Nathan K Smith

The Belfast Witch Nathan K Smith

Belfast, Ireland- the year 1799. One year has passed since Ireland's five-month revolution failed to secure independence for Ireland from the authority of King George III and Mr. Pitt's government. However, while the Irish lost their bid for freedom, their desire to be free has not gone away. In some ways, it has increased. The infamy of William Orr's trial and execution is still known everywhere throughout the country. Divisions between nationality and religion define the country. In the north, the province of Ulster houses the wealthy lords loyal to the English throne. The southern provinces of Ireland house the poor farmers who seek freedom. There is also a divide between English Protestantism and Irish Catholicism. All of these groups are present in the city of Belfast when Harry Glazer arrives from Scotland Yard to investigate the deaths of eight members of the Irish Parliament. Both the King and the Prime Minister of England secretly fear that another type of revolution has begun, a more insidious type of revolution: one where English loyalists are assassinated by forces that prefer to operate in anonymity. England fears that it may be dealing with an organization dedicated to spreading terror wherever possible. In order to discover the truth behind these deaths, Harry must discover whether the deaths were accidental, intentional, or natural. He must delve into the pasts of one member of parliament who appeared to lived two different lives- one in which he was a radical, the other in which he was a quiet back bencher who never made any friends while in public office. Suddenly, it is no longer a question of who wanted to kill the MP; instead, the question is, who didn't want to kill him...