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Detective Sean Duffy #6
Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly
Belfast 1988: A man is found dead, killed with a bolt from a crossbow in front of his house. This is no hunting accident. But uncovering who is responsible for the murder will take Detective Sean Duffy down his most dangerous road yet, a road that leads to a lonely clearing on a high bog where three masked gunmen will force Duffy to dig his own grave.
Hunted by forces unknown, threatened by Internal Affairs, and with his relationship on the rocks, Duffy will need all his wits to get out of this investigation in one piece
Hunted by forces unknown, threatened by Internal Affairs, and with his relationship on the rocks, Duffy will need all his wits to get out of this investigation in one piece
319 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2017
375 people are currently reading
2235 people want to read
About the author
Adrian McKinty
48 books4,347 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 693 reviews
July 17, 2017
This is the first book that I have read from this series, and I have to place it on the list of series that are absolute must reads. This is outstanding historical crime fiction set during the troubles in Belfast in 1988 under Thatcher's Britain. There is much political chicanery in the RUC and security forces, and a religiously divided city where it does not take much for riots to spark off. The IRA and the Unionists are dangerous forces, and death is their prolific calling card. 38 year old Catholic Sean Duffy, is that rare beast, a member of the RUC, hated by both sides, routinely checking under his car for bombs. He has been promoted and demoted as he clings to his concepts of law and justice, rather than entertain political expediency or pressure, although he is rather weary after the pounding he has taken through the years. Something you can appreciate when you understand he is a copper in a police force with the highest mortality rate in the world and Belfast has the best trauma and gun shot surgeons, thanks to the never ending cycle of brutality and violence.
It begins with Sean being led to dig his own grave by an IRA hit squad, a taster of what comes later. It all connects with the crossbow killing of drug dealer, Francis Deauville, outside his home. The crime scene is farcical, being contaminated by local rubberneckers and a hungry goat. This echoes a previous incident with a similar MO. It is assumed this is the action of the paramilitaries, except none claim responsibility. None of it makes sense to Sean, and to make matters worse, the wife of the victim goes missing, assumed murdered. With pressure from all quarters to shut down the investigation, Sean finds himself being investigated by Internal Affairs and experiencing hair raising hits on his life, and his girlfriend, Beth and baby daughter, Emma. His trusty team of DS McCrabban and DC Lawson join him to continue digging covertly, despite the dangers it puts them under. With twist after twist, this is a case that takes in members of the reservist police looking to ensure that the past does not catch up with them and more.
Duffy looks for a more secure future with Beth and Emma as he looks to radically change his circumstances. He is a real one off as a character, full of wit, black humour, with spot on literary and musical references. It is a real pleasure to be in his company in a Belfast experiencing riots, the funerals of the three killed in Gibraltor by the SAS and Michael Stone's deadly actions at the funerals which people might remember. McKinty's writing brings back 1980s Belfast to life and makes us grateful that much has changed since then. A must read series. Thanks to Serpent's Tail for an ARC.
It begins with Sean being led to dig his own grave by an IRA hit squad, a taster of what comes later. It all connects with the crossbow killing of drug dealer, Francis Deauville, outside his home. The crime scene is farcical, being contaminated by local rubberneckers and a hungry goat. This echoes a previous incident with a similar MO. It is assumed this is the action of the paramilitaries, except none claim responsibility. None of it makes sense to Sean, and to make matters worse, the wife of the victim goes missing, assumed murdered. With pressure from all quarters to shut down the investigation, Sean finds himself being investigated by Internal Affairs and experiencing hair raising hits on his life, and his girlfriend, Beth and baby daughter, Emma. His trusty team of DS McCrabban and DC Lawson join him to continue digging covertly, despite the dangers it puts them under. With twist after twist, this is a case that takes in members of the reservist police looking to ensure that the past does not catch up with them and more.
Duffy looks for a more secure future with Beth and Emma as he looks to radically change his circumstances. He is a real one off as a character, full of wit, black humour, with spot on literary and musical references. It is a real pleasure to be in his company in a Belfast experiencing riots, the funerals of the three killed in Gibraltor by the SAS and Michael Stone's deadly actions at the funerals which people might remember. McKinty's writing brings back 1980s Belfast to life and makes us grateful that much has changed since then. A must read series. Thanks to Serpent's Tail for an ARC.
May 19, 2024
The sixth novel in Adrian McKinty's excellent series featuring Detective Sergeant Sean Duffy of the Belfast, Northern Ireland police force is set in 1988. It begins with an ominous prologue in which three masked gunman march Duffy deep into the woods, hand him a shovel, and order him to begin digging his own grave--not exactly the moment that a fan of the series would be anxious to see.
