The Detective Up Late

Detective Sean Duffy #7

by Adrian McKinty, Gerard Doyle (Narrator)

9 hours, 15 minutes

From New York Times bestselling author Adrian McKinty comes the next thrilling mystery in the Edgar Award-winning Sean Duffy detective series

Slamming the door on the hellscape of 1980s Belfast, Detective Inspector Sean Duffy hopes that the 1990s are going to be better for him and the people of Northern Ireland. As a Catholic cop in the mainly Protestant RUC he still has a target on his back, and with a steady girlfriend and a child the stakes couldn’t be higher.

After handling a mercurial triple agent and surviving the riots and bombings and assassination attempts, all Duffy wants to do now is live. But in his final days in charge of Carrickfergus CID, a missing persons report captures his attention. A fifteen-year-old traveler girl has disappeared and no one seems to give a damn about it. Duffy begins to dig and uncovers a disturbing underground of men who seem to know her very well. The deeper he digs the more sinister it all gets. Is finding out the truth worth it if DI Duffy is going to get himself and his colleagues killed? Can he survive one last case before getting himself and his family out over the water?

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Ireland, Audiobook, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Adrian McKinty is an Irish novelist. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Victoria Council Estate, Carrickfergus, County Antrim. He read law at the University of Warwick and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford. He moved to the United States in the early 1990s, living first in Harlem, New York and from 2001 on, in Denver, Colorado, where he taught high school English and began writing fiction. He lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the Sean Duffy series and this one does not disappoint. It’s the start of a new decade, literally New Year’s Day, 1990. Sean is just back from a visit to The Holy Land with his in-laws. He’s about to go part-time and he has one more case to handle, that of a young female Traveler who has just gone missing.
I just adore Duffy’s sarcastic humor. McKinty just has a way with words and he effortlessly also blends in all sorts of weird tidbits (I had to google the bit about the robin in the movie Blue Velvet). His descriptions put you right in the place and time and give you a firm sense of who exactly Sean Duffy is. A man who loves classical music, philosophy and violence.
The plot itself was totally bonkers. There were three, possibly four, suspects. As I got closer to the resolution I was shaking my head more and more. The ending was perfect.
This is the first time I’ve listened to a book in the series, so I still had Gerald Doyle’s voice in my head. It was a nice change to read and get to linger over some of the phrases.
My thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

[Sandysbookaday (on indefinite hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCERPT: The alarm bells were ringing now. Ringing for both of us.
We knew how these things went most of the time. A teenage girl goes missing. One day, two days, no trace of her anywhere and then on that third day she shows up. She's at a friend's house, she's at a boyfriend's, she's with her estranged father. This was a surprisingly common narrative. Maybe got three or four of those a month. A million reasons for it: domestic abuse, kid growing out the nest, a row with her mum, a row with a sibling, a row with her dad, guilt over some minor infraction of the social norms, a boy at the back of it . . . Like I say, three or four of those a month.
But a prostitute going missing? A teen prostitute?
That was another kettle of fish.
That was never good.
That was front page of The News of the World stuff.
Alarm bloody bells.

ABOUT 'THE DETECTIVE UP LATE': It’s the dawn of the new decade, and Detective Inspector Sean Duffy is more than happy to slam the door on the grisly ’80s, clinging to the hope that the ’90s might prove more peaceful for the people of Belfast. Duffy looks forward to embarking on his own personal new chapter, spending more time with his longtime partner, Beth, and daughter, Emma, as he switches to being a part-timer at the Carrickfergus RUC.

Before Duffy can shift gears though, a missing person report captures his attention. A fifteen-year-old girl from a seedy local caravan park has vanished without a trace. Duffy’s sense that this is more than a case of a teenage runaway is soon confirmed as he uncovers a network of lurid middle-aged men closely connected with the girl. Fearing that every second lost could mean the case remaining unsolved, Duffy urgently tries to uncover what happened to the girl—while simultaneously having to manage a mercurial triple agent. This final case for Detective Duffy looms more dangerous and twisted than anyone had first expected.

MY THOUGHTS: Sean Duffy, I have missed you. It seems like forever since #6, 'Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly' was published. Indeed, it was 2017. Mr McKinty, I know you have been busy writing other books, but I really need a regular fix of Sean Duffy, otherwise I tend to get a wee bit tetchy. Not that I don't love your other books - I do - but I love Sean Duffy more. I read I checked under the Beemer for bombs, but she was clean. or some variation, and all is right in my world again.

So, it's 1990. Believe it pal. Forget the rain. Forget the weather cos the future's coming. The future was a silver light. The smell in the air was change. Before year's end, Thatcher will be gone, the Soviet Union will be on its last legs, Germany will be one country, not two. Iraq's about to invade our consciousnesses and a rich kid called Osama Bin Laden is going to start a jihad to rid Saudi Arabia of the infidel.

