Queen Victoria was the most shot-at of all British monarchs (she
rather welcomed this, as the public horror at the various attempts
proved, to her, how much she was loved by the public). This book
mentions them only in passing, and concentrates entirely on a
Fenian plot (most public outrages of the time were the result of
the Irish question) to blow up Westminster Abbey while she was
there celebrating her silver jubilee. It is an extremely
interesting and very complex story, with a fascinating main
character in the American 'General' Frank Millen, an apparently
respectable journalist and ex-missionary who was never properly
brought to book. But there are innumerable ramifications involving
British and Irish MPs, the smuggling of explosives, forgery,
burglary and murder, American support for Irish nationalists,
actions for libel against The Times - all against the background of
the Irish famine, the controversy connecting Charles Stuart Parnell
with alleged criminal activities and Lord Randolph Churchill's
support of Ulster. It is a complex tapestry, and the author treats
it almost filmically, with the scene moving swiftly from place to
place: the British consulate in New York to HM Legation in
Stockholm to the House of Commons to Room 56 of the Home Office....
Campbell has consulted documents only very recently released (in
fact, he seems to have had to prise them almost physically from the
Records Office) and although the reader must concentrate hard to
follow the story, identify the many character and appreciate their
motives, he tells an exciting and surprising story with pace and
skill. (Kirkus UK)
''A story of intrigue to equal anything by John Le Carre…one of the most remarkable examples of a 'black operation' ever revealed.''
'Observer'
'A brilliant piece of historical investigation. Not only has Christy Campbell uncovered an Irish terrorist plot to assassinate Queen Victoria on the day of her Golden Jubilee in 1887, but the 'Jubilee Plot' was actually masterminded by the British Government and (Prime Minister) Lord Salisbury.'
Jane Ridley, 'Spectator'
In a masterpiece of historical detective work, Christy Campbell exposes the true instigators behind one of the most serpentine of all the attempts on Queen Victoria's life. Irish-American bombers had waged a five-year campaign of dynamite attacks against British cities; now they seemed poised to bring off the most spectacular outrage imaginable. But the conspiracy's real target was not the Queen but the entire cause of Irish Home Rule…
'Extraordinary and engrossing…a scrupulously accurate piece of research which tells a dramatic tale but also provides a valuable insight into little-known aspects of the 19th-century relationship between Britain and Ireland.'
Conor Brady, 'Irish Times'
'A real page turner…makes 'The Day of the Jackal' look placid by comparison.'
Professor J.R. Vincent
'Enthralling…the pace never slackens.'
Andrew Lycett, 'Sunday Times'
'Terrific'
'Time Out'
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