Yours Confidentially-Letters of a would-be MP, the fourth novel from Garbhan Downey sees the former Sentinel journalist and writer continue his thematic and caustic insights into the askew world of politics in post agreement Northern Ireland.
Launched last Friday in St Columb's Hall, the Guildhall Press publication heralds the return of Downey's supposedly fictitious
political schemer Shay Gallagher. Speaking to the Sentinel Garbhan Downey gave a tantalizing insight into the plot of the
book by saying: "Is it possible to be a successful politician without also becoming a professional criminal?"
What transpires in Yours Confidentially is Shay Gallagher's attempts to make the step up from MLA to Westminster MP. The tricky part is that he is vying for the seat of the man he is suspected of murdering.
"It is a murder mystery set against the current political scene in Northland Ireland and real life politicians make cameo appearances along the way. There are of course politics in the book but it is not the overriding feature. This is about what I call the rise of ODC-ordinary decent corruption in the post ceasefire environment.
"It's a study of how much of a his soul he is prepared to sell in order to achieve his ambitions," Garbhan said.
Shay Gallagher's lawyer and spiritual advisor, the inimitable Tommy Bowtie, estimates that they very best anyone in politics can hope to be is 90 per cent straight. But, as Gallagher is dealing with murderous ex-paramilitaries, blackmailing developers, poisonous journalists and a band of amoral admirers, 90 per cent becomes a very tall order.
This story is described by Garbhan Downey as "starker and more cynical" than his last book, Running Mates. And, if that description proves to be in any way accurate readers can be sure of a highly enjoyable experience, crammed full of unexpected twists and turns until the final full stop on the last page.
Downey has now firmly established himself as a genuinely fine exponent of the political novel genre. His long experience as a print and broadcast journalist has served him well in being able to transpose the murky workings of the political mind onto paper.
Yours Confidentially-Letters of a would-be MP is published by Guildhall Press, priced £7.95 and is available from quality bookshops and also online at www.ghpress.com.
Garbhan Downey's previous works, Private Diary of a Suspended MLA, Off Broadway and Running Mates are also available at www.ghpress.com.
The full article contains 431 words and appears in Londonderry Sentinel newspaper.