And it's Sean Duffy's last case as a full time D.I.

And he's moving to Shortbread Land. (Duffy's term, not mine.)

Change is certainly afoot, but first he has one last case to solve, and a jittery spy to placate.

McKinty, as always, writes with a black humor that has me snorting out loud at the most inopportune times. He writes with passion, with confidence, and imbues his characters with acres of personality and their own particular offbeat charm. His dialogue is superbly rich, his settings full of accuracy and atmosphere. I simply Hoover up his words, desperate for my fix, but not wanting to get to the end of the book anytime soon.

I simply can't imagine Sean Duffy not being a detective. Which he won't be in his new part time role. Not that I think that will stop him because detecting is in his blood. It's what he does. It's like breathing to him. So, while I am waiting for #8, I will simply start this wonderful series again, from the beginning.

My favorite line: Getting a morality lesson from you two is like getting sensitivity training from Himmler.

I have just listened to the audiobook of The Detective Up Late narrated by Gerard Doyle. Superb! I can still hear the narrator's mellifluous voice. If anything, an even better experience than the book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TheDetectiveUpLate #NetGalley

I: #adrianmckinty @blackstonepublishing

X: @adrianmckinty @Blackstonepubl1

#crime #detectivefiction #friendship #irishfiction #mystery #suspense #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Adrian McKinty is an Irish novelist. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Victoria Council Estate, Carrickfergus, County Antrim. He read law at the University of Warwick and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford. He moved to the United States in the early 1990s, living first in Harlem, New York and from 2001 on, in Denver, Colorado, where he taught high school English and began writing fiction. He lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley for providing both a digital and audio ARC of The Detective Up Late by Adrian McKinty for review. The audiobook is superbly narrated by Gerard Doyle. I would listen to him reading a telephone book (if there were still such a thing.)
All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book seven in this outstanding series and it has taken me so long to get hold of a copy. At last my library came good and presented me with a shiny, brand new hardback copy. Praise to all libraries and long may they prosper!

The Detective Up Late opens in Ireland in the New Year of 1990. Sean is looking to leave the force and is in fact on his last case, that of a fifteen year old girl who has gone missing. Of course he wants to leave on a high note and is determined to solve the case. This is not easy and as usual Sean is led into some dark and dangerous places.

This has to be one of my favourite series. McKinty writes so well with plenty of humour and a very real knowledge of what it was like to live in those times in that country. Every time he looks under his car to check for a car bomb I remember the news reports we used to watch in the UK detailing the latest bombing or other atrocity.

I believe there are two more books to go in this series. I hope I can track them down!

[Sandy]

I thought of this series the other day & wondered what had happened to book #7. In a word: pandemic. But great news for fans....there's more than one on the way. From McKinty's blog:

"The titles of the last 3 Duffy books are (as usual) all lyrics from Tom Waits songs. They are:

THE DETECTIVE UP LATE (tentatively summer 2022)

HANG ON ST CHRISTOPHER

THE GHOSTS OF SATURDAY NIGHT"


You are invited to join me in my Happy Dance 💃


Update Mar 31: loving the cover. Looks like it's all happening Aug. 8th 🤞

[Susan (on hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I loved this!

However, my reading experience was challenged near the beginning because of the author’s unique phrasing. I was flummoxed at times and wasn’t sure if the book and I were going to get on. All was well after I became accustomed to his writing style and it was smooth sailing after about 10%.

Taking place near 1980’s Belfast the unrest and danger to our Catholic detective has him on the move to Scotland. But he needs to close his case file first. In addition to a missing person mystery, this story is ripe with extras. Now that I’ve been acquainted with MC Duffy, I’ll have to back track to others in the series.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an early copy of this from the author and I want to thank him for both the excellent read and the Sean Duffy series. I am such a Duffy fan that when I was in Belfast last year, I did the Duffy tour. I have a friend from GR who grew up in Carrick take me around. We visited the house on Coronation St, the police station and other landmarks. We even visited McKinty's sister's pub and visited with his brother-in-law. It was the highlight of my trip.

McKinty, for some reason, wants to shake the Duffy dust off his feet and this is his last case. He and his partner,Beth, and adorable daughter have moved to Scotland. He will take the ferry over and work 7 days a month so he can retire at 20 years with benefits. Who can blame them after the horrific events of his last book, Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly?

The last case is the disappearance of a 15 year old traveler girl. No one really cares but Duffy until it turns out she has some connections to four different, important men. Her car is found in the river but there's no body. Has she been murdered? Duffy doggedly pursues the case no one wants until he untwists all the turns.

