The Cold, Cold Ground

December 3, 2012
This series starter from McKinty (Fifty Grand) introduces hard-boiled but likable Det. Sgt. Sean Duffy, a Catholic who remains brashly, winningly sardonic even under the pressure of 1981 Belfast's overwhelmingly Protestant police force. With the hunger strikes ongoing, Duffy tries to prove himself by finding an apparent serial killer targeting gay men, but is impeded by Northern Ireland's revolution-racked but socially conservative culture. As Duffy tries to decipher gnomic clues involving opera and mythology, he begins to suspect that the suicide of a hunger striker's wife links the apparently apolitical murders to the equally ruthless paramilitary and IRA factions. Though an anachronistic tone occasionally jars with the period atmosphere provided by carefully observed detail and cameos from the likes of Gerry Adams, the deft mix of noirish melancholy with express-train pacing and blockbuster-ready action enticingly sets the stage for Duffy's future adventures.

No question, THE COLD, COLD GROUND is an exciting launch for what is sure to be an anticipated crime series. Great detective stories are built on three key elements--setting, story, and protagonist--and this one deploys each one magnificently. The setting--Northern Ireland in 1981, during the hunger strikes--is portrayed with frightening detail. The clever story evolves slowly as plot points are pinned to cultural biases that transcend "The Troubles"--for example, homosexuality and unwed motherhood. Police detective Sean Duffy wins us over chapter by chapter with his tenacity, his swaggering, witty dialogue, and his record collection--he spins The Velvet Underground when in need of a lift. The audiobook exceeds all expectations because of narrator Gerard Doyle. His storytelling is understated, and his dialect work is remarkable. This is the ninth collaboration between author and narrator, and this team totally rocks. R.W.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

May 1, 2013

In this time capsule of a mystery novel, McKinty, with great skill and authenticity, transports readers to the Northern Ireland of 1981, at the height of the "troubles," when Bobby Sands and other IRA hunger-strikers are inflaming an already violent and unstable Belfast. DS Sean Duffy is a maverick on several levels, including being a Catholic in the largely Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary in the town of Carrickfergus, near Belfast. Duffy is trying to solve the murders of two gay men, one of whom turns out toMEDIAbe the head of the IRA's internal security force. Gerard Doyle reads with an Irish accent that sounds impeccable, lending added authenticity to dialog and language. The Cold Cold Ground is reported to be the first book of a "Troubles" trilogy, so look for these great characters and this engrossing setting to continue through at least two more books. VERDICT Not to be missed. ["For fans of Stewart Neville's crime novels, a new and harrowing Irish trilogy is under way. At turns violent and labyrinthine, McKinty's fine police procedural is also the ultimate page-turner," read the review of the Seventh Street: Prometheus hc, LJ 11/1/12.--Ed.]--Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.