With that setup in place, the story backs up to find Duffy on a brief visit to his parents with his girlfriend and their baby daughter. The visit is interrupted when Duffy is summoned back to the scene of a particularly odd homicide. Someone had shot and killed a drug dealer in front of his house, using a bolt fired from a crossbow. This is still the time of the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland, and the dead man's neighbors are not at all anxious to assist the police with the investigation. The murdered man's wife claims that she was asleep in the house and knows nothing at all about what happened.
It's possible that the man was killed by a group of vigilantes (actually a faction of the IRA) who have been targeting drug dealers. There are any number of other possibilities, of course, and Duffy and his team will do their best against very long odds to identify the killer and bring him or her to justice. Politics inside the department will also interfere with the investigation. Duffy, who has always followed his own instincts, has made some powerful enemies with in the department and, unfortunately, a reorganization is underway which will bring some of Duffy's worst enemies into positions of authority over him.
I've been a fan of this series since the first book, The Cold Cold Ground, and like the other five, this one is a great read. Sean Duffy is one of the freshest and most intriguing crime fiction characters to come along in quite a while, and it's always a lot of fun to follow in his footsteps. The plot is well constructed and, as always, McKinty excels at describing the setting in Northern Ireland. McKinty was born and raised in Carrickfergus, where Duffy is stationed and clearly he knows the area, the people, and the politics exceptionally well.
As with all the other books in this series, the title comes from a song by Tom Waits, in this case one called "Cold Water," which, like a lot of Tom Waits songs, has an interesting story of its own behind it.
With that setup in place, the story backs up to find Duffy on a brief visit to his parents with his girlfriend and their baby daughter. The visit is interrupted when Duffy is summoned back to the scene of a particularly odd homicide. Someone had shot and killed a drug dealer in front of his house, using a bolt fired from a crossbow. This is still the time of the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland, and the dead man's neighbors are not at all anxious to assist the police with the investigation. The murdered man's wife claims that she was asleep in the house and knows nothing at all about what happened.
It's possible that the man was killed by a group of vigilantes (actually a faction of the IRA) who have been targeting drug dealers. There are any number of other possibilities, of course, and Duffy and his team will do their best against very long odds to identify the killer and bring him or her to justice. Politics inside the department will also interfere with the investigation. Duffy, who has always followed his own instincts, has made some powerful enemies with in the department and, unfortunately, a reorganization is underway which will bring some of Duffy's worst enemies into positions of authority over him.
I've been a fan of this series since the first book, The Cold Cold Ground, and like the other five, this one is a great read. Sean Duffy is one of the freshest and most intriguing crime fiction characters to come along in quite a while, and it's always a lot of fun to follow in his footsteps. The plot is well constructed and, as always, McKinty excels at describing the setting in Northern Ireland. McKinty was born and raised in Carrickfergus, where Duffy is stationed and clearly he knows the area, the people, and the politics exceptionally well.
As with all the other books in this series, the title comes from a song by Tom Waits, in this case one called "Cold Water," which, like a lot of Tom Waits songs, has an interesting story of its own behind it.
October 18, 2017
Two drug dealers both shot, one dead in his front yard, the other alive and thriving in a hospital but not talking, not a peep. These two lowlives were not gunned down with a Glock, rifle, Koch MP5, shotgun or any other type of firearm, but a mere medieval weapon; a Crossbow. Just the kind of murder case Detective Sean Duffy yearns and craves for to get his ole ticker going! It had been a boring year with no murders to contend with and Duffy was going a bit stale with his mind wandering to early retirement. This case should wake him up and make his eyeballs pop right out of their sockets! Author Adrian McKinty doesn’t disappoint with writing zingers for Duffy to utter under his breath and out loud with impertinence, and antagonism to those in charge. An exceptional and quite distinctive series; number six will not disappoint. Highly recommended!
December 3, 2019
4.5★
“If you really have to get shot, Belfast is one of the best places to do it. After twenty years of the Troubles and after thousands of assassination attempts and punishment shootings Belfast has trained many of the best gunshot-trauma surgeons in the world.”
I’ve just discovered this is the last of the Sean Duffy series so now I simply have to read the earlier ones. It was fine as a stand-alone mystery, incidentally, but I bet I’d have been more quickly absorbed in the story if I were already familiar with him and his people. I can’t say I found it slow to begin, just that I wasn’t as hooked as I became later.
And I did get hooked! He’s a Catholic detective in the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) with a Prod (Protestant) girlfriend and a tiny daughter. He’s non-practising, except, of course, like a lot of people in a foxhole when the situation is dire.
“Seizing a moment when the kids were quiet, I went to the Catholic chapel and had a heart-to-heart with the Virgin. ‘Yeah, I know. I know. I f**king know, OK? But this will be the last time. Just this last time and I won’t ask any more,’ I said.”
The title comes from a Tom Waits song – grim, cold, miserable – and I have to say the weather throughout is pretty much that. Between the weather and the eternal conflict between the IRA sympathisers and the Loyalists in Northern Ireland, it’s no wonder that he never ever got into his car without checking quickly underneath for a bomb. Actually, he did once but got away with it. (not a spoiler).