It's really a satisfying story that's probably his best yet. Where else can you get such a literate book with references to music I have never heard of but want to? I love the quotes that fall off his tongue and the perfect references, including Willie Wonka, that pepper the story. It's like taking a warm bath in deliciousness.

I wish McKinty would relent and give us more Duffy but this was the perfect ending. I am looking forward to reading some of his stand alone books next. In the meantime, if you love a good literate mystery you won't go wrong with this one.

[Damo · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Back to the station through the devastated streets. Past bomb sites turned into parking lots and derelict buildings and huge craters brimming with rainwater. I’m being watched by men in doors and alleyways. A peeler on his own. A tempting target. Death is close here.”

The Detective Up Late is the 7th book in the Sean Duffy series. It’s set in Belfast in 1990 and it follows on quite soon after the events of Police At the Station And They Don’t Look Friendly. Duffy continues to demonstrate that he’s far from your standard peeler with his unconventional methods, sardonic wit and razor sharp mind.

“I’d be forty in a little over a year and forty in Northern Ireland years was fifty everywhere else, and forty in Northern Irish-policeman years was sixty. And I was a Catholic policeman, so you can do that arithmetic yourself.”

But his time in the RUC is almost up and he’s preparing to move himself, his wife and daughter to Scotland, finally agreeing that remaining in Belfast is too dangerous. But he’s staying on to finish the case he’s currently working on, passing on his wisdom and his wiles to Lawson, the man who would soon replace him.

“Patience - that’s what a good copper needs. Patience in following up all the leads, patience in running through the hordes of data, patience in talking to the general public when most of them are eejits and wankers.”

Kat McAtamney has gone missing in the days leading up to the new year. She’s only 15, but because she’s a Traveller there has been no urgency in looking for her. Duffy takes on the case with alacrity.

Although others believe that the case is a simple runaway because she had disappeared before, Duffy’s not having it and his doggedness is rewarded when he unearths a string of men she regularly met with. Any of these blokes could have been responsible for her disappearance or could at least provide him with information. But there’s no such thing as a straightforward missing child case and everyone’s proving tight-lipped.

Then the shooting starts and Duffy’s last Belfast case starts to look like it could jeopardise his retirement plans. He’s a fighter and always seems to come up with a plan that will squeak him through just about any scrape.

“I slipped my fist into the knuckleduster. Look away now if you think Sean Duffy is the decent man who fights fair. He doesn’t fight fair. He fights very fucking unfair.”

As far as the mystery itself goes, what starts out as a pretty standard type of missing person / murder case becomes a more substantial whodunnit. With a number of possible suspects, it very much becomes a game of eeny-meeny-miney-mo to challenge us into figuring out who’s guilty.

As with the previous books in the series, McKinty manages to draw you right into the story with a writing style that is both descriptive and evocative, yet sparse and direct. The plotting is tight and the characters are brought to life with a simple accented phrase that manages to place them perfectly. The tone is bang on and the dialogue perfectly defines the personality of each successive character Duffy meets.

This is more than a simple missing persons case that allows a bunch of coppers to go through their procedural pacings. There are moments of deeper introspection and reflection interspersed with some insightful commentary on societal norms, wry humour used to good effect at regular intervals. Slower, methodical moments of detective work are tempered by flashes of sparkling action to keep the pulse-rate high.

Yet another outstanding entry in the Sean Duffy series to cement Adrian McKinty as one of the finest exponents of the crime fiction genre.

My thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the digital ARC and the opportunity to read, enjoy and review this book.

[Ceecee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s the dawn of the 1990’s and DI Sean Duffy of the RUC is glad to bid au revoir to the ‘80’s and these are his final days at Carrickfergus before semi retirement and a move to Scotland with his partner Beth and daughter Emma. He’s still busy though, for one thing he has a tricky triple agent to handle who has been passing useful disinformation to the IRA. In addition, a fifteen year old traveller girl is missing and he seems to be the only officer remotely interested. He starts to investigate and never imagines the case could put him and his team in danger. But, this is Northern Ireland remember and The Troubles aren’t over … So, let’s see what happens to the irrepressible Duffy, his loyal partner DS McCrabban aka Crabbie and DS Lawson who will be in charge when this pair retire.

The fact that I was prepared to stump up over twenty spondoolies for this hard to track down book tells you all you need to know. I’ve loved this series from the get go. They’re always clever plots with terrific characters. Duffy is highly intelligent, he’s literate and a big fan of music and so it’s full of clever references. If that makes you want to yawn, he’s also very funny, witty and sarcastic and so is great company along with his vodka gimlets and the odd spliff. He never makes things easy and he’ll go the extra mile even if it’s with unconventional methods. In my opinion, he’s one of the best central characters you’ll find in the m/t genre. If you add Northern Ireland into the mix you can see we’re onto a winner.

