Blog Reviews
Have you written a review of THE TWELVE, or its American edition titled THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST? Email me at info@stuartneville.com!
Creamandwrittenbyawoman
It's a bumper year for crime books. Good, even great crime books that is.
If you're a regular reader of crime fiction blogs you will no doubt already have heard people lauding The Twelve by Stuart Neville. I finally got my hands on a proof copy of it (bookselling is still good for something!), and can tell you that the plaudits are completely justified.
Crime Scene NI
I predict The Twelve will launch Neville's career -- that's a no-brainer. A top class effort from a top class writer. Essential reading for anybody who wants to get to grips with the new Northern Ireland. Be sure to grab a copy when it hits the shelves in early July.
The Griffin Reviews
I believe THE TWELVE/THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST is bigger than any standard commercial thriller, and that it has appeal for a larger, more thoughtful global audience as well as fans of the genre. An important book: THE TWELVE/THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST is a taut epic that entertains.
Matt Beynon Rees
As thought-provoking a book on the aftermath of conflict as you'll ever read. Neville's book is a thrilling record of the traces of crime and blood left behind when the politicians command us to move on.
Nostalgia From Yesterday's Conversations
This book is incredibly good. INCREDIBLY good. The first chapter alone is so thrilling that it could have been slightly edited and repackaged as a fantastic short story. I was worried that it wouldn't be able to keep up that momentum, but Neville appropriately knew how to play with pace and to show all the right perspectives at the right time.
Sex Scenes at Starbucks
THE TWELVE is the conscience of Northern Ireland ... [Neville] reveals the barbs underneath the veneer: men with claw hammers and boys with bricks and dead women holding babies in their ghostly arms. War is ugly and the people who make war uglier. When peace comes, most people only tumble deeper because war corrupts the soul. But it doesn't have to be that way. Gerry Fegan proves that. If he, of all people, can finally do the right thing, it means everyone else can too. I believe THE TWELVE, at its heart, means humankind shouldn't stand for anything less.