He drives and loves his brand new BMW 535i sport that he drives like somebody’s chasing him – and sometimes they are. His girlfriend is studying, they share duties with little Emma, who spends her days at Jollytots, and life is good – except for the people trying to kill him.
The book opens with him trudging through rain and mud, being pushed by bad guys setting him up to dig his own grave in the woods. Things look bad. One of the bad guys turns out to be a woman, also carrying a gun. A glance is enough for him to identify it.
“An old .45. Look at that gun. US Army issue. 1930’s model ACP. That’s been in somebody’s shoebox since the GIs were here in WW2. There wouldn’t be any suffering with a weapon like that. Wouldn’t even hear the shot. An instantaneous obliteration of consciousness. Wouldn’t feel anything. Sentience into darkness just like that.”
Then the prologue ends with him spread-eagled in the mud and we return to the beginning of the story and meet his close mate Detective Sergeant McCrabban, "Crabbie" of course, and a young new guy, Lawson. The three form the team set to investigate a couple of murders by crossbow. The second is of a known Bulgarian drug-dealer, the only witness his wife, who is beside herself with grief. When they ask where she is, they’re told
“She’s fine. The victim support unit has been with her all morning.’
‘What’s the victim support unit?’
‘WPC Green,’ Lawson said.”
You can see their staffing levels – one woman police officer is the “support unit”, and I bet it’s because she was the only female handy at the time, (but I shouldn’t be so negative).
In spite of her grief, the wife is still a suspect, but questioning the neighbours is useless.
“For all we knew, Mr and Mrs Deauville might have been fighting like cats and dogs every single night since they moved in but no one in Sunnylands would ever tell us that. A drug dealer was bad, a woman who murders her husband was bad, but an informer was a more terrible creature by far than either.”
It’s an exciting story that definitely is fine without having read the previous five books in the series. McKinty is an interesting writer. It goes from wild action to thoughtful description to commentary on cars and music. He’s obviously had a colourful past, judging by what he was thinking when he had to have his physical checkup. He drinks too much and smokes too much.
“’It’s stressful out there, doc,’ I said wondering what Kev would have said if he’d tested me in 1985 when at one point during the Anglo-Irish Agreement crisis I’d been taking cocaine, hash, ciggies, moonshine, Valium and diamorphine pills – usually before lunch.”
He’s only a young man, 38, but if he keeps up even just his current habits, he won’t last long. Oh, wait, we left him getting ready to dig his own grave, didn’t we? Well, considering this is the last book in the series, I’ll not give any spoilers.
McKinty is good, and after growing up in Ireland and then living in the US, he’s now living in Australia, where we’re happy to claim him.
“If you really have to get shot, Belfast is one of the best places to do it. After twenty years of the Troubles and after thousands of assassination attempts and punishment shootings Belfast has trained many of the best gunshot-trauma surgeons in the world.”
I’ve just discovered this is the last of the Sean Duffy series so now I simply have to read the earlier ones. It was fine as a stand-alone mystery, incidentally, but I bet I’d have been more quickly absorbed in the story if I were already familiar with him and his people. I can’t say I found it slow to begin, just that I wasn’t as hooked as I became later.
And I did get hooked! He’s a Catholic detective in the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) with a Prod (Protestant) girlfriend and a tiny daughter. He’s non-practising, except, of course, like a lot of people in a foxhole when the situation is dire.
“Seizing a moment when the kids were quiet, I went to the Catholic chapel and had a heart-to-heart with the Virgin. ‘Yeah, I know. I know. I f**king know, OK? But this will be the last time. Just this last time and I won’t ask any more,’ I said.”
The title comes from a Tom Waits song – grim, cold, miserable – and I have to say the weather throughout is pretty much that. Between the weather and the eternal conflict between the IRA sympathisers and the Loyalists in Northern Ireland, it’s no wonder that he never ever got into his car without checking quickly underneath for a bomb. Actually, he did once but got away with it. (not a spoiler).
He drives and loves his brand new BMW 535i sport that he drives like somebody’s chasing him – and sometimes they are. His girlfriend is studying, they share duties with little Emma, who spends her days at Jollytots, and life is good – except for the people trying to kill him.
The book opens with him trudging through rain and mud, being pushed by bad guys setting him up to dig his own grave in the woods. Things look bad. One of the bad guys turns out to be a woman, also carrying a gun. A glance is enough for him to identify it.
“An old .45. Look at that gun. US Army issue. 1930’s model ACP. That’s been in somebody’s shoebox since the GIs were here in WW2. There wouldn’t be any suffering with a weapon like that. Wouldn’t even hear the shot. An instantaneous obliteration of consciousness. Wouldn’t feel anything. Sentience into darkness just like that.”