Adrian McKinty balances the funny, witty and off beat with an extremely well thought out fast paced plot that barrels this way and that. There’s never a dull moment with plenty of tension, suspense and chuckles. Obviously, I enjoy every moment in Sean’s company and his new Beemer of which he’s clearly proud.

Look Mr McK - us fans of Sean can’t get enough of him so frankly Lawson will need him. Big time. Plus, we both know Sean will get twitchy on those 23/24 days he’s in Shortbread Land (Sean’s description!) with lovely Beth and Emma. SO GET ON WITH IT. Thanks.

Ps. Still not a huge fan of those short clipped sentences but I’ll get over it for the love of Sean. Also, why no TV company has seen the potential in these books I’ll never understand.

[Jeremy Peers · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Year's Eve 1989, Northern Ireland is ready to put the bloody decade behind them. Detective Inspector Sean Duffy is among them. Duffy is retiring and moving his family to Scotland due to the constant threat to their lives. He's looking forward to the future and seeing what life has in store for them. When a 15-year old Traveller girl goes missing, no one seems to care. Duffy seems to be of the mind, "everyone matters or no one matters". As Duffy, along with Lawson and McCrabban, begin poking around and asking questions, they start to believe the case is about much more than a missing Traveller girl. The deeper they delve into the her disappearance, the more abhorrent and dangerous it becomes.

I became aware of Adrian McKinty through his last two books, The Chain and The Island, so this was my first time meeting Sean Duffy. I admittedly don't know a whole lot about The Troubles other than two groups of people didn't like each other. Duffy checking his car for bombs each time he drove really showcases how dangerous of a time it was. McKinty's ability to put you on the streets of Belfast is visceral, and at times, unnerving and leaves you feeling dirty.

I really liked Duffy's whole vibe. Not your usual detective. The sarcasm, wit and inner monologue really lets the reader get to know Duffy. It helped me connect with Duffy almost immediately. Not having been to Northern Ireland I found the atmosphere and mood of the book endless fascinating. I'm looking forward to diving into the earlier Duffy books.

The Detective Up Late is a fantastic police procedural and I can't recommend it enough!

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Detective Up Late.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a latecomer to this series, having only read the sixth and now this, the seventh. I miss Ken Bruens, Jack Taylor novels and have been looking for a replacement. While Sean Duffy is not quite as raunchy as Jack, he has the same determination to find the truth and finish the job. It's the eighties and Duffy is Catholic in Protestant Belfast,it has not been easy, but now after this, his last case,he will be turning over the reins to another. He will still work one week a month, so he can still receive his pension,but it won't be him in charge. There's just this one last case, best laid plans and all that,but he wants it solved before he steps down.

A teenage girl has gone missing, she is a traveler, and Duffy wants to know why as well as where. Not straightforward, things are not as they seem, and the case may not be solvable. Atmospheric,well plotted,with some interesting characters. Well done.

The narration was excellent.

[Shannon M (Canada) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading the Sean Duffy series almost as soon as they were published, buying the first ones on sale from the Book Depository, and the later ones from Amazon Kindle. I loved them all. I don’t love the latest instalment, THE DETECTIVE UP LATE—in fact, I don’t even like it. It is so poorly written that it doesn’t even deserve an average three-star rating.

Had I been new to the series, I would have dnf’d after the first two chapters. To anyone who hadn’t read the earlier books, these early chapters didn’t make sense. Not only was the meaning almost incomprehensible, but the writing was dreadful—the sentences were short and often incomplete, the author appeared to be trying to imitate a stream of consciousness methodology—and I have always detested stream of consciousness format.

After the first two chapters, the story kind of begins with “Duffy’s Last Case”—I stress “kind of” because there is a lot of extraneous material that is not at all relevant to the story. Plenty of jokes and hijinks, not much plot. Eventually we do get into the plot, a missing 15-year-old Traveller girl. Her car is soon found in the river and it is presumed that she is dead, her body washed away by the tides. As it appears that her car was pushed into the river, Duffy assumes this is a murder case and soon narrows the suspects down to four—her “pimp” and three clients. As the case progresses, there is so much extraneous material that I got bored reading it. Far too many jokes. (The Duffy novels have always had a light comic tone, one quality that I liked about them, but in THE DETECTIVE UP LATE everything is absurd, or silly, or a romp. The plot gets lost among all the joking around.)

One chapter, “Shaking The Tree”, was so monotonous, so repetitive of information already conveyed in earlier chapters, that I almost stopped reading. But I had paid for the book and so I continued. I should have been allowed to get my money back. WARNING: Don’t buy this book. If you want to judge it for yourself, then borrow it from the library. At least that way you won’t feel cheated.

