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Detective Sean Duffy #5
Rain Dogs
Rain Dogs, a stunning installment in the Sean Duffy thriller series, following the Edgar Award-nominated Gun Street Girl, is "another standout in a superior series" (Booklist).It's just the same things over and again for Sean Duffy: riot duty, heartbreak, cases he can solve but never get to court. But what detective gets two locked-room mysteries in one career?
When journalist Lily Bigelow is found dead in the courtyard of Carrickfergus Castle, it looks like a suicide. Yet there are a few things that bother Duffy just enough to keep the case file open, which is how he finds out that Bigelow was working on a devastating investigation of corruption and abuse at the highest levels of power in the UK and beyond.And so Duffy has two impossible problems on his desk: Who killed Lily Bigelow? And what were they trying to hide?
When journalist Lily Bigelow is found dead in the courtyard of Carrickfergus Castle, it looks like a suicide. Yet there are a few things that bother Duffy just enough to keep the case file open, which is how he finds out that Bigelow was working on a devastating investigation of corruption and abuse at the highest levels of power in the UK and beyond.And so Duffy has two impossible problems on his desk: Who killed Lily Bigelow? And what were they trying to hide?
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2016
490 people are currently reading
2588 people want to read
About the author
Adrian McKinty
49 books4,388 followersAdrian 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 689 reviews
February 7, 2017
DI Sean Duffy once again faces a murder mystery with a puzzle attached when a body is found in the early morning sprawled on the grounds of an eighth century castle, Carrickfergus before the doors are opened to the public. With several CCTV cameras, along with a heavy cast-iron portcullis weighing two and half tons which is lowered every night, the question arises as to how the murderer escaped. DI Duffy will leave no stone unturned until he discovers the reason for the victim’s demise, and arresting the guilty party. The author does a fine job of bringing to life the outrageous and passionate character of Duffy. With his strong morals and the desire to put the culprits away for a long time, you get a real sense of just who Duffy is. However Duffy continues to lead a lonely life in his three bedroom former council house on Coronation Road, living next door to a dangerously good-looking red head and her jail bait daughter. Resting just below the surface of his spirit, Duffy clings to the hope to have a steady girlfriend, perhaps cutting back on his hash stashed out in the shed, and not partaking of too many alcoholic beverages. Life could be good, but when things begin to unravel, Duffy wonders if the police station must lie at the intersection of two evil ley lines. Rain Dogs is #5 in the series and highly recommended.
November 26, 2024
Just not my style...
September 9, 2018
Adrian McKinty's series featuring Belfast detective Sean Duffy just keeps getting better and better with each entry. This is the fifth in the series and it opens when a young woman named Lily Bigelow is found dead in the courtyard of Carrickfergus Castle. Bigelow was a newbie journalist accompanying a group of Finnish businessmen on a visit to Northern Ireland. She entered the castle with a tour group late one afternoon and the next morning was found by the castle's caretaker at the base of a tower some one hundred feet high.
The caretaker swears that the castle was securely locked after the last visitors left, and it's clear that no one was able to get in or out of the castle overnight. In the morning, the only people there are the elderly caretaker and the victim. All the evidence suggests that Bigelow hid somewhere in the castle and then, sometime around midnight, climbed the tower and jumped off, committing suicide.
It's a classic locked room mystery and a thorough investigation makes it almost certain that there was no opportunity for any foul play. This cannot be a murder; it's suicide, plain and simple. Beyond that, Sean Duffy has already had one locked room murder in his career, and the chances of getting a second, he thinks, would be astronomical. Still, while everyone else is willing to write off the young woman's death as a suicide, Duffy continues to be troubled by niggling doubts, and when he continues to probe into the case the more puzzling and the more dangerous it becomes.
This series takes place during the time of the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland when Catholics and Protestants were battling each other and when most citizens and the authorities were caught in the middle of what amounted to a civil war. The previous entries in the series have all been set very squarely against this background. This book is set in 1987, and while the battle still rages, it plays much less of a role here. This is much more a straightforward crime novel, and Duffy is much less involved in the island's larger struggles than in the earlier books.
Sean Duffy continues to be one of the most appealing protagonists in crime fiction--funny, wise and personally vulnerable. I'm closing in on the end of the series--at least the end of the books that exist thus far, and I'm really dreading the moment when I will have to wait interminably for the next new Sean Duffy novel. This series was originally set to run for only three novels; I can only hope that it goes on for much, much longer than that.
The caretaker swears that the castle was securely locked after the last visitors left, and it's clear that no one was able to get in or out of the castle overnight. In the morning, the only people there are the elderly caretaker and the victim. All the evidence suggests that Bigelow hid somewhere in the castle and then, sometime around midnight, climbed the tower and jumped off, committing suicide.
It's a classic locked room mystery and a thorough investigation makes it almost certain that there was no opportunity for any foul play. This cannot be a murder; it's suicide, plain and simple. Beyond that, Sean Duffy has already had one locked room murder in his career, and the chances of getting a second, he thinks, would be astronomical. Still, while everyone else is willing to write off the young woman's death as a suicide, Duffy continues to be troubled by niggling doubts, and when he continues to probe into the case the more puzzling and the more dangerous it becomes.
This series takes place during the time of the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland when Catholics and Protestants were battling each other and when most citizens and the authorities were caught in the middle of what amounted to a civil war. The previous entries in the series have all been set very squarely against this background. This book is set in 1987, and while the battle still rages, it plays much less of a role here. This is much more a straightforward crime novel, and Duffy is much less involved in the island's larger struggles than in the earlier books.
Sean Duffy continues to be one of the most appealing protagonists in crime fiction--funny, wise and personally vulnerable. I'm closing in on the end of the series--at least the end of the books that exist thus far, and I'm really dreading the moment when I will have to wait interminably for the next new Sean Duffy novel. This series was originally set to run for only three novels; I can only hope that it goes on for much, much longer than that.
May 5, 2021
This series gets better and better with each book and I read this in one day! Who needs a clean house and regular meals when you could be reading about the exploits of Sean Duffy and his team instead.
In Rain Dogs Sean makes some astonishing advances in his personal life which I fear will not last, and continues to mark time in his career despite some really masterful crime solving. He gets to shake hands with a retired Muhammad Ali and has an unpleasant meeting with an already famous but not yet knighted Jimmy Savile. This sets the book firmly in the late 1980's when the Troubles in Ireland were still raging.
I love the way the author punctuates nearly every chapter with sentences like "Check under the car in the pouring rain. No bomb." Killing policemen was high on the list of things to do in Belfast at that time and car bombs were very effective for this. I also enjoyed the humorous conversations between Sean, McCrabban and Lawson.
The book was clever, the characters entertaining, and the action continuous. There was a lot of good police work and a difficult to solve locked room mystery. In fact there was everything I look for in a really good book and this was indeed a really, really good book. I wish I could give it six stars.
In Rain Dogs Sean makes some astonishing advances in his personal life which I fear will not last, and continues to mark time in his career despite some really masterful crime solving. He gets to shake hands with a retired Muhammad Ali and has an unpleasant meeting with an already famous but not yet knighted Jimmy Savile. This sets the book firmly in the late 1980's when the Troubles in Ireland were still raging.
I love the way the author punctuates nearly every chapter with sentences like "Check under the car in the pouring rain. No bomb." Killing policemen was high on the list of things to do in Belfast at that time and car bombs were very effective for this. I also enjoyed the humorous conversations between Sean, McCrabban and Lawson.
