Review: Trust Her by Flynn Berry

Title: Trust Her

Author: Flynn Berry

Year published: 2024

Category: Adult fiction (historical)

Pages: 304 pages

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Location: (my 2025 Google Reading map): Republic of Ireland

Summary: Three years after they narrowly escaped the IRA’s worst punishment for informing, Northern Irish sisters Tessa and Marian Daly have built a new life in Dublin with their young children. Though Tessa is haunted by the abrupt and violent end to her old life, she does her best to immerse herself in the joys of Finn’s childhood and the rhythms of her new job at The Irish Observer.

It’s a small island, though, and just as quickly as they disappeared, figures from the sisters’ past surface to drag them back into the conflict. Tessa is told she must track down her old handler from MI5, Eamonn, and attempt to turn him into an IRA informant, or lose everything.

Tessa’s reunion with Eamonn revives a host of feelings she has long attempted to bury. As their relationship intensifies and the pressure mounts, long-held secrets rise to the surface, and Tessa must navigate a treacherous landscape of shifting loyalties, all while trying to protect her beloved son.

Review: I liked the first book in this series, Northern Sky, but didn't super enjoy Under the Harrow (link to my reviews). This novel is my favorite of the three. It's intense, full of surprises and family love, the history is interesting, and it made me understand both sides of the conflict.

The conflict between those in Northern Ireland (mostly Protestants) and those in the Republic of Ireland (mostly Catholic) has been going on and off for so long, I wonder if it feels normal to the folks who live there. Yes, there are peace talks, there are ceasefires, but it seems like the tension is always there, even if it isn't official.

And yet, when I've been in the Republic of Ireland, the people are the nicest I've encountered anywhere in all my travels. And I've been totally creeped out by a Protestant parade when I was in Scotland years ago. I know both sides are at fault, with blood on their hands. This novel really captures how "regular" people get pulled into the fray, how they are used by both sides to hurt and maim. Following a set of sisters who have children, partners, and parents is a good way to tell the story. Over the span of the novels, I've gotten to know Marian and Tessa and feel like we see the good, the bad, and the ugly. We come to understand how they can get pulled into the work of the IRA, MI5, and other groups.

Challenges for which this counts: