Rain Dogs

McKinty's story opens with a visit to Belfast by "sporting royalty" Muhammad Ali--a challenge narrator Gerard Doyle meets with a gravelly, rhythmic delivery. Even better are Doyle's varied Irish accents, which help differentiate the various Northern Irish policemen who work with Detective Sean Duffy to solve an international case of murder in an Irish village. The death of a young English reporter involves politicians and wealthy Finnish investors. Duffy's journey to Finland to investigate poses an interesting vocal challenge that Doyle handles admirably. His delivery further ratchets up the tension when the threat of IRA bombings and the death of a high-ranking police official add to the mayhem. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Starred review from January 25, 2016
Det. Insp. Sean Duffy must solve the equivalent of a locked-room mystery in McKinty’s scorching fifth installment in his Troubles-set Northern Irish crime series (after 2015’s Gun Street Girl). It’s 1987 in Carrickfergus, and Duffy, a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, is constantly on the lookout for mercury tilt switch bombs planted underneath his car, the calling card of the IRA. Meanwhile, the body of Financial Times journalist Lily Bigelow is found in the courtyard of Carrickfergus Castle. The only way in or out of the centuries-old structure, now a tourist attraction, is through a heavy gate, and CCTV footage proves that no one entered or exited the castle at the time of Bigelow’s death, making Duffy think that she likely threw herself off one of the high walls inside. But the forensics experts conclude someone murdered Bigelow, whom Duffy soon connects to a delegation of Finnish businessmen visiting Northern Ireland to perhaps bring new jobs. McKinty expertly balances Duffy’s tense and suspenseful investigation with the political tensions of the region. Agent: Bob Mecoy, Creative Book Services.