The book was clever, the characters entertaining, and the action continuous. There was a lot of good police work and a difficult to solve locked room mystery. In fact there was everything I look for in a really good book and this was indeed a really, really good book. I wish I could give it six stars.
March 9, 2020
EXCERPT: Larne.
Not the most aesthetically pleasing town in Ireland. Not one for the Tourist board calendars, or the Guinness posters, or the coffee table books.
Working port, blue collar - nothing wrong with that, but the big UVF mural on the A2 as you drove into town, in which a masked gunman promised 'death to informers' perhaps wasn't the most welcoming of messages.
Larne RUC was a recently renovated, rather impressive, fortress on Hope Street (no irony intended). Larne had more manpower, money and resources than Carrick RUC and their district stretched from Whitehead all the way up to the Glens of Antrim. They even had a boat division and a separate wing for the Harbour and British Transport Police. So you'd think they'd be a high;y professional crew who had their shit together. You'd think wrong. All the young guys were good, but the McBain murder investigation was being run by CI Kennedy - a first-class arse, if there ever was one - and CI Monroe, who was an ill-natured, red-faced son-of-a-bitch. Both of them were Masons, promoted way beyond their level of competence through insider connections. To add that they were lazy, Catholic hating scumbags would be obvious and redundant but I've added it anyway out of spite.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: It's just the same things over and again for Sean Duffy: riot duty, heartbreak, cases he can solve but never get to court. But what detective gets two locked-room mysteries in one career?
When journalist Lily Bigelow is found dead in the courtyard of Carrickfergus Castle, it looks like a suicide. Yet there are a few things that bother Duffy just enough to keep the case file open, which is how he finds out that Bigelow was working on a devastating investigation of corruption and abuse at the highest levels of power in the UK and beyond.And so Duffy has two impossible problems on his desk: Who killed Lily Bigelow? And what were they trying to hide?
MY THOUGHTS: Northern Ireland. 1987. The Troubles are still brewing, if no longer boiling over. Duffy still isn't any better at getting, and keeping, people onside. Even his lovers. It could have something to do with his snarky irreverence. Personally, this is something I love, but then I don't have to work/live with him.
McKinty is an atmospheric and entertaining writer. He brings the setting and the people alive. And he's not above throwing in the odd curveball. Neither McKinty nor his creation, Sean Duffy, are ever predictable.
This is, quite honestly, one of the best series, if not THE BEST series I have ever read. I am feeling quite sad that there is only one more book in the series (currently) for me to read. I hope there are more underway.
❤❤❤❤.5
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: I borrowed my copy of Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty, published by Seprent's Tail, from Waitomo District Library. All opinions expressed int his review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page, or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Not the most aesthetically pleasing town in Ireland. Not one for the Tourist board calendars, or the Guinness posters, or the coffee table books.
Working port, blue collar - nothing wrong with that, but the big UVF mural on the A2 as you drove into town, in which a masked gunman promised 'death to informers' perhaps wasn't the most welcoming of messages.
Larne RUC was a recently renovated, rather impressive, fortress on Hope Street (no irony intended). Larne had more manpower, money and resources than Carrick RUC and their district stretched from Whitehead all the way up to the Glens of Antrim. They even had a boat division and a separate wing for the Harbour and British Transport Police. So you'd think they'd be a high;y professional crew who had their shit together. You'd think wrong. All the young guys were good, but the McBain murder investigation was being run by CI Kennedy - a first-class arse, if there ever was one - and CI Monroe, who was an ill-natured, red-faced son-of-a-bitch. Both of them were Masons, promoted way beyond their level of competence through insider connections. To add that they were lazy, Catholic hating scumbags would be obvious and redundant but I've added it anyway out of spite.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: It's just the same things over and again for Sean Duffy: riot duty, heartbreak, cases he can solve but never get to court. But what detective gets two locked-room mysteries in one career?
When journalist Lily Bigelow is found dead in the courtyard of Carrickfergus Castle, it looks like a suicide. Yet there are a few things that bother Duffy just enough to keep the case file open, which is how he finds out that Bigelow was working on a devastating investigation of corruption and abuse at the highest levels of power in the UK and beyond.And so Duffy has two impossible problems on his desk: Who killed Lily Bigelow? And what were they trying to hide?
MY THOUGHTS: Northern Ireland. 1987. The Troubles are still brewing, if no longer boiling over. Duffy still isn't any better at getting, and keeping, people onside. Even his lovers. It could have something to do with his snarky irreverence. Personally, this is something I love, but then I don't have to work/live with him.
McKinty is an atmospheric and entertaining writer. He brings the setting and the people alive. And he's not above throwing in the odd curveball. Neither McKinty nor his creation, Sean Duffy, are ever predictable.
This is, quite honestly, one of the best series, if not THE BEST series I have ever read. I am feeling quite sad that there is only one more book in the series (currently) for me to read. I hope there are more underway.
❤❤❤❤.5
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: I borrowed my copy of Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty, published by Seprent's Tail, from Waitomo District Library. All opinions expressed int his review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page, or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
June 22, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up for a good detective story, set in N. Ireland in 1987, during the troubles. Detective Inspector Sean Duffy smokes pot and hashish in his off hours, something prohibited in most US police depts. He is presented with a locked room death that could be murder or suicide.
He does solve the case with the help of his team, but not before another death.
Everyday life for a police officer in NI is very different from a US police officer. He has to check underneath his car for bombs every time he uses it.
One quote: "There's something inherently cinematic about snow falling in an enclosed space. And this was snow falling in the enclosed space of the courtyard of an eight hundred-year old castle>'
This was a library book . I read it in 3 days.
He does solve the case with the help of his team, but not before another death.
Everyday life for a police officer in NI is very different from a US police officer. He has to check underneath his car for bombs every time he uses it.
One quote: "There's something inherently cinematic about snow falling in an enclosed space. And this was snow falling in the enclosed space of the courtyard of an eight hundred-year old castle>'
This was a library book . I read it in 3 days.
March 22, 2017
I love this series and can't believe that each book keeps on getting better. The author, Adrian McKinty is really hitting his stride now writing this series, with a character that he knows inside out and lovely, witty prose that flows from his pen.
In many ways, nothing much has changed for Sean Duffy. It's 1987 in the thick of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Sean is back in the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary), still living in Carrickfergus, the only Catholic in a Protestant street, eating poorly (burnt toast and a fag for breakfast), drinking too much, smoking the odd bit of dope, finding solace in his amazing record collection and trying to find the right girl to settle down with. Oh yes, and always remembering to check under the Beemer for tilt bombs.
But life is not all dull. He volunteers for riot squad duty to get to see Mohammed Ali on his visit to Belfast, and he gets involved in investigating a locked room suicide that smacks of murder when a young journalist is found dead in Carrickfergus castle. In the course of the investigation he interviews Jimmy Saville and meets some very dangerous Finns, all with his sidekicks Lawson and McCrabben in tow. I especially love the dark and gritty atmosphere of 1980s Northern Ireland that McKinty is able to convey in this series as well as Sean's attitude and moral stance in finding the truth no matter if he has to butt heads with his superiors or ruffle a few international diplomatic feathers.
In many ways, nothing much has changed for Sean Duffy. It's 1987 in the thick of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Sean is back in the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary), still living in Carrickfergus, the only Catholic in a Protestant street, eating poorly (burnt toast and a fag for breakfast), drinking too much, smoking the odd bit of dope, finding solace in his amazing record collection and trying to find the right girl to settle down with. Oh yes, and always remembering to check under the Beemer for tilt bombs.
