Set in Northern Ireland during the 1970s, Turmoil paints a vivid picture of life lived amidst armed struggle. It's a story of people trying to get on with their lives against a backdrop of discrimination, bigotry, revolutionary conflict, and state suppression. And it's the little things of bravery and kindness that make this book such a joy. The uncle who buys his niece a pair of tights for her new job, knowing she can't afford them. The woman who berates the masked gunmen by telling them she'll complain to their mothers. The wealthy boss who visits his injured secretary, naïve to the impact his flashy car will have in her impoverished and dangerous part of town. There is universality at work here. We may be in Northern Ireland, but we could be in any country where there is conflict - where bosses are trying to save their factories, where young men are seduced into a cause, where psychopaths use conflict as cover for their own dark work, and where people - despite everything - are flirting, laughing and falling love. The author has created a set of characters here that the reader can quickly identify with, and in some cases, genuinely care about. The various sides of the conflict are represented with an even-handedness which aids our understanding of the complexities of Northern Ireland's conflict. Turmoil is a confident and entertaining debut from the author whose next instalment, Darkness, is eagerly awaited." Caitlin McLaughlin is just like any other teenage girl: during the week, she works at the Rocola shirt factory in Stones Corner, Creggan, where she has become secretary to her boss' dishy nephew James. At the weekend she likes music and trips into the city with her best friend, but this is Derry 1972. A simple trip to the shops can lead to life-changing injuries or death, and staying at home can be just as dangerous when the British Troops raid house to house. Robert Sallis is a private with the Royal Fusiliers recently posted to the city. He's repelled by how some of his fellow soldiers behave, wary too of civilian feelings running high against the occupying army. Accidentally separated from his patrol in Creggan, he's discovered by Caitlin hiding in her family's garden. He expects the worse but having seen enough violence too close to home; she doesn't give him away. Instead, she prefers to daydream about her charming boss, who has made his feelings for her plain. A Catholic girl from the Bogside and the Protestant heir to a big local employer...In her youthful innocence, Caitlin believes their love can overcome the triple obstacles of politics, class and faith. Meanwhile, Robert, newly recruited to British undercover forces, is closing in on a terrorist strike in the heart of the city centre.