The Bodyguard: Blistering New Romantic Thriller Thrusts Readers Back to 1960s Northern Ireland. ‘The Troubles’ Run High – as Does Love, Betrayal & Revenge
Masterfully crafted by Frances Powell, ‘The Bodyguard’ calls on the history books to weave fact around fiction, and embroil readers in a searing historical romance set amid Ireland’s fierce ethno-nationalist conflict. Expect love, death and revenge in a novel one critic recently hailed “fast paced, fascinating and full of suspense”. It’s a huge achievement for Powell, who is ramping up her author career at an age when most are retired!
Baltimore, MD – While most people Frances Powell’s age are thinking about slowing down the pace of life and not taking on any new challenges, this Baltimore-based maverick is only just getting started, throwing herself head-first into what has become a breakthrough new career as a writer.
It all kicked off in March of 2016 with the release of ‘The O’Brien: A Ballysea Mystery’, which shot to critical acclaim and achieved a coveted 4.5 stars on Amazon. Now, Powell is back, with another Ireland-set adventure that is firmly her most compelling release to date.
‘The Bodyguard’ calls on both fact and fiction to weave a romantic thriller around the poignant, tragic and tumultuous Northern Ireland Conflict.
Synopsis:
A gentle squeeze of the trigger followed by a distant shatter of glass and the contract was executed. Retired Agent Michael Hopkins has been summoned back to the States to identify the body of his assassinated former Agency partner, Maureen O’Brien. Having made the official identification at the secret government morgue he returns to his hotel room to grieve the death of his former lover turned closest friend to find that things aren’t quite as they seem. A tale of duty, betrayal, revenge and love during the time known as ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland.
“I’ll admit, it may not be normal for someone my age to kick-start their writing career!” explains Powell. “I spent a lot of my working life writing documentation for software companies, so have always had writing in my blood. I also have a boundless imagination and fierce passion for Irish history, so I suppose it’s only at this late stage in the game that I’ve had the time and focus to actually get my imagination down on paper. It’s extremely therapeutic – and by all accounts readers love it, too. I’m a big believer that we all have a story to tell, and should shout it from the rooftops.”
Continuing, “This new novel certainly blurs the lines between fiction and fact. I wanted to zero in on The Troubles and portray the very real human impact it had, both during and after the conflict. Early reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.”
Powell is correct – readers love her work. For example, Deborah comments, “I loved this book – even more than the first, I think. Great characters and an exciting story line, I was not able to read it in one sitting but hated to put it down! I look forward to the next with great anticipation!”
Regina Killian adds, “This book is even better than Frances Powell’s first mystery. Her descriptions of the people, places and “agencies” involved in this spy thriller are superb. Yet, it doesn’t bog you down into so much detail that you lose site of the plot. It’s fast paced, fascinating and full of suspense, but also has a good dose of romance and intrigue – I found myself wanting to meet the two main characters in the book. The ending is just as exciting as the beginning. I am anxiously looking forward to reading more from this author because she seems to get better with each new book she writes. I can highly recommend this book to anyone that likes a mystery or suspense novel.”
‘The Bodyguard’, from BookBaby, is available now: http://amzn.to/246oSnO.
About the Author:
The Author lives outside Baltimore, Maryland with her husband, Russell, and Goldendoodle, Winston. Her love of Ireland and the magnificent Irish Wolfhounds inspired her ‘A Ballysea Mystery’ series. She is also the author of ‘The Bodyguard’, a tale of duty, betrayal, revenge and love during the time known as ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland. As well as writing novels, she is a talented Technical Author with over 20 years’ experience.