But life is not all dull. He volunteers for riot squad duty to get to see Mohammed Ali on his visit to Belfast, and he gets involved in investigating a locked room suicide that smacks of murder when a young journalist is found dead in Carrickfergus castle. In the course of the investigation he interviews Jimmy Saville and meets some very dangerous Finns, all with his sidekicks Lawson and McCrabben in tow. I especially love the dark and gritty atmosphere of 1980s Northern Ireland that McKinty is able to convey in this series as well as Sean's attitude and moral stance in finding the truth no matter if he has to butt heads with his superiors or ruffle a few international diplomatic feathers.
July 28, 2021
Adrian McKinty is just a fabulous mystery writer when it comes to placing the reader in a time and place. His descriptions of Northern Ireland during the Troubles are spot on. And Sean Duffy is the perfect detective for the times. This is the fifth book in the series and finds Sean investigating a likely suicide in Carrickfergus Castle. Because it’s got to be a suicide, doesn’t it, given the lack of access and egress in off hours?
McKinty has a dry sense of humor that is on full display here. There are great exchanges between the team . And this book is not for the faint of heart, with its graphic descriptions.
We also get to see more of Sean’s personal life, especially his love life. I’ll be curious to see where things go in future books.
You won’t like these books if you like nice tidy endings. Politics make a mess of trying to do decent police work.
Gerald Doyle is the perfect narrator for this series. He’s got the right amount of snark, emotion and intelligence.
McKinty has a dry sense of humor that is on full display here. There are great exchanges between the team . And this book is not for the faint of heart, with its graphic descriptions.
We also get to see more of Sean’s personal life, especially his love life. I’ll be curious to see where things go in future books.
You won’t like these books if you like nice tidy endings. Politics make a mess of trying to do decent police work.
Gerald Doyle is the perfect narrator for this series. He’s got the right amount of snark, emotion and intelligence.
December 21, 2015
I can say hand down this is my favorite Sean Duffy novel. It had everything in it that you could possibly want it in a good mystery. First of all, the murder takes place in a Castle, no less. The Duffy novels are set in Carrickfergus that's not far from Belfast, Ireland. Carrickfergus has a Castle and it was there a young woman reporter was found dead at the foot of a high wall. Was it murder or suicide?
The murder is tied into a visit of Finnish business people looking for a place to set up a cell phone factory. It also involves an experimental youth facility for juvenile offenders. There are references to past novels although it is still possible, and enjoyable, to read it as a stand alone.
The novel takes place in 1987 and The Troubles were still happening. The police had to check under their cars for bombs which I find disturbing. Unfortunately not all make thorough inspections and there is quite a horrific accident. The area is brought to life so vividly I thought I was there. It's quite remarkable.
Duffy must make several trips to investigate the murder including Liverpool and Finland. I can tell you that I have crossed Finland off my list of places I'd like to visit. I'm not sure I could eat reindeer without thinking of Rudolph. There is a terrific description of driving on an ice road, something I never want to do.
There are many twists and turns which makes the book so interesting. How can anybody get in a locked castle? What happened to the reporter's notebook? Why did an old friend of Duffy's show up with Finns as his new detective agency's client?
The only thing that bothered me at all was the ending. I am so afraid of what it means for the series. Here's keeping my fingers crossed.
I received this as a galley. Thank you. I recommend this highly. While you're waiting for this to come out, try some of his other Duffy books. You won't be disappointed.
The murder is tied into a visit of Finnish business people looking for a place to set up a cell phone factory. It also involves an experimental youth facility for juvenile offenders. There are references to past novels although it is still possible, and enjoyable, to read it as a stand alone.
The novel takes place in 1987 and The Troubles were still happening. The police had to check under their cars for bombs which I find disturbing. Unfortunately not all make thorough inspections and there is quite a horrific accident. The area is brought to life so vividly I thought I was there. It's quite remarkable.
Duffy must make several trips to investigate the murder including Liverpool and Finland. I can tell you that I have crossed Finland off my list of places I'd like to visit. I'm not sure I could eat reindeer without thinking of Rudolph. There is a terrific description of driving on an ice road, something I never want to do.
There are many twists and turns which makes the book so interesting. How can anybody get in a locked castle? What happened to the reporter's notebook? Why did an old friend of Duffy's show up with Finns as his new detective agency's client?
The only thing that bothered me at all was the ending. I am so afraid of what it means for the series. Here's keeping my fingers crossed.
I received this as a galley. Thank you. I recommend this highly. While you're waiting for this to come out, try some of his other Duffy books. You won't be disappointed.
June 23, 2022
Αστυνόμος Νταφι, ο μπαμπάς σας #διπλής
Ίσως το καλύτερο βιβλίο της σειράς (ως τώρα), το πιο συγκλονιστικο ,το πιο αστειο ,και το πιο συγκινητικό, πατώντας όπως και τα υπόλοιπα loosely σε πραγματικά γεγονότα.
Ως συνήθως δικαιοσύνη απονέμεται εκτός δικαστικών αιθουσων-ας είναι καλά ο Πλιωτας της Αγγλίας, Ουαλίας και Βόρειας Ιρλανδίας (ή ο αντίστοιχος Τσιαρας. Ή κάτι ανάμεσα)
Ίσως το καλύτερο βιβλίο της σειράς (ως τώρα), το πιο συγκλονιστικο ,το πιο αστειο ,και το πιο συγκινητικό, πατώντας όπως και τα υπόλοιπα loosely σε πραγματικά γεγονότα.
Ως συνήθως δικαιοσύνη απονέμεται εκτός δικαστικών αιθουσων-ας είναι καλά ο Πλιωτας της Αγγλίας, Ουαλίας και Βόρειας Ιρλανδίας (ή ο αντίστοιχος Τσιαρας. Ή κάτι ανάμεσα)
September 27, 2020
Another great entry in this series. Going into the story, I didn't know the topics that would be included. Hearing the name, Jimmy Savile makes me shudder these days. I grew up watching the TV show "Jim'll Fix It" believing he was a hero of children, just like many others of my generation. How truly horrible to learn decades later that the opposite was true. His inclusion added some context to the story.
The world famous American boxer, Muhammad Ali was also included in the story and his magnetic personality was cleverly illustrated.
The story revolved around a clever locked room mystery, which was interesting and kept me guessing. There was a fair amount of travel included also.
Favorite quotes:
I loved hearing the amazing Gerard Doyle read this Irish phrase: "Is minic gheibhean beal oscailt diog dunta. It means 'an open mouth often invites a closed fist.'"
There was plenty of humor threaded throughout and the following made me laugh out loud:
""Oh, I nearly forgot," Mrs. Singh said. She went into back room. After what can only be described as a loud scuffle she came out with a short hair domestic cat."
Terrible jokes were included here and there, which provide further levity. My favorite:
"Why do anarchists only drink herbal tea? [...] Because all proper tea [property] is theft."
Describing what life in Belfast, Northern Ireland was like in the 80s: "it's helicopters, low clouds, soldiers, curling umbilicals of ash over the great grey dying city."
"The clock ate segments of my life on its way round to five o'clock."
The following quote is just one of several references to Sean's eclectic music taste that I truly enjoyed:
"We had reached the portion of klavierstück I [by Wolfgang Rihm] that sounded like a demented child practicing her scales."