At about the 75% mark, the plot starts moving more along the lines of the earlier Duffy books. But it moves too quickly. Blink and you’ll miss an important point. Plus the quick-moving action is finally resolved along the same lines as the earlier Duffy books—M15 involvement, the IRA and UDA informants and double agents, foreign spying. Nothing explained in detail to help us better understand The Troubles and why it lasted as long as it did.

Finally the solution to “Duffy’s Last Case” appears out of the blue—a “gut” feeling that Duffy gets while interviewing a suspect, not the result of systematic police investigation. I found the ending inadequate as well—too sketchy, too incomplete.

I disliked THE DETECTIVE UP LATE so much that I reread portions of the first two Duffy novels. Had I misjudged them? No. All six of the earlier novels in the Sean Duffy series are excellent. What happened to this one then?

[Barbara K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pleased to report that this final book in the Sean Duffy series does not disappoint.

Duffy is a Catholic homicide detective in Belfast's Royal Ulster Constabulary, a primarily Protestant organization, during The Troubles of the 1970s and 1980s, an event in his past having guided him to this life choice. His determination to resolve his cases regardless of means has resulted in a career path within the police force that is, shall we say, less than linear. His cases are sometimes straightforward murders and at other times are related to the omnipresent sectarian violence. He also becomes involved with MI5 investigations, often against his will. He’s something of an intellectual and a music lover of every genre (except 1980s pop), and a fan of high powered cars..

He is now just shy of 40, with a girlfriend and toddler, and is ready for a life that does not require that he check under his car for a mercury tilt switch bomb before each use. He’s purchased a home in Scotland, just “over the water” by ferry and is retiring to a part-time job that will allow him to work just 7 days a month for 4 years and then collect his 20 year pension.

But first he needs to solve one last case so that he can leave his successor with a clean plate. There is also an MI5 matter that needs his attention. He’d also like to end up alive at the end of all this.

The murder case is one of the best in the series, pulling together a number of Duffy’s ongoing betes noires - the privileges of wealth in a failing economy, police and MI5 support of informants regardless of their heinous activities, and those sectarian quasi-military groups - along with the Travellers, an ethnic group native to Ireland that is similar, though unrelated, to the Roma.

Although overall I’ve enjoyed this series, I think McKinty made a good decision to end it when and how he did. He’s gone on to write standalone, one of which, The Chain, has been enormously successful.

[LenaRibka · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I LOVE Sean Duffy, I LOVE this series so much, but it is the first time since my first Duffy's installment, when I had to think about how to rate it. Don't get me wrong, Sean Duffy is, as always, great joy to follow, but Cold Water is for me the weakest book in the series. It pained me to say this, but I think, I know why this book has not been published yet (in Englisch). Some things just HAVE to be reworked (I don't use "edited" on purpose).

The only question that remained unanswered for me is: WHY the only copy of this book that has been published is a German edition?

Sean Duffy is still his old self, sometimes grumpy and moody, sometimes lyrical, always very temperamental with his typical charisma, his fine sense of humor, his strong sense of loyalty and justice. But there were some moments when I wanted to cry out loudly: Sean, really?! Calm down, mate ! I know, the guy is highly spirited and emotional, but it was the first time I said to myself, well, he needs a break, urgently. Then there was a mystery part that didn't convince me. Of course it was Sean who solved it, but for me his ideas came from nowhere, LITERALLY, he just came up with this strange explanation ( not like, wow, the guy has a photographic memory and a fine sense for small hidden details, but like, wow, he has a highly developed imagination, he can write fantasy books), and fortunately for all us it was the way it happened.

It is probably high standard moaning, nevertheless I am a huge fan of the series and I can't wait for the next and the last(?) book (maybe not).

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I have enjoyed all the books in this series, but The Detective Up Late is the best by far. To be fair, my enjoyment of this title may have been influenced by the fact that I thought the series was finished after the previous book.

I think if you enjoy Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series, you should definitely try the Sean Duffy books. They are extremely well written, fast-paced, witty, filled with interesting characters and set in a politically troubled Northern Ireland. I very highly recommend the audio versions, as these are narrated superbly by Gerard Doyle. He does such an amazing job with the different voices and accents, that it actually felt like I was listening to a full cast.

[Amos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detective Sean Duffy seems ready to leave his insanity-steeped life behind him in the final book of this (mostly) gripping and darkly comedic series. Some go out with a bang, others with a whimper...
The Detective Up Late falls somewhere in the middle.
It's a decent enough tale, but it never really crackled and came to life during my read, the energy of previous books conspicuously absent.
And while it was not my favorite of the series it was nice to have one last outing with these rugged, hardscrabble characters Mr. McKinty so lovingly created.

