David A. Dummer’s Born of Bombs and Bullets is a sharply written, emotionally charged political thriller that pulls no punches. It follows Dr. Aaron Thornton, a prison psychologist whose life is upended after a brutal murder at the penitentiary where he works. Seeking a reset, he relocates with his wife Claire to Belfast—only to be thrust into a volatile world of old grudges, hidden identities, and a brewing storm of violence tied to the legacy of the IRA. Through layered narratives, the book digs into the personal and political costs of trauma, loyalty, and vengeance, all against the backdrop of Northern Ireland’s troubled history.

What grabbed me first was the way Dummer weaves high-stakes action with genuinely human moments. The opening scene inside USP Hazelton is pure tension. One second, you’re in a therapy session; the next, you’re watching the chaos unfold, ending in a devastating double murder. I felt the chill in the room, the tension in Thornton’s indecision, the horrifying weight of inaction. That moment—when Thornton can’t bring himself to strike with the baton—lingers through the rest of the book. It’s a quiet, haunting flaw that makes him real. Dummer doesn’t just serve up trauma; he lets it stew, then uses it to shape the characters.

The Belfast chapters dig deeper into identity and trauma, especially through Liam O’Malley and Tommy Magee. Liam’s backstory—particularly the vivid, heart-shattering scene where his sister Deidre is killed by a British armored vehicle—is one of the most powerful in the book. It felt cinematic and visceral. That single event justifies Liam’s rage and radicalization. At the same time, Dummer avoids painting him as a monster. Liam’s weariness, his doubts about renewed violence, his reflections on a life lived in shadows—they’re painfully honest.

On the flip side, we’ve got Tommy. He’s the emotional powder keg—an orphan, a trauma case, caught in a cycle of poverty and rage. His journey from suicidal despair on Ballycastle Beach to reluctant accomplice in a murder is wild. His flashbacks, especially the aftermath of the Sheehan’s furniture store bombing, are raw and haunting. What impressed me was how Dummer shows Tommy slipping into violence. He’s not evil. He’s broken. And in that brokenness, he becomes someone else’s weapon.

The pacing is tight, the writing is sharp, and the dialogue has just the right edge of grit and realism. It does get pretty heavy, especially with all the political history and acronyms. But Dummer does a solid job of keeping it digestible. He throws you into a world of factions and vendettas, sure—but never without anchoring it in people who bleed, mourn, and remember. The balance between plot and pathos is what makes this more than just a thriller. It’s a character study in the ruins of ideology.

I really liked this book. It’s not a breezy read—it’s emotionally heavy, politically messy, and morally gray. But it’s also compelling as hell. If you’re into thrillers with a conscience, stories that tackle trauma, redemption, and the gritty realism of sectarian violence, you’ll want to check this out. Fans of The Troubles-era fiction, political thrillers like The Ghost or The Constant Gardener will find plenty to chew on here.

Pages: 458 | ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DY6MS7F8