The world famous American boxer, Muhammad Ali was also included in the story and his magnetic personality was cleverly illustrated.
The story revolved around a clever locked room mystery, which was interesting and kept me guessing. There was a fair amount of travel included also.
Favorite quotes:
I loved hearing the amazing Gerard Doyle read this Irish phrase: "Is minic gheibhean beal oscailt diog dunta. It means 'an open mouth often invites a closed fist.'"
There was plenty of humor threaded throughout and the following made me laugh out loud:
""Oh, I nearly forgot," Mrs. Singh said. She went into back room. After what can only be described as a loud scuffle she came out with a short hair domestic cat."
Terrible jokes were included here and there, which provide further levity. My favorite:
"Why do anarchists only drink herbal tea? [...] Because all proper tea [property] is theft."
Describing what life in Belfast, Northern Ireland was like in the 80s: "it's helicopters, low clouds, soldiers, curling umbilicals of ash over the great grey dying city."
"The clock ate segments of my life on its way round to five o'clock."
The following quote is just one of several references to Sean's eclectic music taste that I truly enjoyed:
"We had reached the portion of klavierstück I [by Wolfgang Rihm] that sounded like a demented child practicing her scales."
March 16, 2019
I've been binging this series and the next book it the last one, I'll be bereft! That said, Rain Dogs was another great addition to the series and I'm always curious to see what will happen next. Sean is such a memorable character, and I really like that he evolves as the years and books go by.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
April 28, 2017
Update Apr. 27, 2017: This just won an Edgar Award tonight in NYC. Well deserved!
This is the 5th of a series featuring DI Sean Duffy, the token Catholic in Carrickfergus RUC during "the troubles" in Northern Ireland.
It's 1987 & police are dealing with the usual street riots & general IRA chaos. On the home front, Sean's girlfriend Beth has left for uni, making it clear their relationship is over. He's busy wallowing when he gets an early morning phone call.
It all begins with a stolen wallet. The victim is part of a Finnish delegation scouting business opportunities. Seems harmless enough but if you've read any of the previous books you know it's just the tip of the iceberg.
In short order, a pretty young journalist is found dead at Carrickfergus Castle & a senior officer falls victim to one of the ubiquitous car bombs.
This is a great series. Like the others, this instalment gives you a smart, intricate mystery delivered with the author's trademark witty dialogue & rich sense of place. The cast includes returning members of Carrick RUC & new ones specific to this story.
The investigative aspect of the plot gives us a good old fashioned "locked room" mystery to solve & if nothing else, you'll keep reading because you have to know how the killer did it.
But what makes the journey so enjoyable is experiencing this world through Sean's eyes. This is 1980's Northern Ireland where you could be shot for walking into the wrong bar. The relentless rain & a population weary of sectarian violence lends the story a dark, moody atmosphere that is well balanced by Sean's frequently amusing asides & observations regarding Irish culture.
He's a smart, affable guy who employs the restorative powers of Guinness & his treasured record collection to keep the realities of life at bay. He's not the RUC's most popular detective thanks to his irreverence for the rules. The political machinations & warnings from higher-ups only make him dig his heels in harder as he fights to bring those responsible to account.
By the end, the investigation is concluded although not to everyone's satisfaction. It's clear there are big changes in store for Sean personally & I desperately hope the author has one more book planned so we can follow this entertaining series just a bit longer.
This is the 5th of a series featuring DI Sean Duffy, the token Catholic in Carrickfergus RUC during "the troubles" in Northern Ireland.
It's 1987 & police are dealing with the usual street riots & general IRA chaos. On the home front, Sean's girlfriend Beth has left for uni, making it clear their relationship is over. He's busy wallowing when he gets an early morning phone call.
It all begins with a stolen wallet. The victim is part of a Finnish delegation scouting business opportunities. Seems harmless enough but if you've read any of the previous books you know it's just the tip of the iceberg.
In short order, a pretty young journalist is found dead at Carrickfergus Castle & a senior officer falls victim to one of the ubiquitous car bombs.
This is a great series. Like the others, this instalment gives you a smart, intricate mystery delivered with the author's trademark witty dialogue & rich sense of place. The cast includes returning members of Carrick RUC & new ones specific to this story.
The investigative aspect of the plot gives us a good old fashioned "locked room" mystery to solve & if nothing else, you'll keep reading because you have to know how the killer did it.
But what makes the journey so enjoyable is experiencing this world through Sean's eyes. This is 1980's Northern Ireland where you could be shot for walking into the wrong bar. The relentless rain & a population weary of sectarian violence lends the story a dark, moody atmosphere that is well balanced by Sean's frequently amusing asides & observations regarding Irish culture.
He's a smart, affable guy who employs the restorative powers of Guinness & his treasured record collection to keep the realities of life at bay. He's not the RUC's most popular detective thanks to his irreverence for the rules. The political machinations & warnings from higher-ups only make him dig his heels in harder as he fights to bring those responsible to account.
By the end, the investigation is concluded although not to everyone's satisfaction. It's clear there are big changes in store for Sean personally & I desperately hope the author has one more book planned so we can follow this entertaining series just a bit longer.
May 25, 2022
Βαθμολογία: 9/10
Έκτο βιβλίο του Έιντριαν ΜακΚίντι που διαβάζω, πέμπτο που ανήκει στην υπέροχη σειρά με ήρωα τον τρομερό τύπο ονόματι Σον Ντάφι. Τελευταία φορά που διάβασα ιστορία με τον Ντάφι ήταν πέρυσι τον Φεβρουάριο, δηλαδή πριν από δεκατέσσερις και βάλε μήνες. Σίγουρα μου έλειψε ο μάγκας, δεν χρειάζεται να λέω (εν προκειμένω, να γράφω) τα ίδια κάθε φορά. Άλλωστε, οι εκδόσεις Οξύ δεν με ακούνε, μπορεί να τα βγάζουν τα βιβλία, αλλά κάθε φορά με το πάσο τους, εμάς τους εθισμένους δεν μας σκέφτονται και τόσο!
Λοιπόν, βρισκόμαστε στον Φεβρουάριο του 1987, τα πράγματα στο Μπέλφαστ είναι όπως συνήθως, με τον Σον Ντάφι όμως να αντιμετωπίζει εκτός όλων των άλλων και έναν επώδυνο χωρισμό. Αλλά τι να κάνεις... Τέλος πάντων, ένα κρύο πρωινό μια Αγγλίδα δημοσιογράφος, νεαρή και όμορφη που δυστυχώς ο αγαπητός Σον δεν πρόλαβε να γνωρίσει καλύτερα, βρίσκεται νεκρή στο γραφικό Κάστρο του Καρικφέργκους. Όλα δείχνουν πως πρόκειται για αυτοκτονία... ή σχεδόν όλα. Όμως πώς κατάφερε να μπει στο κάστρο, με όλες τις πύλες κατεβασμένες και κλειδωμένες; Και γιατί μπήκε σε τόσο κόπο, ενώ μπορούσε κάλλιστα να χαπακωθεί; Προφανώς το μυαλό του Σον Ντάφι δεν δέχεται τις απλές εξηγήσεις και θα πάει την υπόθεση μέχρι το τέρμα... όπου κι αν είναι αυτό.
