CODEWORD: RED SHAMROCK
A Race Against Time to Quash an Impending Plot
Trattford Publishing
By William K. Meade
ISBN 1-4120-4068-X
Reviewed by Sharon Greer
It's Moscow 1986 - a plan is being hatched for the appropriation of Ireland. A revolutionary
faction supported by the Soviet State wants a missile base situated in Ireland to counteract any western approaches from Europe or the United States.
Sound far-fetched? So begins W.K. Meade's recent book, Codeword:Red Shamrock, using exactly that premise as a storyline for a communist Ireland.
The narration unfolds at the beginning by introducing us to the protagonist, Joe Kearns, a young newspaper investigative journalist. Rumours have abounded in Dublin of an impending coup and Kearns is approached by the offices of the Irish government to find out as much information as he can.
The novel chronicles the race against time in an attempt to quash this impending disastrous plot. The Irish government appeals to MI5, the American CIA and the Irish Special Branch in their desperation to locate the people responsible for the potential coup d'etat.
While the story does have some merit, it is told in a somewhat old-fashioned way. Sometimes its relatively saccharine tone creates an atmosphere of corniness. One example is a description of lovemaking, "Afterwards they lay holding each other. Grant felt that she had been awoken like a flower in sunshine after a shower of rain."
The book needs a great deal of editing in order for it to flow smoothly and uninterrupted. Continuity is not consistent and it feels both stunted and stilted through a great portion of the book.
This is truly unfortunate as it could have been easily amended with a good editor. A good editor should have also dealt with the punctuation. Overall the plot did have an entertaining timbre but the characters need further development and the writing style has to be tightened up.
William K. Meade is a retired businessman who resides in Dublin. This is his first novel.
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