Peter Hollywood's accomplished collection of short stories deals with violence and its aftermath in the North. It is not blunt, brutal writing – thankfully – but subtle and nuanced, with a seam of pitch-black humour that, one hopes, is not lost in translation across the Border. The title story, Hawks, has a Monty Python feel to it as the killer of some rare birds is stalked by a local hack. Of course, this being Northern Ireland, there is a political edge even to the killing of innocent birds. Which foot does the gunman shoot with is the question rival politicians are asking, and what are the political implications? Similarly, there is black humour to Farrow and Ball, despite the very real and frightening events that the story depicts, while the wonderfully observed The Gardens of Suburbia, with its literary theme, is a tale that could take place in any well-heeled part of Ireland. Some odd punctuation did jar on occasion, but, for the much greater part, Hawks flies.
