Book Blurb:
Romance, Kidnapping, and Murder… Will a young Irish lawyer unravel the secrets or die trying?
Conor Dolan, a young Irishman, travels to Chicago in 1903 to visit his older brother; instead, he finds a mystery. His journey sparks a quest to peel away secrets and rediscover a dead sibling he idolized but never really knew as he strives to learn the true meaning of brotherhood.
His search reveals an Irish Republican plot to assassinate a visiting British royal. In the process, he is drawn into an alliance with two women: a mesmerizing Jewish widow and a struggling young Irishwoman. Each teaches Conor existential truths of life and love in her own way.
But the brother he finds may not be the brother he remembers. A Long Way from Clare is a story of Chicago's early twentieth century immigrants and one man’s struggle with both bigotry and justice in an unforgiving city where no good deed goes unpunished.
Will Conor find the answers he desperately craves? Or will this trip punch a one-way ticket?
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/xhcAZ2
Author Bio:
Bob was raised in Chicago, enlisting in the Air Force in 1968. Following four years service as a Russian Linguist in Security Service Command, a branch of the NSA, Bob attended DePaul University and The John Marshall Law School. With over thirty years experience as a criminal defense lawyer in Chicago, Bob brings a lifetime of understanding and experience to his novels. The author lives in the Chicago area..
Editorial Review:
The corned beef was lean and ruddy like the bartender's middle-aged face. He could pass as an Irish immigrant, Conor thought, but the accent was pure Chicago. “Good sandwich,” Conor managed to say while chewing. “Glad you like it,” the man said, smiling, hands on the bar. “New to the neighborhood?” Conor smiled. “How'd you guess?”
Chicago in the 1900s. For anyone who is enthralled by that setting and the possibilities which shadow that era – a world full of intrigue, secrecy, and corruption – then you are in for a treat. A Long Way from Clare by Robert W. Smith is a book you will not want to put down until the very last page. This incredibly researched novel follows the journey of Conor Dolan, initially as a young boy leaving Ireland with his brother for the shores of America, and then onto his adult life as a rookie lawyer seeking answers to his brother's death which opens the story.
It was a warm, damp morning for late fall with no trace of a breeze. The black and gray smoke from the stacks north of the river hovered over the city like a blanket, fouling the air and smothering the sidewalks, windows, and carriages with a fine black silt. Nothing escaped it, not even the squeaky-clean streets and fine mansions of Astor Street and Prairie Avenue. The difference was that the wealthy could make the grime disappear quickly so as not to damage the illusion.
Conor travels to Chicago where his brother worked as a police officer, and as the story shows, he knows very little of his brother's life in the Windy City. Years have passed without much contact, save for a few letters here and there, so this quest for answers leads Conor into the seedy underbelly of the lives of corrupt politicians, poverty-stricken women and children, and the volatile grumblings of the Clan na Gael, an Irish secret organization with designs to bring an end to British rule in Ireland.
Three women come into his life – his brother's former mistress, a red-headed Irishwoman with a child, whose situation strikes a chord with Conor... not to mention, his heart; a strong-willed Jewish woman named Rebecca who turns out to work for the infamous Pinkerton agency as a detective; and a young Irish girl facing prison. As he and Rebecca work together to unravel the secrets of his brother's life, and as he takes on the tragic case of this young Irish girl accused of jumping from a Chicago bridge to kill herself and her baby, this story unfurls like a satisfying cinematic movie with Conor's narrating Irish lilt lingering in your ear. The in-depth research infused within the story of the Clan na Gael and their desire to use any means necessary to bring an end to British rule in Ireland is eye-opening, as well as the travails of so many immigrants who wanted a better future in the States, yet only found more hardship and suffering under the hand of uncaring, manipulative monsters.
The depravity in men's hearts, however, was another matter entirely. It was as formless as a cloud and as pervasive as the air we breathe. It might confront you in your own home or in the street. It might draw you in without consent and force you to face demons in your own soul. … The ugliness one could see with one's eyes was bad, but the ugliness one could not see was infinitely worse. … If there were a natural scale of evil for the four iniquities, hate was the worst because the only way to fix it was to alter human nature. Nobody was immune to the iniquities.
The development of the narrative and the structure is so pleasing and well-put-together, with incredible ambiance and world-building, not to mention the inner workings and heart of the characters, especially Conor whose insight into humanity helps a reader connect with him on a very deep level.
And the dog... must say something about the dog. The author uses the dog as a device of symbolism and the result is pure perfection. Without giving too much away since this is a brilliant way to have a reader connect with the themes woven into the story line, and thus links the main character with the reader in an almost literary way, even with this being a tried and true historical detective mystery. A very enjoyable read and highly recommended.
He reflected finally upon his brother, the meaning of brotherhood, and the irreconcilable duality of human nature. It all made him appreciate the three-legged dog more than ever. Dog was immune to all the duplicity and did not understand the concepts of lies or hate or concealed motives. He liked a good steak or rib-bone now and again, shared his home with a needy stranger sometimes, and did not give a damn where another dog came from or what color he was. If only Dog could talk. What a conversation they would have over a Schlitz.
*****
“A Long Way from Clare” by Robert W. Smith receives five stars and the “Highly Recommended” award of excellence from The Historical Fiction Company
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