The Journeyman Tailor - 1992

Summary
In the villages and on the mountains of County Tyrone, in the heartland of the Provisional IRA's most active Brigade, the golden rule is 'Hear nothing, see nothing, know nothing'. To collaborate with British Intelligence is to invite an inescapable death sentence.

But there is word on the mountain that inside the Brigade is a 'tout', an informer. He will be identified , interrogated, tortured, then hooded and shot.

Gary Brennard the MI5 field agent, and Parker, who runs the informer, have to protect their man at all costs: he is the critical asset to hold on to until the stakes are high enough...and if the innocent step into the crossfire, that's just bad luck.

Extract
"His code name is Song Bird because that is the call-sign he uses each time he rings through to us for a meeting. He has to use that code name. It keeps in his mind, very clearly, that he belongs to us. He's in our cage and he sings for us. He believes, and we have encouraged the belief, that if he stops singing, tries to leave the cage, then we will blow him out to his friends. They would most certainly kill him, and hurt him a little bit in the process. But our aim is to keep Song Bird..."
The fear came in tiny shockwaves through Bren. He wondered which of them in London had turned down Belfast.

Reviews
"The pace is relentless...With such writing Seymour deservedly ranks among today's top thriller authors" SUNDAY EXPRESS

"Mr Seymour wields a controlled, formidable style, suited to the savage loyalties and treacheries which he describes. I found myself not only gripped, but unexpectedly moved" DAILY TELEGRAPH

"The three British masters of suspense, Grahame Greene, Eric Ambler and John le Carre, have been joined by a fourth - Gerald Seymour" NEW YORK TIMES

Customer Review
"This book gives the closest view ever of the secret war in Ulster; the characters of the informer and his handler are unforgettable. This novel shows the ways in which killers terrorise a community, and highlights the courage of those who stand against them.
Just don't read this (or any Gerald Seymour) if you insist on a happy ending."