Ομάδα που κερδίζει δεν αλλάζει, και ο Έιντριαν ΜακΚίντι φαίνεται να είναι πιστός σε αυτό το ρητό, αφού όλα αυτά τα καλούδια που μας έχει προσφέρει στα τέσσερα προηγούμενα βιβλία της σειράς, τα προσφέρει κι εδώ. Η γραφή παραμένει υπέροχη, στακάτη, κοφτή, με ωραίο χιούμορ και κάμποσο κυνισμό, ενώ επίσης η πλοκή σε κρατάει στην τσίτα από την πρώτη μέχρι την τελευταία σελίδα, με το μυστήριο, την αγωνία και τη δράση της. Βέβαια, οφείλω να πω ότι για μένα είναι ένα σκαλοπατάκι πιο κάτω από το αμέσως προηγούμενο βιβλίο, το "Το κορίτσι με τα όπλα" -το οποίο πιστεύω ότι είναι και το κορυφαίο της σειράς-, όμως αυτό δεν σημαίνει τίποτα, το "Σκυλιά της βροχής" δεν παύει να είναι ένα εξαιρετικά καλογραμμένο, απολαυστικό και εθιστικό θρίλερ. Ορμήστε!
Υ.Γ. Υποθέτω ότι το έκτο και τελευταίο (;) βιβλίο της σειράς θα το δούμε στα ελληνικά μέσα στο 2023. Ελπίζω και νωρίτερα, αν και δεν το βλέπω πολύ πιθανό. Αλλά κάλλιο αργά παρά ποτέ!
Έκτο βιβλίο του Έιντριαν ΜακΚίντι που διαβάζω, πέμπτο που ανήκει στην υπέροχη σειρά με ήρωα τον τρομερό τύπο ονόματι Σον Ντάφι. Τελευταία φορά που διάβασα ιστορία με τον Ντάφι ήταν πέρυσι τον Φεβρουάριο, δηλαδή πριν από δεκατέσσερις και βάλε μήνες. Σίγουρα μου έλειψε ο μάγκας, δεν χρειάζεται να λέω (εν προκειμένω, να γράφω) τα ίδια κάθε φορά. Άλλωστε, οι εκδόσεις Οξύ δεν με ακούνε, μπορεί να τα βγάζουν τα βιβλία, αλλά κάθε φορά με το πάσο τους, εμάς τους εθισμένους δεν μας σκέφτονται και τόσο!
Λοιπόν, βρισκόμαστε στον Φεβρουάριο του 1987, τα πράγματα στο Μπέλφαστ είναι όπως συνήθως, με τον Σον Ντάφι όμως να αντιμετωπίζει εκτός όλων των άλλων και έναν επώδυνο χωρισμό. Αλλά τι να κάνεις... Τέλος πάντων, ένα κρύο πρωινό μια Αγγλίδα δημοσιογράφος, νεαρή και όμορφη που δυστυχώς ο αγαπητός Σον δεν πρόλαβε να γνωρίσει καλύτερα, βρίσκεται νεκρή στο γραφικό Κάστρο του Καρικφέργκους. Όλα δείχνουν πως πρόκειται για αυτοκτονία... ή σχεδόν όλα. Όμως πώς κατάφερε να μπει στο κάστρο, με όλες τις πύλες κατεβασμένες και κλειδωμένες; Και γιατί μπήκε σε τόσο κόπο, ενώ μπορούσε κάλλιστα να χαπακωθεί; Προφανώς το μυαλό του Σον Ντάφι δεν δέχεται τις απλές εξηγήσεις και θα πάει την υπόθεση μέχρι το τέρμα... όπου κι αν είναι αυτό.
Ομάδα που κερδίζει δεν αλλάζει, και ο Έιντριαν ΜακΚίντι φαίνεται να είναι πιστός σε αυτό το ρητό, αφού όλα αυτά τα καλούδια που μας έχει προσφέρει στα τέσσερα προηγούμενα βιβλία της σειράς, τα προσφέρει κι εδώ. Η γραφή παραμένει υπέροχη, στακάτη, κοφτή, με ωραίο χιούμορ και κάμποσο κυνισμό, ενώ επίσης η πλοκή σε κρατάει στην τσίτα από την πρώτη μέχρι την τελευταία σελίδα, με το μυστήριο, την αγωνία και τη δράση της. Βέβαια, οφείλω να πω ότι για μένα είναι ένα σκαλοπατάκι πιο κάτω από το αμέσως προηγούμενο βιβλίο, το "Το κορίτσι με τα όπλα" -το οποίο πιστεύω ότι είναι και το κορυφαίο της σειράς-, όμως αυτό δεν σημαίνει τίποτα, το "Σκυλιά της βροχής" δεν παύει να είναι ένα εξαιρετικά καλογραμμένο, απολαυστικό και εθιστικό θρίλερ. Ορμήστε!
Υ.Γ. Υποθέτω ότι το έκτο και τελευταίο (;) βιβλίο της σειράς θα το δούμε στα ελληνικά μέσα στο 2023. Ελπίζω και νωρίτερα, αν και δεν το βλέπω πολύ πιθανό. Αλλά κάλλιο αργά παρά ποτέ!
February 15, 2019
This is McKinty’s 5th offering in the Detective Sean Duffy series set in Northern Ireland during the time of the Troubles. Sean is incredulous when asked to investigate a missing billfold for a Finnish investor. It’s not really worthy of a homicide detective, is it? While there, he meets Lily Bigelow, a pretty new journalist. The next time he sees her, she is lying dead in the courtyard of an eighth century castle in Carrickfergus. She apparently committed suicide by leaping off the high wall. But, a minor detail starts niggling at Sean. Could he have another ‘locked room’ mystery on his hands? Yup!
This offering has an international flavor, as Sean, Lawson and McCrabben travel to Finland to question the Finland delegation members. There are trips to the U.K. as well. Before you know it, they have uncovered an international pedophile ring and some very dangerous suspects.
I love Sean’s biting humor, his lack of deference to his bosses and even his jokes with puns. As always, he is having girlfriend troubles. He drinks too much—smokes too much—and uses illicit drugs. He also has a fabulous vinyl record collection that I would love to peruse. Recommend this excellent series.
This offering has an international flavor, as Sean, Lawson and McCrabben travel to Finland to question the Finland delegation members. There are trips to the U.K. as well. Before you know it, they have uncovered an international pedophile ring and some very dangerous suspects.
I love Sean’s biting humor, his lack of deference to his bosses and even his jokes with puns. As always, he is having girlfriend troubles. He drinks too much—smokes too much—and uses illicit drugs. He also has a fabulous vinyl record collection that I would love to peruse. Recommend this excellent series.
August 8, 2024
I've enjoyed this series from the beginning, although book #4 put me off a bit because of the main character's increasing use of drugs and drink, to the point where I doubted whether someone could actually function after ingesting so much. Fortunately for all of us, McKinty set Detective Inspector Sean Duffy on a new course in Rain Dogs. Clearly I'm not the only one who applauded this move; the book won both an Edgar and a Barry award.
This is more a straightforward police procedural than some of the other books in the series. Northern Ireland during The Troubles is still the backdrop and figures in the plot on multiple levels, but the resolution of what is either a suicide or a locked room mystery takes center stage.
McKinty once again incorporates elements from the headlines, although in this case the headlines are from 2014 and we are looking back at fictional early evidence of the problem, conveniently swept under the rug by the powers that be.
I'm reluctant to reveal much of the plot, but I will confirm that it was a locked room murder, not a suicide, and so Duffy and his team need to sort out not only who did it, but how, when and why. The where is actually a little bit in doubt as well.
