Goering's Gold (Ructions O'Hare Book Two) by Richard O'Rawe

 

Goering's Gold (Ructions O'Hare Book Two by Richard O'Rawe.

Published in ebook 24th May and paperback on 2nd June 2022 by Melville House Publishing.

From the cover of the book:

Ructions O'Hare returns in a thriller ― based on one of history's greatest unsolved heists ― pitting him against the IRA, Interpol, and neo-Nazis...

When WWII ended, the allies discovered that a huge amount of gold bullion plundered by Nazi Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering had gone missing. Some believed the gold had been hidden in a train box car in Poland. Others that it was secreted in Lake Toplitz in the Austrian Alps. And a few thought it was buried in the Republic of Ireland, which was neutral during the war.

When ex-IRA soldier Ructions O'Hare stumbles on a piece of Nazi memorabilia once owned by Goering, he begins to think that those who suspect the gold was in Ireland just might be on to something.

But for Ructions to return to Ireland is easier said than done. For a start, the IRA is after him for not paying them a cut from a huge bank robbery he carried out in Belfast. And then there's the Neo-Nazis, who believe that Goering's gold rightfully belongs to them, and who are happy to kill anyone who gets in their way.

And as Ructions gathers clues to the gold's location and, as his many adversaries realize he's getting closer, it's as if a noose is tightening around his neck...

***********

After pulling off a massive bank heist in Belfast three years ago, ex-IRA soldier James 'Ructions' O'Hare's dream of living the quiet life in rural France with his girlfriend Eleanor is about to be shattered. The IRA are feeling cheated about the whole bank robbery affair that has been laid at their door, despite them not benefitting from the pay-out, and they would like nothing better that to see Ructions dead.

Reluctantly forced to go on the run to escape the IRA gunmen who have tracked him down, fate makes it a triple whammy when a plunging stock market loses him the greater part of his stolen millions, and Eleanor decides to leave him. But then an unexpected opportunity opens up when a gang of vicious neo-Nazis target his friend Serge, who they believe owns a valuable Nazi artefact - the bejewelled Ceremonial Field Marshall's baton that was presented by the Führer to Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering.

It has long been thought that Goering smuggled a fortune in gold bullion out of Germany in the dying days of the Second World War, and the baton, which Serge does indeed secretly own, could well be the key to finding this lost treasure. With the IRA, Interpol and some seriously unpleasant neo-Nazi's on his trail, Ructions is soon on the hunt for the location of the rumoured gold - and all the clues point to it being in the very place it is most dangerous for him to go... Ireland.

Goering's Gold is a rip-roaring adventure that cleverly mixes a veritable treasure-trove (pardon the pun) of highly entertaining storylines around the settling of old scores and the hunt for lost Nazi gold.

I have not read the first book in this series, Northern Heist, which means there are a lot of threads here hanging over for Ructions' first adventure (or is is misadventure) in connection with the infamous Belfast bank raid. But O'Rawe fills in enough of the gaps in this second book around the seething desire for revenge held in some quarters of the IRA, and Irish law enforcement, to allow you to pick up just enough of the history between all the opposing parties.

Ructions is a fascinating character, with lots of hidden depth. His quick thinking and Irish charm had me warming to him in double quick time, although I must admit to finding Eleanor rather one-dimensional - the femme-fatale character Gitte was so much more interesting, with a very satisfying story arc. The rest of the cast is filled out nicely with all the players you would expect in a story of this kind - the good, the bad, and the morally grey, who all tend to move around a bit in these categories over the course of the tale - except for the evil Nazis, of course, who stay well and truly in the scoundrel role.... Boo! 

O'Rawe creates a rollicking plot for these characters to fulfil all their entertaining potential. There are twists and turns galore, with lashings of double-dealing that really keep you on your toes. His detailed knowledge of the inside workings of the IRA really comes across in this story too, with just the right level of authentic grittiness to play against the more surreal theme of the uber-villain Nazis. The threads come together slickly, weaving a delicious Dan Brown-esque treasure hunt mystery through a many-layered thriller that reminded me rather nostalgically of the best of Frederick Forsyth, with a darkly humorous touch of Guy Ritchie thrown in for good measure - especially in the way Ructions has all parties heading for an almighty clash at the hiding place of the gold.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It's pitched perfectly to keep fans of tautly plotted noir thrillers gripped, with just the right mix of unsettling fact and absorbing fictional caper to make it a proper page-turner. There is also a seductive little hook into the next Ructions adventure... which I really, really want to read!

Goering's Gold is available to buy now in paperback and ebook formats.

Thank you to Melville House for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Richard O'Rawe is a former IRA operative who was imprisoned for bank robbery in the Long Kesh penitentiary during the 1981 hunger strike by prisoners, which resulted in the death of ten prisoners. O'Rawe was the IRA's press officer for the prisoners. He would later go on to write a bestselling book about the experience, Blanketmen: An Untold Story of the H-Block Hunger Strike, as well as several other books inspired by his experiences in the IRA, including Afterlives: The Hunger Strike and the Secret Offer that Changed Irish History, and In the Name of the Son: The Gerry Conlon Story. Most recently, he is the author of the IRA-themed thriller, Northern Heist. He lives in Belfast.