Then the prologue ends with him spread-eagled in the mud and we return to the beginning of the story and meet his close mate Detective Sergeant McCrabban, "Crabbie" of course, and a young new guy, Lawson. The three form the team set to investigate a couple of murders by crossbow. The second is of a known Bulgarian drug-dealer, the only witness his wife, who is beside herself with grief. When they ask where she is, they’re told
“She’s fine. The victim support unit has been with her all morning.’
‘What’s the victim support unit?’
‘WPC Green,’ Lawson said.”
You can see their staffing levels – one woman police officer is the “support unit”, and I bet it’s because she was the only female handy at the time, (but I shouldn’t be so negative).
In spite of her grief, the wife is still a suspect, but questioning the neighbours is useless.
“For all we knew, Mr and Mrs Deauville might have been fighting like cats and dogs every single night since they moved in but no one in Sunnylands would ever tell us that. A drug dealer was bad, a woman who murders her husband was bad, but an informer was a more terrible creature by far than either.”
It’s an exciting story that definitely is fine without having read the previous five books in the series. McKinty is an interesting writer. It goes from wild action to thoughtful description to commentary on cars and music. He’s obviously had a colourful past, judging by what he was thinking when he had to have his physical checkup. He drinks too much and smokes too much.
“’It’s stressful out there, doc,’ I said wondering what Kev would have said if he’d tested me in 1985 when at one point during the Anglo-Irish Agreement crisis I’d been taking cocaine, hash, ciggies, moonshine, Valium and diamorphine pills – usually before lunch.”
He’s only a young man, 38, but if he keeps up even just his current habits, he won’t last long. Oh, wait, we left him getting ready to dig his own grave, didn’t we? Well, considering this is the last book in the series, I’ll not give any spoilers.
McKinty is good, and after growing up in Ireland and then living in the US, he’s now living in Australia, where we’re happy to claim him.
November 5, 2021
I love everything about this series - the clever titles, the wonderfully charismatic main character, the factual,historic detail of the troubles in Belfast in the eighties, the humour, the drama, the author's writing style - everything! Plus if you use the audiobooks you can enjoy the delightful Irish accents of narrator Gerard Doyle.
In book six we meet Sean Duffy literally digging his own grave, and apparently about to die in an execution style murder. Trust this author to make the reader sit up in shock right at the start of the book which then jumps back to detail how Sean ended up in this rather unenviable situation. There are murders and double crosses, shootings and mysterious disappearances. Who do you trust and who do you not?
Sean's relationship with DC Lawson and DCS McCrabban is wonderful. Their conversations are witty, sarcastic, very smart and often hilarious. They are also the best kind of friends who back each other up in some of the worst of situations. I enjoyed the way their private lives progressed to the possibility of a better way of life and I hope one day I can get hold of book seven to see what happens next.
In book six we meet Sean Duffy literally digging his own grave, and apparently about to die in an execution style murder. Trust this author to make the reader sit up in shock right at the start of the book which then jumps back to detail how Sean ended up in this rather unenviable situation. There are murders and double crosses, shootings and mysterious disappearances. Who do you trust and who do you not?
Sean's relationship with DC Lawson and DCS McCrabban is wonderful. Their conversations are witty, sarcastic, very smart and often hilarious. They are also the best kind of friends who back each other up in some of the worst of situations. I enjoyed the way their private lives progressed to the possibility of a better way of life and I hope one day I can get hold of book seven to see what happens next.
April 7, 2017
Sean Duffy, one of a few Catholics in Northern Ireland police force, he has been promoted and demoted for many years. A cross bow as a murder weapon, unusual but it is 1988 and Ireland is torn between many different factions, the IRA a dangerous thorn in the side of the police. This murder though they are not claiming responsibility.
This is the sixth in series, but the first I have read and did not feel at all lost, in fact I enjoyed this very character oriented story. Sean drinks too much, smokes too much, has been ordered by the police physician to cut out both in order to pass a necessary physical. He has a daughter, a girlfriend he hopes to marry and things are looking up for him. Well, until, they aren't. He is dogged, doesn't take orders too well, and is often quite self deprecating, and so often amusing.
A good series, and a look at a time and place, the political situation in Ireland the divide caused by religious affiliation. Liked the gritty but amusing storyline.
ARC from publisher.
This is the sixth in series, but the first I have read and did not feel at all lost, in fact I enjoyed this very character oriented story. Sean drinks too much, smokes too much, has been ordered by the police physician to cut out both in order to pass a necessary physical. He has a daughter, a girlfriend he hopes to marry and things are looking up for him. Well, until, they aren't. He is dogged, doesn't take orders too well, and is often quite self deprecating, and so often amusing.
A good series, and a look at a time and place, the political situation in Ireland the divide caused by religious affiliation. Liked the gritty but amusing storyline.
ARC from publisher.
September 18, 2020
EXCERPT: . . . it is indeed spooky out here, in the hulking shadows of these venerable oaks, four hours after midnight, in the middle of nowhere, while Ireland sleeps, while Ireland dreams. . .