3 Stoic Stars

[Alex Cantone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I called home (in Scotland) and checked on wife, kid, cat. All three doing well. House cold but fine, neighbours friendly enough. All you have to do is punch one neighbour in the f*cking face and the rest will fall into line…

1990 dawns with renewed hope in Northern Ireland for a peaceful settlement. At RUC Carrickfergus Police Station DI Sean Duffy and DS ‘Crabbie’ are about to join the part-time roster, working 7 days per month until retirement, Crabbie to his dairy farm, Duffy already moved his family to the relative safety of Portpatrick near Stranraer in Scotland – handing the reins over to youthful DS Lawson.

Before that can happen Duffy has a last case to solve, that of a missing 15-year-old ‘traveller’ girl – though the mother insists her daughter is no runaway. No innocent either as the girl has a forged driver’s licence, is known to have met men in a local pub. When her car is found in a river and a sodden diary has a list of phone numbers of men – each with a flimsy alibi for the time of her disappearance – it is flagged as a murder investigation. Days pass with no further leads until, after shaking a particular tree, this shifts from an investigation no one wants, to one that has to be shut down.

This the seventh in the Sean Duffy series, set in “the Troubles’ in Northern Ireland – a slow-burner at first, but filled with the trademark dark humour and laugh-out-loud remarks. The usual eye to (now) historic detail – notables of the time, movies, music – it all boils down to Duffy’s dogged determination, a sense that ‘something has been missed’ – the minor detail that finally caught the “Yorkshire Ripper”. When the turning point came the pace increases exponentially as once more our favourite rogue copper comes under fire.

Verdict: Absolutely brilliant, but I hope this is Duffy’s last hoorah, ending on a high point.

[Svetlana · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked up the book, I didn’t know that it’s 7th book in the series! But, it was good as stand alone book. I never felt that I’m missing something.
Really good written. I read couple other books by McKinty, and I liked them all, so I knew what to expect.
The story was slow burning from the beginning, and get more intense and intriguing as its progress. The ending was perfect.
I loved the main character, especially his sarcastic humour.
I really enjoyed the narrative of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing the audiobook.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfying entry to a great series. I'm excited to see what's next for Sean Duffy as he embarks on his next adventure!

Favorite quotes:

"No bombs under car, no one had shot at me, I'd just slipped and fell on the path from house to the shed. A younger man would laughed that off, but a man hitting forty after dog years coppering in Ulster."

"I looked fifty-five or older. A poorly maintained fifty-five. It was the job, that was the job during the Troubles. If it didn't actually kill you, it aged you at double the speed of coppers over the water..."

[Lou Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE DETECTIVE UP LATE by Adrian McGinty
Narrated by Gerard Doyle
Blackstone Publishing - Audiobook … 9 hours, 16 min
Publication: August 2023




There is no better way to jump on the Sean Duffy Train than immerse yourself in the audio version narrated by the magnificent Gerald Doyle. His ability to supply various Scottish and Irish accents and nuances for the multiple characters bring this historical noir to a gritty and dark life in the theater of your mind. Even if you’ve missed the first six installments in this highly acclaimed and award winning series this will allow you to immediately become enamored with the unique, grumpy, sarcastic and highly principled, Detective Inspector Sean Duffy. This is billed as “his last case” ….Bollocks!!! …don’t believe it! Some say he’s nothing special as a detective … no Sherlock Holmes … but what he is… is persistent in an OCD fashion. Like the proverbial dog with a bone. The scene opens on New Year’s Eve … celebrating the end of the 80s with his partner, Beth … hoping that the New Year and start of the 90’s will bring an end to the hostilities in Northern Ireland. Beth has convinced Sean for the sake of security and safety for them and their 3 year-old daughter Emma, they should move from Northern Ireland to her home in the southern part of Scotland … home of retirees and some call, “one of God’s Waiting Rooms.’
Sean Duffy is the ultimate outsider… being a Catholic cop, surrounded by the mostly Protestant members of the Carrickfergus RUC ( Royal Ulster Constabulary) and its constituents. He has survived the 80’s with its turmoil of riots, bombings and assassination attempts led by either the IRA or its brethren paramilitary groups. He can qualify for his pension if he works part time, such as 7 to 8 days a month for the next three years, and turn over his leadership of the detectives at RUC. As he’s about to relinquish his position, when a MPC (Missing Person Case) comes across his desk. A fifteen year-old traveller girl (a “tinker”), named Kat McAtamney went missing. The chief inspector says its a waste of police time and to file the necessary paperwork and forget about it. “Tinker girls go missing all the time.” Naturally Duffy digs right in and steps on a multitude of toes as he doggedly precedes with his investigation. His crew is composed of DI McCrabban, and his soon to be replacement, DI Lawson. Sean is disgusted how little his other colleagues care if this case is worked… the local press finds the case un newsworthy. He turns up a cast of dodgy blokes who may have been involved with her disappearance or murder. His investigation inevitably comes up against sinister and powerful forces wanting to shut it down. It should be noted that every time he approaches his Beemer, he inspects the undercarriage looking for a tilt bomb.
McGinty is a marvelous storyteller and weaves together a complex narrative with multiple unexpected twists and turn and escalating suspense. He effortlessly injects a heavy dose of dark humor, filled with wit and pitch perfect sarcasm, that envelops the incomparable and unforgettable Detective Inspector Sean Duffy. Hopefully, this “last case” will be reminiscent of Frank Sinatra’s “Farewell Tour” … in which he announced his retirement in 1971, only to be followed by another thousand concerts.
Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing an advanced version Audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Excuse me .. while I go download the first six novels of this marvelous series.

