, there's always two sides to a story.

That said, I have endeavoured to write a book that is authentic. A book that gives people an accurate view of the practices and protocols followed by the British Army. A sense of how the IRA operated. A feeling of the deep distrust between Catholics and Protestants.

In the story, there are many firsts. The wheelbarrow, the bomb suit and electronic countermeasures were introduced during my father's tour of duty.

No one has ever written a novel about the brave men from 321 EOD before. Many action writers like to put the more glamorous SAS at the heart of their stories.

But 'The Bomb Man' is more than just a story. It is a tribute to a rare breed of men who were thrust into a conflict they were not prepared for.