Ructions O'Hare Books in Order

The Ructions O'Hare series is Richard O'Rawe's tough, fast-moving crime series about a former IRA man with a talent for dangerous plans. It begins with Northern Heist and continues in Goering's Gold. The books are linked by James "Ructions" O'Hare, his circle of old associates, and the criminal and political pressures that follow him wherever he goes.

Ructions is not a clean-cut hero. He is smart, experienced, and willing to take risks that would make most people run in the opposite direction. He wants the score that will set him up, but his past means every job comes with extra baggage. Old loyalties are never simple, and neither is the question of who expects a share.

In Northern Heist, Ructions and a group of former paramilitaries plan to empty Belfast's largest bank. Their scheme uses a tiger kidnapping, putting bank employees' families under threat to force access to the vault. The idea is audacious, but carrying it out means managing frightened hostages, nervous partners, and the IRA's interest in the money.

Belfast matters here. The city is more than a backdrop for a robbery plot. Its recent history, close-knit communities, hard memories, and criminal networks shape the choices people make. Ructions knows the ground, but that knowledge does not make him safe. The more he tries to keep control, the more chances there are for someone to turn on him.

The second book, Goering's Gold, broadens the canvas without leaving Ructions' troubles behind. A piece of Nazi memorabilia points him toward a cache of gold believed by some to have been hidden in Ireland after the Second World War. He is soon chasing clues while the IRA, international police, and violent neo-Nazis all have reasons to find him first.

Expect sharp dialogue, dark humor, close calls, and plenty of double-crosses. The violence can be blunt, and the books do not treat robbery as a harmless game, especially when families are used as leverage. But the series also has the energy of a classic caper, built around planning, improvising, and seeing whether Ructions can stay one step ahead.

Read the books in order. Northern Heist establishes Ructions, his crew, and the consequences of the Belfast job. Goering's Gold works best after it, because it follows the trail of enemies and unfinished business that the first heist leaves behind.