The little rise is a deceptively steep incline that takes my breath away and I can see that I am going to need my new inhaler if it keeps up. The inhaler, of course, is back in the glove compartment of the car because I haven't yet acquired the habit of taking it with me everywhere. Not that it will make any difference in a few minutes anyway. A bullet in the head will fix an incipient asthma attack every time.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Belfast 1988: A man is found dead, killed with a bolt from a crossbow in front of his house. This is no hunting accident. But uncovering who is responsible for the murder will take Detective Sean Duffy down his most dangerous road yet, a road that leads to a lonely clearing on a high bog where three masked gunmen will force Duffy to dig his own grave.
Hunted by forces unknown, threatened by Internal Affairs, and with his relationship on the rocks, Duffy will need all his wits to get out of this investigation in one piece
MY THOUGHTS: 'A paranoid man is a man who knows a little about what's going on' - William Burroughs
The seven 'p's - 'Proper preparation and planning prevents piss poor performance' - DI Sean Duffy
What can I say that I haven't said before about this series? I have just finished #6 with my heart pounding, and if it was 5 pm instead of 5 am, I would pour myself a stiff drink. I am exhausted after having spent the majority of the night in the company of DI Sean Duffy, checking under the BMW 535i sport for mercury tilt bombs every time before we get in, being beaten, shot at (multiple times), kidnapped, threatened, and particpating in a car chase involving a 1988 Bentley Mulsanne. All this is set against the background of 'the Troubles' which seem to have flared again, with Belfast experiencing riots, the funerals of the three killed in Gibraltor by the SAS, and Michael Stone's deadly actions at the funerals inflaming the situation.
Duffy now has a partner and a child, but that doesn't seem to be working out as well as he had hoped, either. Yet despite the troubles, Irish, professional and personal, or perhaps because of them, Duffy sees things that others miss, and while he may never have brought a criminal to trial, his resolution of cases is always interesting and probably more appropriate than any court sentence.
McKinty has evolved Duffy's character seamlessly without losing the quintessential essence of him. He is still the thorn in the side of his superiors, and those who think themselves superior, like that eejit Kenny Dalziel. He still makes questionable choices - I was pacing the lounge at 4 am ranting 'Sean, wtf do you think you're doing?!' But he also inspires loyalty, is irreverent but charming, has street smarts that I am envious of, and a black sense of humor that I love.
If you haven't yet read this series, you are missing out on what I seriously believe to be one of the top two thriller series that I have read. I could wax lyrical about both the series and this particular book for pages yet, but honestly? Stop reading my review and just read the books. What are you waiting for?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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 Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty, published by Serpent's Tail, from Waitomo District Library. Thank you to head librarian Julie for buying in a copy at my request.
All opinions expressed in this 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, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
The little rise is a deceptively steep incline that takes my breath away and I can see that I am going to need my new inhaler if it keeps up. The inhaler, of course, is back in the glove compartment of the car because I haven't yet acquired the habit of taking it with me everywhere. Not that it will make any difference in a few minutes anyway. A bullet in the head will fix an incipient asthma attack every time.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Belfast 1988: A man is found dead, killed with a bolt from a crossbow in front of his house. This is no hunting accident. But uncovering who is responsible for the murder will take Detective Sean Duffy down his most dangerous road yet, a road that leads to a lonely clearing on a high bog where three masked gunmen will force Duffy to dig his own grave.
Hunted by forces unknown, threatened by Internal Affairs, and with his relationship on the rocks, Duffy will need all his wits to get out of this investigation in one piece
MY THOUGHTS: 'A paranoid man is a man who knows a little about what's going on' - William Burroughs
The seven 'p's - 'Proper preparation and planning prevents piss poor performance' - DI Sean Duffy
What can I say that I haven't said before about this series? I have just finished #6 with my heart pounding, and if it was 5 pm instead of 5 am, I would pour myself a stiff drink. I am exhausted after having spent the majority of the night in the company of DI Sean Duffy, checking under the BMW 535i sport for mercury tilt bombs every time before we get in, being beaten, shot at (multiple times), kidnapped, threatened, and particpating in a car chase involving a 1988 Bentley Mulsanne. All this is set against the background of 'the Troubles' which seem to have flared again, with Belfast experiencing riots, the funerals of the three killed in Gibraltor by the SAS, and Michael Stone's deadly actions at the funerals inflaming the situation.
Duffy now has a partner and a child, but that doesn't seem to be working out as well as he had hoped, either. Yet despite the troubles, Irish, professional and personal, or perhaps because of them, Duffy sees things that others miss, and while he may never have brought a criminal to trial, his resolution of cases is always interesting and probably more appropriate than any court sentence.
