Campbell Armstrong "Jig"

According to Jeam B. Palmer in the Library Journal - Jig is "A fast-paced, accomplished novel that explores the Irish Republican Army, contemporary terrorism, and American involvement, by the author of many award-winning novels. British officer Frank Pagan is sent to the United States to find the mysterious Jig, an elusive IRA terrorist on a mission to recover a large missing sum of IRA money. Jig, though a terrorist, is also a hero of sorts and so the non-IRA elements from Northern Ireland are attempting to eliminate him. In character and atmosphere Jig is very reminiscent of The Day of the Jackal , though Armstrong's characters elicit more sympathy. His accurate, apt images, his sardonic humor, his ingenious plot twists, and his amiable characters place Armstrong on a par with LeCarre and Ambler. Don't miss this one. " ,
Usually when an author is compared to one of the acknowledged greats (like Forsyte) one is in for a disappointment. In this case there is no disappointment in any of this fast-paced thriller's 600 pages. Of it's type - a crime thriller - this is a ***** five star book.

CAMPBELL ARMSTRONG , like Jeffrey Campbell and Thomas Altman, is a pseudonym used by Campbell Black. He was born in Glasgow in 1944 and educated at Sussex University where he obtained a BA degree. Three years after his first novel was published in 1968, he moved to the United States, where he taught creative writing. He lived there for twenty years with his wife and children, and produced twenty novels before moving to Ireland in 1991. He has been in the front rank of modern thriller writers for many years, and his bestselling novels include the highly acclaimed Jig series. His recent heartbreaking memoir, 'All That Really Matters', was also a remarkable success, particularly in Scotland and Ireland, where it was a No 1 bestseller. Following the international success of 'Jig' (1987), many of his books, including 'Brainfire' and 'Asterisk', are once again available in the United Kingdom.