I will be interested to see what McKinty has in store for Duffy, both personally and professionally, in the last two books of the series.
Five stars because within its subgenre (historical police procedural?) I can't find much fault with it, and I had fun reading it.
This is more a straightforward police procedural than some of the other books in the series. Northern Ireland during The Troubles is still the backdrop and figures in the plot on multiple levels, but the resolution of what is either a suicide or a locked room mystery takes center stage.
McKinty once again incorporates elements from the headlines, although in this case the headlines are from 2014 and we are looking back at fictional early evidence of the problem, conveniently swept under the rug by the powers that be.
I'm reluctant to reveal much of the plot, but I will confirm that it was a locked room murder, not a suicide, and so Duffy and his team need to sort out not only who did it, but how, when and why. The where is actually a little bit in doubt as well.
I will be interested to see what McKinty has in store for Duffy, both personally and professionally, in the last two books of the series.
Five stars because within its subgenre (historical police procedural?) I can't find much fault with it, and I had fun reading it.
February 1, 2016
A excellent read!
My View:
This is my first taste of an Adrian McKinty novel and I am hooked! It doesn’t matter that I haven’t read any of the earlier books in this series – I was able to understand relationships, characters and their backgrounds, settings…and the overall story arch.
I really enjoy a character based crime fiction narrative and this one was perfect - protagonists that are solid, decent, quirky people, with interesting lives, living in dangerous times. How much better could this book get? A crime novel that also manages to show some humanness and reflect on social attitudes of the time is a bonus for me. I think this novel pretty much meets my criteria for a perfect read and Adrian McKinty is definitely an author to follow.
I want to catch up on all of the other books Adrian McKinty has written– I really enjoyed this and rated it 5 stars – makes me wonder how good his earlier award winning books must be??? Included in the list of awards - one shortlist for the 2004 Dagger Award, (Dead I Well May Be), the first Sean Duffy novel, The Cold Cold Ground won the 2013 Spinetingler Award, Sean Duffy #2, I Hear The Sirens In The Street was shortlisted for the 2013 Ned Kelly Award, In The Morning I’ll Be Gone (Sean Duffy #3) won the 2014 Ned Kelly Award. I wonder what award this book will win? Writing of this calibre deserves an award.
My View:
This is my first taste of an Adrian McKinty novel and I am hooked! It doesn’t matter that I haven’t read any of the earlier books in this series – I was able to understand relationships, characters and their backgrounds, settings…and the overall story arch.
I really enjoy a character based crime fiction narrative and this one was perfect - protagonists that are solid, decent, quirky people, with interesting lives, living in dangerous times. How much better could this book get? A crime novel that also manages to show some humanness and reflect on social attitudes of the time is a bonus for me. I think this novel pretty much meets my criteria for a perfect read and Adrian McKinty is definitely an author to follow.
I want to catch up on all of the other books Adrian McKinty has written– I really enjoyed this and rated it 5 stars – makes me wonder how good his earlier award winning books must be??? Included in the list of awards - one shortlist for the 2004 Dagger Award, (Dead I Well May Be), the first Sean Duffy novel, The Cold Cold Ground won the 2013 Spinetingler Award, Sean Duffy #2, I Hear The Sirens In The Street was shortlisted for the 2013 Ned Kelly Award, In The Morning I’ll Be Gone (Sean Duffy #3) won the 2014 Ned Kelly Award. I wonder what award this book will win? Writing of this calibre deserves an award.
December 25, 2019
Another winner from the Shawn Duffy series, and the only negative thing I can think of is that there are not enough left to satisfy me. I love the characters and the story, and although life is pretty depressing during those times, it doesn't come across as all bad. There's enough humor and good to help counter the bad.
Plus, in this one, it has a bit of a happy ending.
Plus, in this one, it has a bit of a happy ending.
September 16, 2018
4.5*s Totally enjoyed this.Very good on audio due to wonderful narration of, Gerard Doyle.Read the excellent reviews written by James Thane and Joyce.
July 15, 2016
I think this series is getting better and better. 4.5 stars. CID Detective Inspector Sean Duffy is a wonderful character, flawed in many ways (drinking, smoking hash/weed, unlucky in relationships), but uncompromising in his principles and supportive of his fellow peelers. An attractive female reporter is found dead in a locked tourist attraction (Carrickfergus Castle), either an apparent suicide or a murder victim of the elderly male caretaker. She was there covering a Finnish company's due diligence as a possible site for a new manufacturing plant, but her motives are quickly questioned when Duffy and team examine her work computer. As always, Duffy is threatened repeatedly and has several near brushes with death. He solves the case, but justice moves in mysterious ways. I like his personal story in this fifth book, and his adoption of the murder victim's cat. Oops, was that a spoiler??
Highly recommended for fans of Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series.
Highly recommended for fans of Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series.
October 27, 2022
Τον αγαπώ τον επιθεωρητή Ντάφυ! Τι να κάνω?
November 28, 2019
Doorbell. It was early and my eyes weren’t focused yet and Mrs Campbell was a ginger blur, talking a mile a minute. She handed me a box. It felt too heavy for a cake and not heavy enough to be her ex-husband’s head. She sashayed down the path in a cerulean, satin dress. Sashayed being the correct word here. She was a melody from say, Duke Ellington, if such an exotic metaphor could be permitted in Northern Ireland or indeed in any country which had a sectarian civil war and men with guns flying around in helicopters.
It’s 1987 and the book opens with the likeable DI Sean Duffy of the Royal Ulster Constabulary on protection duty for Mahammad Ali’s - (poetic licence taken by the author) - visit to Belfast with the Rev Jesse Jackson. A day that ends with Duffy’s girlfriend moving in with a girlfriend, soon followed by the supposed theft of a wallet of a Finnish businessman from his hotel room. Then the body of a young journalist, in Belfast to cover the Finnish delegation’s trip for the Financial Times, is found in the keep at Carrickfergus Castle. An apparent suicide, the young woman falling from the top of the roof, after the castle was closed to the public. But not everything fits and Duffy is reminded of an earlier case of a murder victim found in a locked room.
Carrickfergus had an embarrassment of abandoned factories that had been set up in the optimistic sixties, closed in the pessimistic seventies and were on the verge of ruin now that we were in the apocalyptic mid-eighties.
This is Britain under Margaret Thatcher, at the height of “the Troubles” - Belfast and Carrickfergus portrayed as almost dystopian in this engaging police drama of murder committed under the aegis of terrorism, to blindside the authorities against sexual abuse of young offenders by those setting themselves above the law. The TV programmes and music of the times is carefully researched in this frequently funny police procedural, the RUC a target for car bombs, and Duffy pitted against a clever villain able to call on the high and mighty to pervert the course of justice. Watch out for an (in)famous name.
This is the fifth in the Sean Duffy series (my first) and can be read as a standalone. I was not enamoured with the author’s violent depiction of gangland crime syndicates in New York (Dead I Well May Be), but I will certainly be seeking out other titles in the Sean Duffy series.
It’s 1987 and the book opens with the likeable DI Sean Duffy of the Royal Ulster Constabulary on protection duty for Mahammad Ali’s - (poetic licence taken by the author) - visit to Belfast with the Rev Jesse Jackson. A day that ends with Duffy’s girlfriend moving in with a girlfriend, soon followed by the supposed theft of a wallet of a Finnish businessman from his hotel room. Then the body of a young journalist, in Belfast to cover the Finnish delegation’s trip for the Financial Times, is found in the keep at Carrickfergus Castle. An apparent suicide, the young woman falling from the top of the roof, after the castle was closed to the public. But not everything fits and Duffy is reminded of an earlier case of a murder victim found in a locked room.