McKinty has evolved Duffy's character seamlessly without losing the quintessential essence of him. He is still the thorn in the side of his superiors, and those who think themselves superior, like that eejit Kenny Dalziel. He still makes questionable choices - I was pacing the lounge at 4 am ranting 'Sean, wtf do you think you're doing?!' But he also inspires loyalty, is irreverent but charming, has street smarts that I am envious of, and a black sense of humor that I love.
If you haven't yet read this series, you are missing out on what I seriously believe to be one of the top two thriller series that I have read. I could wax lyrical about both the series and this particular book for pages yet, but honestly? Stop reading my review and just read the books. What are you waiting for?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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 Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty, published by Serpent's Tail, from Waitomo District Library. Thank you to head librarian Julie for buying in a copy at my request.
All opinions expressed in this 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, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
August 8, 2022
I raced through this library book in 2 days. Detective Inspector Sean Duufy is on holiday with his parents. His father wants him to go a religious walk and Sean doesn't have the heart to say no. Then he gets a call from Detective Sargent Crabbe asking him if he could come back to help with an unusual murder. He tells his parents that duty calls. Little does he know that this murder puts him in serious danger. He is attacked by IRA hit teams and interrogated by the Special Branch for suspected collusion with the IRA. He and his team do unravel the mystery. To add to his troubles, the RUC doctor tells him that his blood work shows traces of cannabis and threatens him with an unfit for duty report if he does not quit.
I am retired law enforcement and was drug tested a couple times. I passed. Those who didn't pass were fired or allowed to retire.
Two Quotes:
Conversation between Sean and a colleague:
"Good to see you Sean. You're looking well ... for a man twice your age."
Sean trying to follow doctor's orders: "...I was down to four ciggies a day: after breakfast, lunch, dinner and before bed. Find me a Catholic RUC man that can do better."
I rate this book a solid 4 stars.
I am retired law enforcement and was drug tested a couple times. I passed. Those who didn't pass were fired or allowed to retire.
Two Quotes:
Conversation between Sean and a colleague:
"Good to see you Sean. You're looking well ... for a man twice your age."
Sean trying to follow doctor's orders: "...I was down to four ciggies a day: after breakfast, lunch, dinner and before bed. Find me a Catholic RUC man that can do better."
I rate this book a solid 4 stars.
March 7, 2017
Sean Duffy has spent the last 15 years as the token “fenian peeler” at the Carrickfergus RUC station. He may be hated by Catholics & Prods alike but the fact he’s still breathing has earned him a grudging respect.
It’s 1988 & the Troubles have simmered down somewhat. So Sean & colleagues Lawson and Crabbie have more time to investigate “normal” crimes. Well…maybe that’s a bit optimistic. When they’re called to a rough neighbourhood, the last thing they expect to find is a man killed with a crossbow. But before he can deal with the victim Sean has to subdue a crazy wife, an angry mob & a goat (don’t ask).
The man is eventually identified as a drug dealer who recently moved back to N. Ireland. Should be a no-brainer. He was probably killed by a faction of the IRA or a business rival. Either way, the case is likely destined for the unsolved bin. But the choice of weapon bothers Sean & when the man’s wife disappears, his team begins some serious digging.
The investigation is a welcome distraction for Sean. Things at the station are a little tense these days. An old nemesis is about to become boss & there’s a rumour they may have to actually pass a fitness test. On the home front, Beth wants to move house & her father would prefer that Sean stay behind. Jeeze….don’t they know he’s trying to quit smoking?
Batten the hatches, people. This one takes off in directions you’ll never see coming. A simple murder soon escalates into an intricate web of death threats, old secrets & some seriously pissed off IRA enforcers. And that’s before an international incident reignites the Troubles.
It has to be a challenge for any author writing a series to produce something fresh while staying true to their characters. McKinty accomplishes this by aging his cast in real time. As the books progress, we watch as they bump into all the milestones that make up a life. The result is we become deeply invested in characters who feel authentic. Sean is 38 now & worn down by the daily battle. He’s had a front row seat for more than a decade as his country tears itself apart. His cocky, self deprecating attitude is still intact but you sense he’s becoming resigned to a bleak future. One little ray of hope is baby Emma whose smile lights up his world but the fact her daddy is a marked man just adds to his stress.
What hasn’t changed is sharp, witty dialogue that showcases the frequently hilarious vernacular of Northern Ireland. One moment you’re breathless from the hair raising action while the next has you giggling as Sean debates politics with his cat.
Descriptions of Carrickfergus & its residents put you smack dab in the middle of this desperate time. It’s clear the author loves his home & knows its history. Actual people & events provide a tense background which adds to the dark atmosphere of the story.
So consider yourself warned. Don’t pick this up until you have a few spare hours because the prologue is killer & you won’t want to stop. I’ve enjoyed every book in the series but this is one of the best.
