Breach of the Peace by C R Dempsey is a historical thriller with a richly drawn setting in Ireland in the 1590s. Eunan Maguire is an enviable character now, living his best life — a position in the rebel army, marriage into a powerful family, and control of his family lands. But to stay at the top, he must meet the expectations of his father-in-law. With the Sheriff of Sligo as an archenemy, the future doesn't look quite bright for Eunan. His friendship with Seamus MacSheehy has deteriorated and that doesn't help matters. When war breaks out, Eunan and Seamus MacSheehy find themselves together. This time, can they rekindle the flames of a once powerful friendship and face a common enemy or will the Sheriff of Sligo bring Eunan down?

The first thing that seduced me as I opened this book is the author's incredible sense of setting. Dempsey offers a dazzling portrait of the historical moments in Ireland, bringing to life the pulse of the Irish Revolution and giving readers compelling images of the clan wars, land disputes, and power struggles. The characters are genuinely flawed and captivating; they are complex and skillfully written. Themes of patriotism, family, loyalty, and war are intelligently developed. The dialogues are sparkling and they are well-crafted to reflect the manner in which people spoke at the time. This historical novel captures the pulse of a particularly chaotic period in Irish history, offering finely drawn threads of complex relationships and weaving realism into both the characters and the events. Breach of the Peace transports readers into Elizabethan Ireland and forces them to witness war and its effects on the characters. A deftly plotted and absorbing narrative that features characters that are solidly sculpted and a setting that feels like a character in its own right.