[Aoife62 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been honored by receiving an early copy of “The Detective up late” and have to admit I am a McKinty-completist. Having thoroughly enjoyed all previous books in what Adrian McKinty calls the Duffyverse”, Duffy 7 immediately feels familiar, the descriptions of NornIron, Belfast Carrick, the whole atmosphere are unmatched. They immediately plunge you into time and place. It is like returning to old friends. We meet some familiar figures: Michael Forsythe’s old pal Scotchy Finn and Mercado from 50 Grand get a mention. Duffy is still his good old self, still grumpy and rascal, with a deep sense for justice, but now also being a responsible father who is driving slower than before. But this does not prevent him from smoking the occasional joint. He has to deal with a missing persons case, a tinker girl, nobody cares about. But he cares! And doing this, he pokes into a wasp hive of conspiracies during his investigations and of course this is going to be dangerous for him and his loyal sidekicks Crabbie and Lawson.
I do not want to give any spoilers but of course you can look forward to great dialogues, lots of references to art, music and books, quotes from classical literature and films, to a perfectly built arc of suspense, to surprising twists in the story and to an unexpected resolution.
There is only one open question: Where is the Maoist barber? May be he is now retired? Emigrated to North-Corea? And well, maybe a second: when will we get Duffy 8 - this is absolutely addictive!!!

[Sonja Arlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I have really enjoyed this series, its always been a solid 3.5 stars and I am glad to hear there will be one more book coming out.

Sean Duffy is planning on moving his family to Scotland, but Norther Ireland and the Troubles is not done with him that easily.

A teenage girl has gone missing, one without real roots, as she is part of a travelling family. Duffy needs to close this case before he can settle in Scotland. But as always things are never straight forward.

The story is fast paced, with a healthy dose of dark humor. Audio highly recommended.

[Mark Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to think about what it's like to be an author cranking out titles in a popular series. Adrian McKinty is just this guy when it comes to the Sean Duffy series, and The Detective Up Late marks the seventh title to date.

It must be a little frustrating when your publisher and your fans want more-more-more of Sean Duffy. They view your standalone efforts like The Chain as nothing more than obstacles you're placing in the way of what everyone is asking for.

On the other hand, with a series like this, you (the author) are suddenly able to work a story arc in which the characters are developing over thousands and thousands of pages, and in Sean's case, what looks like might be an entire lifetime. So maybe it doesn't feel like the series is a yoke around your neck, rather the freedom to change the pace and span of your work.

Well, that's for Adrian to say in his memoirs, but for now, we have the next entry in the series. Detective Up Late takes us into the next stage of Sean's life, in which he and his comrade-in-arms Crabbie both begin marking time until they leave the force. Sean is not only easing out of his job, he's actually relocated his family in Scotland, hoping that the short ferry trip is enough to keep his wife and daugther safe from the recent trauma they've suffered back home in Northern Ireland.

Of course the changes in Duffy's life are a subtext to what is the usual smashing crime novel - in what is soon called Sean's Last Case, a 14-year old Traveler girl is missing, presumed dead, and boy oh boy do we have the usual gang of suspects.

As one would expect, various large forces conspire to prevent Sean from getting the job done, and he, Crabbie, and Lawson not only face political battles but risk their very lives trying to get things done.

After seven titles the Duffy series continues to delight with tightly plotted stories, and more importantly, Sean's louche take on life in the madhouse. The usual humor is there in spades, and really, that's the number one thing that keeps me coming back.

Buy this, but if you haven't go back and buy Fifty Grand, The Sun Is God, and The Chain when it comes out. There's more to this guy than Duffy.