It’s 1988 & the Troubles have simmered down somewhat. So Sean & colleagues Lawson and Crabbie have more time to investigate “normal” crimes. Well…maybe that’s a bit optimistic. When they’re called to a rough neighbourhood, the last thing they expect to find is a man killed with a crossbow. But before he can deal with the victim Sean has to subdue a crazy wife, an angry mob & a goat (don’t ask).
The man is eventually identified as a drug dealer who recently moved back to N. Ireland. Should be a no-brainer. He was probably killed by a faction of the IRA or a business rival. Either way, the case is likely destined for the unsolved bin. But the choice of weapon bothers Sean & when the man’s wife disappears, his team begins some serious digging.
The investigation is a welcome distraction for Sean. Things at the station are a little tense these days. An old nemesis is about to become boss & there’s a rumour they may have to actually pass a fitness test. On the home front, Beth wants to move house & her father would prefer that Sean stay behind. Jeeze….don’t they know he’s trying to quit smoking?
Batten the hatches, people. This one takes off in directions you’ll never see coming. A simple murder soon escalates into an intricate web of death threats, old secrets & some seriously pissed off IRA enforcers. And that’s before an international incident reignites the Troubles.
It has to be a challenge for any author writing a series to produce something fresh while staying true to their characters. McKinty accomplishes this by aging his cast in real time. As the books progress, we watch as they bump into all the milestones that make up a life. The result is we become deeply invested in characters who feel authentic. Sean is 38 now & worn down by the daily battle. He’s had a front row seat for more than a decade as his country tears itself apart. His cocky, self deprecating attitude is still intact but you sense he’s becoming resigned to a bleak future. One little ray of hope is baby Emma whose smile lights up his world but the fact her daddy is a marked man just adds to his stress.
What hasn’t changed is sharp, witty dialogue that showcases the frequently hilarious vernacular of Northern Ireland. One moment you’re breathless from the hair raising action while the next has you giggling as Sean debates politics with his cat.
Descriptions of Carrickfergus & its residents put you smack dab in the middle of this desperate time. It’s clear the author loves his home & knows its history. Actual people & events provide a tense background which adds to the dark atmosphere of the story.
So consider yourself warned. Don’t pick this up until you have a few spare hours because the prologue is killer & you won’t want to stop. I’ve enjoyed every book in the series but this is one of the best.
January 5, 2018
Police at the Station and They Don’t Look Friendly is the 6th book in Adrian McKinty’s Detective Sean Duffy series but the first one I have read. (What? You’re not my Dad, you can’t tell me how to read a mystery series…I can start at the end if I want!) The Boston Globe rated it as one of the 2017’s best mysteries, so I thought what the heck, I’d check it out. And begorra, am I glad that I did. This was great!
This is a very Irish story (which would make sense that the Boston Globe newspaper would like it so much. As comedian John Oliver says, Ireland is the Boston of Europe.) taking place at the end of the 1980’s with all the violence of the Northern Ireland Conflict shadowing all events like a never-ending eclipse of turmoil, devastation, corned beef, and Guinness. Detective Sean Duffy is an honest and underappreciated cop on a force of incompetent, self-serving, and corrupt officers. This go round he is investigating the death of a drug dealer. Nobody particularly cares if this case gets solved, it was probably the doings of the IRA, but Duffy is intrigued by the odd method of execution. The dealer was shot multiple times by a crossbow. Using only his know-how and an inexhaustible reservoir of wisecracks, Duffy starts to hunt a killer.
What exactly is it about being Irish that is so attractive? Almost everyone claims to have some Irish in their background—even the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei swore to a collection of clerics in Tehran just last week that he is 1/16th Irish… (“If I lie, then you may chop off my hand!”) , so there must be some allure to it. But why? Do we all want red hair? Do we all wish to be heavy drinkers, have freckles dot our noses like spilled pepper, always be getting into foights? If so, than Police at the Station and They Don’t Look Friendly is the book for you—no shamrock is left unturned.
Detective Duffy is your classic fictional detective—driven, good at his job, a wiseacre. He carries a lot of baggage making it hard to hold his relationships together and he is loathed by the brass above him on the force. The kind of guy you would hate as a family member, but love to have working on that break-in to your car where all your CD’s were stolen. At first glance everything might seem to be a little conventional, but this book is great. All the pieces here come together like a mixture of purple horseshoes, green clovers, pink hearts, and rainbow moons. You feel lucky to read such a charming story. The story was always engaging, the plot built up to an exciting climax and the conclusion was satisfying.
It is awesome to discover such an absorbing series late in the game. I now have several books to go back and catch up on. I highly recommend Police at the Station and They Don’t Look Friendly to those who dig a gritty mystery/lone detective story.
