Searchers by Stephen Finlay Archer is the first book of the series The Irish Clans, a historical fiction that follows some of the events that occurred after the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. The book starts with the tragedy of the Lusitania and from there, it follows the lives of our main characters. There are many aspects about the lives of the Irish that are shown in the book: poverty, immigration, colonialism and the pursuit of freedom. The characters presented offer a way in which the reader can immerse into their lives and their struggles, thus giving a better understanding of some of the history behind the Irish revolution, which surely will be dealt with in more depth in the next books in the series. There are two different stories that are being told in the book. Collin O’Donnell is an Irishman living in Canada, he meets Samuel Finlay, who helps him leave behind the bad life that he was living after losing his family to find his place in the world. Tadgh McCarthy is a sailor living in Ireland and a revolutionary, his life takes a turn after meeting one of the survivors of the Lusitania, through him we get to see the oppression of the English over the Irish, and get a better background of the first steps that were about to be taken to free Ireland.

It was hard to understand the story that was being told in the beginning of the book, but halfway through the novel everything started to make sense and it was then that I was truly gripped and enthralled by the dramatic turn of events and the intriguing characters. It took some time to warm up to the characters, but as the story progressed they start to show more of themselves and became more real. Once I could empathize and connect with the characters the story became truly riveting, and I appreciated the methodical build up of tension.

I felt like Searchers does a fantastic job of setting the stage for the upcoming novels because we get to meet the characters and understand the background of the revolution. My favorite story was the one set up in Ireland, Tadgh and Morgan became my favorite characters and I desperately want to read the next books to find out what happens to them. I enjoyed how the author was able to mix different themes into the story: although he gives many details that surround the revolutionary history of Ireland, he also cares to show the humanity of the characters, giving importance to the family dynamics and showing themes of love and romance, a guiding light through the dark periods that surround every war.

I highly recommend Searchers: The Irish Clans to readers that enjoy dramatic historical fiction novels and to anyone who wants an authentic dive into the history of the Irish revolutionary period.

Pages: 578 | ASIN: B01L1V35BC