Remembrance Day (Hardcover)

~ Henry Porter (Author) "He knew where he had been standing..." (more)
Key Phrases: video timer, lumber road, Eamonn Lindow, Sir Derek, Con Lindow (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A British journalist's debut thriller, Remembrance Day has the high-intensity impact of a 24-point headline. Con Lindow, an Irish-born molecular biologist recently relocated to London after a distinguished career in the U.S., is waiting for his brother near a busy Underground station when a bus explodes, gravely wounding Eammon Lindow and destroying the lives of dozens of passengers and bystanders. When Con wakes up in a hospital, he finds himself the chief suspect in what the British Security Service and Scotland Yard believe is another IRA outrage. Only one man believes in his innocence: Commander Kenneth Foyle, head of the Anti-Terrorism unit of the Metropolitan Police Force, who is frustrated by the infighting between his own department and various operatives of the intelligence services that is hindering his efforts to solve the crime.

A false passport and a cryptic note hidden in his brother's apartment are Con's only leads in his desperate attempt to clear his name. The hunt for Ian Rhodes, the rogue MI5 agent responsible for the bombing, takes Con to Ireland, Boston, and Maine, accompanied by an attractive and mysterious friend of Eammon's who has her own reasons for wanting to stop Rhodes from carrying out his plan to blow up the peace talks in one last horrendous gesture of defiance.

Porter's pacing is brilliant, his characters tightly and believably drawn, and his knowledge of the internecine world of British intelligence encyclopedic. This well-crafted novel makes him a worthy successor to John Le Carré; readers will be eagerly anticipating his next effort, hoping for another encounter with the real hero of Remembrance Day, the dogged and likable Commander Foyle. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly

Explanations of British law enforcement politics and high-tech sleuthing undermine the tension in Porter's first novel; in fact, the U.K. Vanity Fair editor is often forced to stop the action to summarize the plot. Research microbiologist Constantine Lindow is nearly killed by a bus bomb presumably set by some faction of the IRA to explode on a busy London street. Con's brother is killed in the blast, but even so, Con is arrested, mostly because he's an Irish national freshly arrived from Boston. The chief investigator, Commander Kenneth Foyle, doesn't think Lindow is involved and releases him, but he is quickly removed from the case for letting a prime suspect go. After a number of internal power struggles among various agencies, Lindow travels to Ireland to bury his brother, then back to New England where he is joined by gorgeous double agent Mary Menihan, whom he immediately beds. He then heads off with her to the Maine woods to locate the terrorist-assassins' lair. That accomplished, Lindow returns to England, where Foyle reenters the story and assumes the protagonist's role for a while. The villain is eventually tracked down, but what his ultimate target will be remains a mystery. The intrepid Lindow and his beautiful spy-consort reappear, and between bouts of steamy lovemaking and coffee and pastry, manage to bring the story to a flat conclusion. Although the narrative is hamstrung by coincidence and implausibility, burdened by redundancy and long speeches and weighed down by superfluous characters, the love scenes are sexy and the action scenes, while brief, provide what the rest of the book doesn't: thrills. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; F edition (May 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684865491
• ISBN-13: 978-0684865492
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #974,127 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommendad!, January 20, 2003

By	T. Judd "booknut" (ALEXANDRIA, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Remembrance Day (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars remembrance day, July 14, 2000

By	Christine M. Sykes "Chris" (Fort Collins, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A good tale, well told. Well-developed characters are set in an intriguing plot, with a nice balance between procedural detail, descriptive material, and suspense.

Unfortunately the lack of proof-reading [at least in the US, Simon & Schuster edition] results in innumerable typographical errors, which were extremely distracting and spoilt the reading pleasure.

Had the publisher made any effort in this regard, I would have awarded 4 stars.

I hope that Mr. Porter will write more books of this ilk, and that he will take note of this deficiency. END

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable First Novel, June 7, 2000

By	Larry Gandle (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews

Remembrance Day is a truly remarkable first novel. There is a depth and richness in plot and characterization not often seen in first time writers. The plot is intricate enough to keep readers happily and compulsively turning the pages. However, a problem with the book is the needless repetition of explanations from one character to another. This serves to slow the book down considerably and adds to the already overblown length. Nonetheless, it remains a compelling thriller and an excellent summer read. Larry Gandle Tampa, FL