-Mark
(Read from an advanced copy)

[Fantastiškų KŽL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Na, vienintelis Sean Duffy man sugebėjo permušti klausymo bloką po "Vėjo nublokštų. Tai negalėjau atsistebėti, kad pramiegojau naują serialo seriją, bet kartu ir džiaugiausi, nes buvo labai faina sugrįžti į Belfastą ir klausytis tokio mielo airiško akcento su visais "peeler" (policininkas), "beamer" (BMW) ir t.t. Nieko labai nespoilinsiu, knyga super, tik viliuosiu, kad nebus paskutinė, nes Sean jau pamažėle išeina į užtarnautą pensiją. Knyga užduoda serialo pabaigos toną, bet aš apsimesiu, kad nieko nesupratau. Kaip aš be Duffy???

[Matt English · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is yet another five star chapter in Adrian Mckinty's Sean Duffy Detective series. I have read all in this saga, and find this outing to be my favorite. I have been an avid reader my entire life, and Sean Duffy is without a doubt the best protagonist character I have ever encountered. In those very rare sticky situations in which I choose not to use my actual name, my moniker has been Travis McGee. I am now changing it to Sean Duffy.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as breathlessly good as the last one but still classic Sean Duffy noir. I’m loving all the personal references - all the music and Latin and random stuff that I have no idea about but builds such a great character. Also love the Northern Ireland setting of course. So dramatic and intense. The latest in the series is not yet out in Australia except on audiobook which I feel is not quite the same thing. However, fear not, because I do have quite a lot of the back catalogue on my bookshelf and the rest are in the library so I could just go on a little re-read spree. It’s been several years after all since I read them first and then saw him at the SWF. Love a good festival talk to flesh out the stories. Maybe he’ll make another appearance next year?!

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great continuation and thanks to someone else's research, knowledge that more are on the way. Sean Duffy's "retirement" won't mean the end of one of my favorite series. I particularly loved the inclusion of the bird watching elements, the in depth appreciation of music, and the humanity that fill these pages.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed the other 6 in the series, but this last book is terrible. The staccato sentences, inside jokes, odd references and allusions make it difficult to read and follow. Maybe the author thinks I am Irish enough to get them? sorry, I am an American who understands a lot of the slang, but this is over the top, out of nowhere, rambling nonsense. As a Catholic, I get the anti-Protestant jibes he makes, but why is he doing it so heavy-handedly? Is he trying to make his last conversations hateful enough that he has no friends left? Duffy selects his case to be a missing Gypsy teenager. He says he is celebrating the end of a terrible decade of Troubles in Belfast and looking forward to a positive future with his family in the new times, but it feels more like he is stewing over the fact that problems still exist (and always will). Maybe the author is trying to wrap up a list of issues that he wanted to address earlier in the series? I couldn’t get past page 100 without skimming to the end when I am usually tied into every thing he says. I am so disappointed.

[Jason Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years since the last Sean Duffy novel, but McKinty didn’t miss a beat. This novel rocks from page one. Duffy is still the same philosophical, existentialist, Bohemian, weed-smoking, gun-fighting, poet-quoting, RUC peeler he’s always been.

Except not.

This Duffy is older. The Troubles have battered him. The Eighties have given way to the Nineties. Belfast feels hope but for Duffy it’s the end of his detective career. Knowing the story behind these novels, and McKinty hinting this may be his last, a sadness accompanies this reading.

There’s a missing/likely dead girl, NIR politics, a few gunfights, espionage, a slew of suspects, Crabbie and Lawson, pop culture references, high culture references, and morbid cop humor throughout. It’s all tremendous and if this really is Duffy’s last case, I’ll miss him. But I’m also grateful seven of these novels made their way into the world.

It’s been a blast, DI Duffy. Sláinte.

[Marty Fried · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading more Sean Duffy - I had almost forgotten how much I liked him. And the audiobook, narrated by Gerard Doyle, is such a pleasure to listen to. If I ever read a print version, I'm sure I'll hear his voice and accent all the way - at least, I hope so.

This was a fairly unusual story. A young teen woman is missing. She is a member of a group of people called Travelers, similar to gypsies, who have been a part of Irish culture for many years. Because of this, her disappearance didn't attract too much attention until Sean Duffy got involved. He suspected foul play, and indeed, her car was later found half submerged in a river, minus her, with suspicious footprints around the area. They managed to discover a small list of older men who were associated with her in some way, possibly sexual. Although she was only 15, she was evidently very pretty and mature, and the men claimed to not know her true age.

Sean manages to turn up a strange assortment of suspects, none of whom seemed guilty of this particular crime, but who were involved in other activities ranging from undercover to spying. And somehow, he managed to stumble upon the murderer even though there was no body or evidence of murder.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this is the end of this particular series, it's been a heal of a journey for the reader and for Sean Duffy. Really glad I picked this series up all those years ago at this point, would definitely recommend.