Carrickfergus had an embarrassment of abandoned factories that had been set up in the optimistic sixties, closed in the pessimistic seventies and were on the verge of ruin now that we were in the apocalyptic mid-eighties.
This is Britain under Margaret Thatcher, at the height of “the Troubles” - Belfast and Carrickfergus portrayed as almost dystopian in this engaging police drama of murder committed under the aegis of terrorism, to blindside the authorities against sexual abuse of young offenders by those setting themselves above the law. The TV programmes and music of the times is carefully researched in this frequently funny police procedural, the RUC a target for car bombs, and Duffy pitted against a clever villain able to call on the high and mighty to pervert the course of justice. Watch out for an (in)famous name.
This is the fifth in the Sean Duffy series (my first) and can be read as a standalone. I was not enamoured with the author’s violent depiction of gangland crime syndicates in New York (Dead I Well May Be), but I will certainly be seeking out other titles in the Sean Duffy series.
October 11, 2016
Northern Ireland, the year is 1987, among the trouble in Ulster where police is routinely under the threat of car bombing, Inspector Duffy is called to investigate the petty theft of a wallet from a Finnish businessman hotel room.
Soon after this incident, a young journalist, who was reporting on the Finn delegation visit, is found dead in the courtyard of Carrickfergus castle. It looks like a suicide, until Duffy discovers that she was secretly working on a story about an international paedophile ring. Duffy is convinced that it’s murder and that the Finns are involved.
I really liked this Irish who-dunnit, or rather how-dunnit, because it is clear fairly on both the who and the why, the mystery is the how. It’s a typical closed room case set in a locked down castle. The pace is a bit slow at the beginning but it picks up quickly and the chase at the end is intense.
This was my first Adrian McKinty novel, despite being the fifth in the series, it was easy to follow (there are some references to a couple of Duffy’s past cases in the book, but that didn’t interfere with the story, which is self-contained).
To be honest, it took me a while to warm up to the character of the inspector. At the beginning it felt a bit of a joker, but I found the puns funny and by the end I liked him a lot (thanks to the author taking the time to explain the circumstances of Duffy personal life at the end of the book)
I enjoyed the throwbacks to the 80s, but it might be an age thing, and could be lost on the young.
I will certainly read more from this series; I plan to go back at the beginning with The Cold Cold Ground. Recommended to lovers of a good mystery.
Soon after this incident, a young journalist, who was reporting on the Finn delegation visit, is found dead in the courtyard of Carrickfergus castle. It looks like a suicide, until Duffy discovers that she was secretly working on a story about an international paedophile ring. Duffy is convinced that it’s murder and that the Finns are involved.
I really liked this Irish who-dunnit, or rather how-dunnit, because it is clear fairly on both the who and the why, the mystery is the how. It’s a typical closed room case set in a locked down castle. The pace is a bit slow at the beginning but it picks up quickly and the chase at the end is intense.
This was my first Adrian McKinty novel, despite being the fifth in the series, it was easy to follow (there are some references to a couple of Duffy’s past cases in the book, but that didn’t interfere with the story, which is self-contained).
To be honest, it took me a while to warm up to the character of the inspector. At the beginning it felt a bit of a joker, but I found the puns funny and by the end I liked him a lot (thanks to the author taking the time to explain the circumstances of Duffy personal life at the end of the book)
I enjoyed the throwbacks to the 80s, but it might be an age thing, and could be lost on the young.
I will certainly read more from this series; I plan to go back at the beginning with The Cold Cold Ground. Recommended to lovers of a good mystery.
April 17, 2022
Sean Duffy investigates the death of a young journalist who lies dead in the courtyard of a centuries old castle. This is a locked room mystery, historical crime (set in the late eighties) and police procedural. Everything to hook you in.
I'd read Adrian McKinty's The Chain but none of his Detective Duffy series. I loved the tight-plotting, relentlessly forward movement of the action and the free-wheeling dialogue. There was also a strong evocation of the late-eighties Northern Irish political, cultural and social context, which I enjoyed.
I'm keen to read the rest of the series on the back of this novel. Highly recommended.
I'd read Adrian McKinty's The Chain but none of his Detective Duffy series. I loved the tight-plotting, relentlessly forward movement of the action and the free-wheeling dialogue. There was also a strong evocation of the late-eighties Northern Irish political, cultural and social context, which I enjoyed.
I'm keen to read the rest of the series on the back of this novel. Highly recommended.
September 20, 2017
All my favorite elements!
A clever murder mystery, a flawed but likable protagonist, fleshed out supporting characters with complex relationships to one another, strong women, and read by Gerard Doyle with his charming Irish inflections. I'm going to have to read some more Detective Sean Duffy stories.
A clever murder mystery, a flawed but likable protagonist, fleshed out supporting characters with complex relationships to one another, strong women, and read by Gerard Doyle with his charming Irish inflections. I'm going to have to read some more Detective Sean Duffy stories.
January 29, 2021
Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty is a fast paced detective thriller that I really enjoyed.
Another story with many twists and turns that is set in the world and time of the Troubles,
The characters are well developed, especially Sean Duffy who responds to a myriad of troubles. This book has him responding to the apparent suicide of Lily Bigelow, a young female reporter at Carrickfergus Castle. In the fashion of great British detectives, Sean Duffy combs through minutiae to find clues on this case.
The story continus twisting and turning. The writing is strong enough to keep the reader on edge. Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of changes in the life of the lead character.
Although, I have never been a proper detective, I was a Squadron Commander in the US Air Force. In that capacity, I always challenged myself to look below the surface of even the most obvious offenses. So, I could loosely connect with the main character.
Very good book. Totally recommend to all.
Another story with many twists and turns that is set in the world and time of the Troubles,
The characters are well developed, especially Sean Duffy who responds to a myriad of troubles. This book has him responding to the apparent suicide of Lily Bigelow, a young female reporter at Carrickfergus Castle. In the fashion of great British detectives, Sean Duffy combs through minutiae to find clues on this case.
The story continus twisting and turning. The writing is strong enough to keep the reader on edge. Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of changes in the life of the lead character.
Although, I have never been a proper detective, I was a Squadron Commander in the US Air Force. In that capacity, I always challenged myself to look below the surface of even the most obvious offenses. So, I could loosely connect with the main character.
Very good book. Totally recommend to all.
January 28, 2016
No-one should complain; its official the Sean Duffy triology is at least a 5 book series with the release of Rain Dogs. With the release of information it is perhaps an author's duty to reflect in fiction some of those deadful events we now know are true and Adrian McKinty has a ready made series into which he can set such a story. What is more it is a locked-room mystery and who doesn't enjoy a seemingly impossible whodunit?
Already a fan this was a book I couldn't put off reading although I have a great number of books to read already this year and a number missed from 2015. Crime fiction set in Northern Ireland seldoms disappoints me; I enjoy Brian McGilloway, Stuart Neville and Gerard Brennan and have recently been bowled over by Claire McGowan's Paula Maguire series. However, Sean Duffy is a character I never get bored reading about. In Rain Dogs we have the Troubles in Northern Ireland c1987 and the author weaves a story of political corruption and poses a conspirarcy therory plot based on the suppression of information which if true would reveal an organised peadophile ring. Hindsight through the release of documents and post Saville reports means this isn't too far from the reality in the late 1980's and McKinty through this entertaining novel re-challenges the reader about how things were, why they might have been ignored and how we might better move forward.
