Sam Millar's Belfast Noir at SCENE OF THE CRIME

[J. Sydney Jones]

Sam Millar’s Belfast Crime Novels: Art Reflects Life

November 10, 2010 by Scene of the Crime | Edit

Sam Millar is one of those authors whose experiences in his private life rival those of his fictional protagonists. An IRA volunteer imprisoned
in Long Kesh for his political beliefs and actions, he was the
mastermind behind the 1993 Brinks robbery in New York, one of the
biggest heists is U.S. history. He served more hard time, this time in
the American penal system, but was ultimately pardoned by President Bill
Clinton. Upon his return to Northern Ireland, he turned from the sword
to the pen.

Winner of the Aisling Award for Art and Culture among other prizes, Millar is the author of a memoir, On the Brinks, as well as a number of edgy novels, among them two noir thrillers featuring PI Karl Kane. In the series debut, Bloodstorm, Kane delves into the murders of a group of Belfast men who, over twenty years before, were involved in a gang-rape death. Publishers Weekly dubbed this the “powerful first of a new crime series,” while Booklist termed it “a real find for aficionados of the classic hard-boiled novel.” Kane returns in the 2010 series addition, The Dark Place, a novel dealing with “hard-edged crime with a vengeance,” according to Booklist. Similarly, Publishers Weekly noted of this second series installment: “Millar distinguishes himself from many of his contemporaries in the genre with taut writing and a
memorable lead character.”

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