Remembrance Day: A race-against-time thriller to save a city from destruction

Dear Henry, I found this storly absolutely compelling. Loved it. The British Secret Service/ political elements ring chillingly plausible, as does the use of modern technology for terrorist purposes. I wasn't completely convinced by the part that plays in the USA and the love-story element but I'll forgive you that because I found the rest so addictive. And that is the good/ bad news - I was glued to the book almost from the first page. Everything else has had much lower priority for the past few days. Now, of course, I'm going to have to buy another of your novels ... but only after I have got some work done. Regards, Rita.

I ask for a lot: sensible story, novelty, just about believable, and resolution of the stories strands. Henry Porter considerably delivers and fir me, this was one if his best. Contemporary and almost plausible. Well done

Were Remembrance Day simply a thriller I would rate it five stars. It is fast-paced and some neat science is woven into a suspenseful plot. Its deadly pyrotechnics and interesting locales suggest that its targeted market is viewers rather than readers. Its great defect is in its misrepresentation of the Anglo-Irish conflict. It assumes that the reader is fully disinformed by Brit propaganda. In reality, Ireland's 834 years of Brit rule has been one long genocide varying only in its intensity. Liz I, Cromwell and Victoria each murdered more than half of Ireland's population. The author presents ex-IRA-man Lindow as an ex-terrorist. He depicts Lindow's Irish mother as evil to the extent that she is a patriot. As antitoxins to such gross propaganda buy Ten Men Dead or Eye-Witness Bloody Sunday or (Sutton's) Index of Deaths From the Conflict in Ireland. Author Porter is refuted by the official murder record. For example; wwwdotterrorismirelanddotcom shows that, of the 173 child-murders in this post-1969 phase, 20 were by Irish forces; 153 by Brit forces - the actual terrorists.

Irish born molecular biologist Constantine Lindow left Boston for a research job in London. Con waits for his brother near an Underground station when a bomb explodes. Many innocent people die and Con lands unconscious in the hospital. When he regains consciousness, Con realizes the police suspect he set off the bomb, working as an agent of the IRA. REMEMBRANCE DAY is a non-stop thriller that brings terrorism into the twenty-first century with the use of the telephone to set off a bomb. The story line is exciting especially when Con and Kenneth separately work on the investigation. Though some of the subplots add little to the main story line, they too generate much excitement and energy. In his debut tale, Henry Porter freshens up the terrorist thriller with a classy believable chiller. Harriet Klausner

This is one of those all too rare occurences: a truly great first novel in the thriller/suspense, etc. field. Here, Henry Porter proves that there is rich ore to be mined in the post-Cold War, post-Northern Ireland era. While the "Troubles" are an essetial part of the plot's background, the story is driven by a set of fascinating characters. In fact, Commander Kenneth Foyle of Scotland Yard's Anti-Terrorist Unit is a prime candidate for a series. Wathcing Foyle take hold of the case even against the wishes of his own service and the active enmity of the Security Service is an interesting story in itself as we watch the Security Service implode from its own intrigues and attempts to impede the main investigation into the bombing that killed Lindow's brother and implicated Lindow only because the authorities were protecting themselves from other revalations. Kirsty Lainge of the Security Service is an especially interesting character, although in some ways it did seem obvious what stance she would ultimately take and what the outcome would be for her. The question of Mary's relationship to all this is answered early but the fate of one of the injured bystanders is an interesting twist at the end. In fact, the last line of the book was very appropriate. I look forward to "A Spy's Life" with an assurance, from reading the reviews, that Henry Porter has not faded much, if at all, from his first effort. "Remembrance Day" is simply a great read and highly recommended.