1562. The Vicar by A.J.Chambers

Terry Nolan is dead. Died maybe 30 years ago. Divorced. Father to a dead daughter. He wanted out, but MI5 encouraged him to stay. Gave him a mission. Northern Ireland to work undercover. The successes of his work gave him more and more authority and independence. To the point where he managed a series of other undercovers referred to as Parishioners. Terry is their lead - The Vicar.

One of his parishioners in NYC sends a message. I'm blown. I need out. Terry is stationed on his boat in Boston where is he ambushed and the two bruisers call him out by his real name, not his cover name. His cover is also blown. Shea, is missing. She's nowhere to be found. He also learns from London that all of his Parishioners have been killed. Terry assumes Shea's dead too, but still has to know for sure. While searching her apartment, he's started by Kristen, a civilian who has taken up with Shea. She knows nothing, but refuses to let Terry go off on his own and ends up tagging along. 

In Nolan's search, he uncovers some disturbing information. The Troubles of Northern Ireland are far from over. Terrorists have managed to uncover a method of using nuclear waste to make a dirty bomb and they've make four of them. All are in transit to the UK via ship. If detonated, each bomb could make large chunks of he UK uninhabitable for decades or even centuries. The race is on to find each cargo ship, then search those beasts for a single container and then defuse each bomb. 

All right. I thought the last book was at best just OK. Not this one. The Vicar is a breathless race against time in NYC, the Atlantic, and separate destinations in the UK. All leading to a whopping twist at the end. 

This book rocks. And you know what? It's Chambers' first novel. And what a novel it is. Great characters, plotting, and pacing. A heckuva first effort. Can't wait to see what Chambers has up his sleeve for his next. 

Available 19 September 2023. Thanks to NetGalley for making this advance reader copy available.

ECD