The drumbeat of Jimmy Sands - Murray Davies

Phenomenally intense thriller in which two best friends become deadliest enemies in a fight to the death. Highly charged, moving, action-packed and suspenseful. The story follows two soldiers, Fife and O'Keefe, both Catholics from tough backgrounds, one from Glasgow, the other from Belfast. We first meet them on an SAS raid in the Falklands, where O'Keefe saves Fife's life against the order of their cowardly officer Baines-Hickey. In an explosive and very moving tale, too complex for a short synopsis, passion, tragedy and circumstance conspire to take O'Keefe on to the side of the IRA. He becomes a sniper, hated, revered and feared throughout his homeland. Fife, meanwhile, dismissed from the army for being O'Keefe's friend, soon has a terrible reason for hating his former friend. When both sides of the Irish conflict begin to search for a way to stop the fighting, both Fife and O'Keefe are embarrassments. In a superb climax, the one is set to hunt the other, while the SAS pursue them both, directed by the sleek politician Baines-Hickey. A riveting read with great technical accuracy and powerful human characters.