Bernard Cornwell is familiar to me as a fine writer of historical adventure. I have read nearly all of his Saxon Chronicles set from 866 A.D. to 937 A. D. His stories about the Napoleonic Wars are told through the eyes of British soldier Richard Sharpe. I was not expecting that Cornwell would interest himself in anything so current as the outbreak of war in the Middle East in 1990 and the activities of the Provisional Irish Republican Army.
Scoundrel (Michael Joseph, 1992) begins just after the invasion of Kuwait in early August 1990. Paul Shanahan is living quietly in Belgium as a marine surveyor and yachtsman after a tumultuous several years working as the IRA middleman to terrorist groups in the Middle East. An unproven accusation of divided loyalties sent him to the perimeter of the terrorist world but not completely cast out. Then Shafiq, a representative from the Libyan government, contacts him about a job: The IRA has the opportunity to buy 53 Stinger missiles, which they desperately want to use in their war with the English. The current holder of the missiles wants cash payment in gold, which the perennially broke IRA does not have. To demonstrate their solidarity with the cause, Libya is donating $5 million in gold for the purchase. The IRA is hiring Shanahan to move the gold via a yacht from Tunisia to Miami. Because they still have doubts as to his commitment to the cause, they plan to send a couple of minders along to watch him.
Shanahan questions the ultimate destination of the Stingers. He suspects that Libya will demand a share of the powerful weapons. He decides that the gold is better spent funding his retirement. When the boat and the money fail to arrive as scheduled, Shanahan incurs as might be expected the unbridled wrath of the IRA and the Libyans. The CIA and Chinese spies also become involved in an intricate narrative of cross and double-cross. Loyalties change so often a scorecard is not enough to keep track. The outcome is a rousing tale of murder, smuggling, theft, deceit, and treachery.
Secret agents are seldom morally upright characters and Shanahan is not an admirable individual, hence the title of the book, but I did appreciate his attention to the cat he took in from the streets. I also appreciated Cornwell’s minimalistic approach to the activities surrounding sailing the boat. So many marine-oriented books read as if they are user manuals for the ship in question instead of crime fiction. Multiple plot threads and well-rounded characters in the context of a complex historical time held my attention. Readers of late 20th century geopolitical thrillers will want to look at this one.