Irish Linen

By Andrew M. Greeley

Book Overview

The perils of wartime add special urgency to latest mysteries being investigated by Nuala Anne McGrail and her adoring husband, Dermot Coyne. More than a little fey, Nuala has a well-deserved reputation for getting to the bottom of even the most tangled intrigues, even when they may be taking place on the other side of the world. Desmond Doolin, an idealistic young man from their West Side Chicago neighborhood, has gone missing in Iraq. Having flown off to the Middle East in the name of peace, he hasn't been heard of since. The U.S. government denies any knowledge of his whereabouts, and his grieving family has all but written him off as dead, but Nuala is convinced that there's more to the story . . . and herself won't stop asking questions until she finds out what has really become of Desmond, one way or another. Meanwhile, a parallel investigation uncovers the story of another young man abroad in dangerous times. Poking around in the past, Dermot and Nuala happen upon the memoirs of Timothy Patrick Clarke, the Irish ambassador to Nazi Germany, who risked his life for the sake of a beautiful German widow . . . and a secret plot to kill Adolf Hitler. Working together as always, Nuala and her husband find themselves engrossed in the secrets of the past, the present, and two very different wars. "Irish Linen" is another captivating installment in a series that "Publishers Weekly" calls "immensely entertaining."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765315866
• ISBN13: 9780765315861
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 351 Pages
• Weight: 1.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Irish Linen

Father Andrew Greeley provides another excellent sequel in the saga of Nuala Anne McGrail. The characters remain well defined and realistic, and he makes one eager for the next episode to see what Nuala and Dermot will be into next.

Another Great Andrew Greeley book

Andrew Greeley is one of my favorite authors. His quirky characters live for me and Nuala Anne McGrail and her Dermitt and their children are some of my favorites. I have a real problem putting them down. I find the conbination of historical mysteries woven around a "contemporary" one fascinating. Please Father Greeley may I have some more.

Irish Linen: A Nuala Anne McGrail Novel

As always Andrew M. Greeley has written a great book.

Nuala and her spear-carrier spin another good yarn

Greeley does such a great job of creating historical back story. This time he weaves a tale of two "glinty-eyed" Irishmen together in a way that you really don't even mind the chatter of Nuala's spear-carrier husband, Dermot. Having those fey women in my own family, I understand how he feels nevertheless. Nuala and her brood can be hilarious at one turn and mauldlin the next. Life is never dull. It's Nuala's determination to "fix" anything that offends her sense of rightness. You have to love her fight and how Greeley deftly drops his politics into the fray. The two stories don't parallel as well as some of the previous novels, and that's the only fault I find. Still, the story of Timmy and his lady in war-ravaged Berlin will bring an Irish smile to just about any face. Okay, it's not Joyce or Yeats, but it's damned good fun.

Best yet in the "Irish...." series

This series has been getting better and better. The 10th and latest volume is thoroughly engrossing, both in the contemporary and the historic sections. The fact that the blend of contemporary and historical narratives has become a bit of a formula for Greeley is finding new strengths in the rather subtle linking of the stories in this volume. I would heartily recommend this volume to all.