“Mimicking the layered geopolitical context of Ireland in the 1970s, Beirne’s love story is irrevocably attached to a larger, overwhelmingly violent and desperate situation pervading Ireland, which ends up dictating how it will unfold. There is just no way out of it.”

“Beirne is more interested in what drives politically motivated activists to such extremes of violence, while also exploring the even more complex morality of the undercover agent. The validity of Ray’s actions and mission is never overtly judged; the narrative simply presents what happens and wisely leaves the readers to form their own views.”

“Mr. Beirne’s writing is good, really good…I used to read a lot of Frederick Forsyth, and Blacklion very much recalls the type of story Mr. Forsyth would spin.”

“Luke Francis Beirne’s first novel Foxhunt was a beautifully written slow burn of a literary intrigue novel, and his second novel Blacklion is just as intensely readable. Beirne’s latest transports us to Bloody Sunday in 1972 Ireland as the story follows US native and CIA operative Raymond Daly sent to Ireland to run guns to the IRA. When a young Irish woman begins to crack his obedient CIA shell, Ray’s mission takes a turn.”

Luke is interviewed by Colleen Kitts-Goguen on CBC’s The Next Chapter about Blacklion.

Blacklion is about a CIA agent who travels to Ireland to infiltrate the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in order to prevent them from succumbing to Soviet influence.
“I wanted to draw attention to the fact that instability in smaller countries can have global consequences,” he said.

“The strength of Beirne's writing lies… in a … portrayal of basic human emotions: trust/distrust, love/hate, violence/the longing for a normal life… Beirne achieves a certain Hemingway quality for his protagonist and associates.”

Foxhunt is selected as one of 2022’s best historical fiction novels by Wendy McLeod MacKnight on The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers.

“Foxhunt is wonderfully written… a very cerebral and well-placed story within the historical context of the beginnings of the Cold War. I highly recommend Foxhunt as a noir-ish literary mystery-intrigue novel… I read it twice!”

“A cold-war thriller rather like early le Carré…skilfully crafted and has an original premise and richly drawn characters. The revelation at one point that the Soviets were experimenting with advanced nuclear weapons is eerily pertinent.”

“Brimming with suspense, political drama and allusions to various literary works, Foxhunt is a rich and thought-provoking novel on the pursuit of creative expression as it is entangled with the surrounding political climate.”

“In Luke Francis Beirne’s immersive novel Foxhunt, cultural ideals are overwhelmed by geopolitical realities and covert operations… Against a seamless historical and literary backdrop, Foxhunt balances compelling intrigue with vulnerable human emotions.”

Despite the Cold-War setting, Beirne said he doesn’t consider his novel a thriller.
“It’s slower paced and the spy story primarily plays out peripherally. I like to think that the writing itself drives the book.”

Passages are elegantly written, and observations of literary life are keen… Its depictions of a politically unsettled and suspicious time are all too relevant in today’s divided and fractious world.