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The complete collection of The Liverpool Mysteries Series Books 1-3
BEFORE THE STORM (2023)
(Book 3 – The Liverpool Mystery Series)
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‘A love letter to Liverpool with a touch of Peaky Blinders.’ SE Moorhead, Author of Witness X
Historian Vinny Connolly tries to escape the bitter memories of his childhood in a tough neighbourhood. But a secret from the past, involving a pocket watch, an old man’s death, and childhood friends, threatens to unravel his present.
When one of those friends, Sammo, dies in mysterious circumstances, Vinny, his wife Helen, and his ex-partner Anne McCarthy race against time to uncover the truth.
A hit and run incident, text messages, and a murdered pet, all warn Vinny away from the investigation. A series of letters hold the key to Sammo’s life, and the secret to unlock the mystery of his death. Facing unexpected obstacles and police opposition Anne tries to overcome an accidental death verdict.
Set against the backdrop of a post-Brexit UK, this is a gripping tale of immigration, friendship, the power of secrets to shape our lives, and the value of resistance to authority.
ACROSS THE WATER (2022)
(Book 2 – The Liverpool Mystery Series)
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‘A truly British and Irish thriller.’
Readers’ Favourite, Reviewer
‘I was hooked from the first chapter.’
Readers’ Favourite, Reviewer
Historian Vinny Connolly and reporter Anne McCarthy travel to Ireland in search of Vinny’s father, Paddy, who mysteriously disappeared not long after returning to his homeland in 1974.
We piece Paddy’s story together as he returns to Wicklow to lay low after a killing in Liverpool. DI Barlow of Special Branch plans to use Paddy to disrupt an IRA gun route. Facing danger on every side, he struggles to fit in. A devastating experience in Dublin forces him to re-evaluate his life and seek a better future.
In the present, Vinny confronts harsh truths about his father as well as building friendships within the communities he discovers. A story of emigration and return in three narratives that span recent history in Ireland and the UK.
UNDER THE BRIDGE (2021)
(Book 1 – The Liverpool Mystery Series)
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‘A thoroughly enjoyable debut.’
Catherine Fearns, Author of the Reprobation Series
The discovery of a body in the Liverpool docklands unearths long-forgotten secrets. Historian Vinny Connolly and reporter Anne McCarthy are keen to find the truth.
They find Michael, an old Irish caretaker who knows far more than he’s letting on and may have a connection to the body and the mystery behind Vinny’s father’s disappearance.
Escaping poverty in Ireland and fresh off the boat in 50s Liverpool, Michael falls in with Wicklow boys Jack Power and Paddy Connolly, who smuggle contraband through the docks, putting them at odds with the unions. A story of corruption, secret police, and sectarianism slowly unravels. But will the truth out?
As the conflict heightens, Michael questions the life sprawling out ahead of him, while in the present, Anne and Vinny race to solve the mystery, but are they prepared for what they find?
THE ONE ROAD (2020)
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5 Stars! Gripping…poignant…brutal…fascinating characters in the streets of Liverpool. The One Road by Jack Byrne is a great collection of stories, each narrative exists on its own, the themes of death, abuse, regret, identity, prejudice, and redemption build a larger story of a nation coming to grips with its past and the turbulence of modern society. Byrne creates fascinating characters who struggle and triumph in the streets of Liverpool and beyond.
Jonathon Bennet. BTH editorial Services
The One Road by Jack Byrne is a thrilling collection of stories. A prequel to the Liverpool Mystery series we meet many of the characters from the novels for the first time. Beginning with the title piece. Death, abuse, regret, identity, and prejudice, are the themes for individuals who are part of a larger story. The story of a nation coming grips with its past and the turbulence of the present. Byrne creates fascinating cast of characters from the streets of Liverpool and Ireland.
What People Say
Under the Bridge by Jack Byrne – Review
Anne and Vinny are friends, but that doesn’t last long. They enter into a relationship that merges their personal and professional lives.
Anne, a young and ambitious journalist, receives her first assignment. She is to report on a recent event, the unearthed human remains of a male, at a construction site. Soon, Anne receives threats to cease the investigation but does not heed the warning. Her tenacity and drive push her forward to find the answer.
Vinny, a history graduate, is plagued with the need to expose Liverpool’s historical truth to right wrongs committed in the past, so people don’t repeat mistakes. What he would come to realize, he was searching for who he is, his identity all along.
Their quest to seek the truth cross paths when Anne suspects the body is that of Vinny’s father while Vinny uncovers the dark secrets that ended his father’s life.
Mr. Jack Byrne’s Under the Bridge is a page-turner packed with excitement. The setting is Liverpool and spans decades as the story unfolds, taking the reader into the depth of its history. The plot is well defined and easy to follow, with many thought-provoking experiences. The characters are well-developed so much so, the reader is drawn into their thinking and actions.
Before the Storm, by Jack Byrne – Review
Vinny, a history professor, escapes his old neighborhood and old life, distancing himself from bitter memories. But a secret he, Sammo, and Macca vowed to keep, would shackle him emotionally to life changing day as kids, involving the theft of a pocket watch, and an old man’s death.
Sammo is found dead after a long battle with PTSD and drugs, but his death is questionable, and with it, the past steps into the present. In his quest to find out what happened to Sammo, Vinny uncovers more than he wants to know. Along with the watch, Sammo leaves detailed letters and a recorded message for Vinny, which holds the key to Sammo’s death and challenges Vinny do what is right, accept who he is, and finally, let go of the secret he holds.
I very much enjoyed reading Before the Storm written by Jack Byrne. The setting is clearly defined, and the characters well-developed. The storyline flows smoothly and is packed with internal and external conflicts urging the reader to flip the pages to discover what happens next. The ending is a twist that highlights Vinny’s actions as to the challenges he is presented with.
Jack Byrne 