Lots to get the blood boiling here, regarding the deals done to attract foreign investment and why information isn't always revealed into the public domain. I was annoyed to think that a former SS soldier could be so welcomed into the American army but this book just lays it before the reader. We are left to process the historical references and weigh the truth since under normal circumstances in life we don't have the benefit of hindsight. McKinty's skill is to conceive a great story set against such a background that is mostly true to historical events.
I just love the single minded, strongly motivated and methodical approach of Duffy. He is happy to be self aware and declare he might not be the greatest or even a good detective but he is determined and will never give up on a case, regardless of self interest, friendship or personal gain. He is your worse nightmare and keeps coming for you and eventually through his dogged persistence results will follow and the truth uncovered.
Great writing, lyrical and passionate with something to say making reading a delight and joy.
Already a fan this was a book I couldn't put off reading although I have a great number of books to read already this year and a number missed from 2015. Crime fiction set in Northern Ireland seldoms disappoints me; I enjoy Brian McGilloway, Stuart Neville and Gerard Brennan and have recently been bowled over by Claire McGowan's Paula Maguire series. However, Sean Duffy is a character I never get bored reading about. In Rain Dogs we have the Troubles in Northern Ireland c1987 and the author weaves a story of political corruption and poses a conspirarcy therory plot based on the suppression of information which if true would reveal an organised peadophile ring. Hindsight through the release of documents and post Saville reports means this isn't too far from the reality in the late 1980's and McKinty through this entertaining novel re-challenges the reader about how things were, why they might have been ignored and how we might better move forward.
Lots to get the blood boiling here, regarding the deals done to attract foreign investment and why information isn't always revealed into the public domain. I was annoyed to think that a former SS soldier could be so welcomed into the American army but this book just lays it before the reader. We are left to process the historical references and weigh the truth since under normal circumstances in life we don't have the benefit of hindsight. McKinty's skill is to conceive a great story set against such a background that is mostly true to historical events.
I just love the single minded, strongly motivated and methodical approach of Duffy. He is happy to be self aware and declare he might not be the greatest or even a good detective but he is determined and will never give up on a case, regardless of self interest, friendship or personal gain. He is your worse nightmare and keeps coming for you and eventually through his dogged persistence results will follow and the truth uncovered.
Great writing, lyrical and passionate with something to say making reading a delight and joy.
November 23, 2017
Adrian McKinty
The Detective Sean Duffy series by Adrian McKinty is so original that it's hard to know where to start reviewing this superb example. Book number five finds our hero with a seemingly unfathomable case of a London journalist found dead within the confines of Carrickfergus Castle in Northern Ireland. But how did she get there? Her estimated time of death means that she must've been inside the castle at a time when it was locked shut. Was someone in there with her? Was it a case of the keeper losing control? Or had she uncovered a much deeper, much darker secret concerning a group of visiting businessmen from Finland and a young offenders unit that Duffy soon suspects is supplying boys to a paedophile ring that has national and international connections?
The story moves from Northern Ireland to the winter landscape of Finland to London to the Irish Republic. Duffy really is like a dog with a bone when he smells that those in authority are trying to pull the wool of corruption over his eyes. A couple of the plot twists are a tad on the quick side but overall this novel deserves all the accolades it's received. Everything falls into place towards the end by which time I was hopelessly invested in wanting to know all the answers. Although that's not to say that the ending is necessary tidy - that's what I love about Adrian McKinty. His endings rarely are tidy.
I love the character of Sean Duffy - a Catholic RUC officer at the height of the Northern Ireland troubles with the kind of no-nonsense Irish wit that reminds me of my friends from that part of the world. He's someone I would want to know and if a writer can draw you in that much then he certainly does have some skill.
Adrian McKinty is one of those writers whose books I read without hesitation.
The Detective Sean Duffy series by Adrian McKinty is so original that it's hard to know where to start reviewing this superb example. Book number five finds our hero with a seemingly unfathomable case of a London journalist found dead within the confines of Carrickfergus Castle in Northern Ireland. But how did she get there? Her estimated time of death means that she must've been inside the castle at a time when it was locked shut. Was someone in there with her? Was it a case of the keeper losing control? Or had she uncovered a much deeper, much darker secret concerning a group of visiting businessmen from Finland and a young offenders unit that Duffy soon suspects is supplying boys to a paedophile ring that has national and international connections?
The story moves from Northern Ireland to the winter landscape of Finland to London to the Irish Republic. Duffy really is like a dog with a bone when he smells that those in authority are trying to pull the wool of corruption over his eyes. A couple of the plot twists are a tad on the quick side but overall this novel deserves all the accolades it's received. Everything falls into place towards the end by which time I was hopelessly invested in wanting to know all the answers. Although that's not to say that the ending is necessary tidy - that's what I love about Adrian McKinty. His endings rarely are tidy.
I love the character of Sean Duffy - a Catholic RUC officer at the height of the Northern Ireland troubles with the kind of no-nonsense Irish wit that reminds me of my friends from that part of the world. He's someone I would want to know and if a writer can draw you in that much then he certainly does have some skill.
Adrian McKinty is one of those writers whose books I read without hesitation.
September 11, 2017
5/5; 5 stars; A+
This was a lucky find at the library. What an excellent crime drama! The narrator, Gerard Doyle, was new to me but I thought he did a great job.
I have never read anything by this author before but now will definitely got back to the beginning of the Sean Duffy series.
Set in Northern Ireland, during the worst years of the 'Troubles', this book is dark and interesting and kept me glued to my mp3 player from start to finish. McKinty does a fantastic job of creating the scene. I felt like I was there during those horrible years where car bombs were commonplace and 'normal' life just didn't exist. Also, the cold and the rain seemed to be a prevalent factor in the scene.
The main character, Sean Duffy, is a seasoned detective who hasn't lost touch with his humanity, even though its touch and go sometimes. Like a dog with a bone, he won't let go of his case until he has found some kind of justice for the victims and ferreted out as many answers as possible.
This was a lucky find at the library. What an excellent crime drama! The narrator, Gerard Doyle, was new to me but I thought he did a great job.
I have never read anything by this author before but now will definitely got back to the beginning of the Sean Duffy series.
Set in Northern Ireland, during the worst years of the 'Troubles', this book is dark and interesting and kept me glued to my mp3 player from start to finish. McKinty does a fantastic job of creating the scene. I felt like I was there during those horrible years where car bombs were commonplace and 'normal' life just didn't exist. Also, the cold and the rain seemed to be a prevalent factor in the scene.
The main character, Sean Duffy, is a seasoned detective who hasn't lost touch with his humanity, even though its touch and go sometimes. Like a dog with a bone, he won't let go of his case until he has found some kind of justice for the victims and ferreted out as many answers as possible.
August 8, 2018
About as entertaining a read as it's possible to imagine, five books into a series. I'm down with the callbacks. I'm there for the vinyl snobbery. I'm on board with the self-conscious shout-outs to great crime writers of the past. I know McKinty has promised another trilogy of Sean Duffy books, but right now I have only one more left on my shelf and I'm going to have to save it for when I'm feeling low.
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