This is a very Irish story (which would make sense that the Boston Globe newspaper would like it so much. As comedian John Oliver says, Ireland is the Boston of Europe.) taking place at the end of the 1980’s with all the violence of the Northern Ireland Conflict shadowing all events like a never-ending eclipse of turmoil, devastation, corned beef, and Guinness. Detective Sean Duffy is an honest and underappreciated cop on a force of incompetent, self-serving, and corrupt officers. This go round he is investigating the death of a drug dealer. Nobody particularly cares if this case gets solved, it was probably the doings of the IRA, but Duffy is intrigued by the odd method of execution. The dealer was shot multiple times by a crossbow. Using only his know-how and an inexhaustible reservoir of wisecracks, Duffy starts to hunt a killer.
What exactly is it about being Irish that is so attractive? Almost everyone claims to have some Irish in their background—even the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei swore to a collection of clerics in Tehran just last week that he is 1/16th Irish… (“If I lie, then you may chop off my hand!”) , so there must be some allure to it. But why? Do we all want red hair? Do we all wish to be heavy drinkers, have freckles dot our noses like spilled pepper, always be getting into foights? If so, than Police at the Station and They Don’t Look Friendly is the book for you—no shamrock is left unturned.
Detective Duffy is your classic fictional detective—driven, good at his job, a wiseacre. He carries a lot of baggage making it hard to hold his relationships together and he is loathed by the brass above him on the force. The kind of guy you would hate as a family member, but love to have working on that break-in to your car where all your CD’s were stolen. At first glance everything might seem to be a little conventional, but this book is great. All the pieces here come together like a mixture of purple horseshoes, green clovers, pink hearts, and rainbow moons. You feel lucky to read such a charming story. The story was always engaging, the plot built up to an exciting climax and the conclusion was satisfying.
It is awesome to discover such an absorbing series late in the game. I now have several books to go back and catch up on. I highly recommend Police at the Station and They Don’t Look Friendly to those who dig a gritty mystery/lone detective story.
August 2, 2021
Argh! This is the last of the Sean Duffy series. And oh, how I will miss him! His snarky humor, his bad boy ethics, his intelligence.
While I’m always enthralled by the actual mysteries, this time, I was much more interested in how Sean’s personal life was going to work out. Hell, given that the book’s prologue starts with him being led off by the paramilitaries, whether he was even going to have a life. But trust me, the mystery here is truly engaging as well and I had no clue as to the murderer or the reasoning behind the murder.
A drug dealer is killed with a crossbow. And he’s not the first. Another drug dealer was wounded the week before. Sean attempts to investigate, although the powers that be couldn't really care less. It was a drug dealer, after all.
To make matters worse, there’s changes going on in the hierarchy which don’t bode well for Sean.
I’ve said it numerous times (6 now) but no one beats McKinty for putting you in a time and place like his 1980s Northern Ireland. I love his writing style, the repeating of Sean’s routines, for example checking under the Beemer for bombs, to give the weird sense of normalcy during these times.
Gerald Doyle is the absolute perfect narrator for this series.
While I’m always enthralled by the actual mysteries, this time, I was much more interested in how Sean’s personal life was going to work out. Hell, given that the book’s prologue starts with him being led off by the paramilitaries, whether he was even going to have a life. But trust me, the mystery here is truly engaging as well and I had no clue as to the murderer or the reasoning behind the murder.
A drug dealer is killed with a crossbow. And he’s not the first. Another drug dealer was wounded the week before. Sean attempts to investigate, although the powers that be couldn't really care less. It was a drug dealer, after all.
To make matters worse, there’s changes going on in the hierarchy which don’t bode well for Sean.
I’ve said it numerous times (6 now) but no one beats McKinty for putting you in a time and place like his 1980s Northern Ireland. I love his writing style, the repeating of Sean’s routines, for example checking under the Beemer for bombs, to give the weird sense of normalcy during these times.
Gerald Doyle is the absolute perfect narrator for this series.
July 30, 2017
Late 1980s and Sean Duffy, Catholic policeman in the RUC in Belfast, is called into a murder of a drug dealer. Not unusual in these troubled times except that the weapon was a crossbow and no one has claimed responsibility. Sean's investigations lead him into all sorts of deep trouble including attempts on his life and that of his girlfriend Beth and baby daughter Emma. Now that Sean has family responsibilities he starts to question what he's doing. Internal Affairs are also sniffing around and Sean's lifestyle of hard drinking and smoking of the occasional joint thrown in is finally catching up with him too as he's forced to take a physical.
Despite this being a tough case with some pretty noxious characters, there is plenty of dark humour and musical references to keep Sean and his police buddies McCarbben and Lawson mellow. After five books, Adrian McKinty is so comfortable with his main character that his writing feels effortless and flows naturally from crisis to crisis. The events and politics of the time are ever present and contribute to the intense atmosphere underlying the main plot of the novel. The ending of the book suggest that Sean's life will be taking a different turn in future - one I hope we get to read about.
Despite this being a tough case with some pretty noxious characters, there is plenty of dark humour and musical references to keep Sean and his police buddies McCarbben and Lawson mellow. After five books, Adrian McKinty is so comfortable with his main character that his writing feels effortless and flows naturally from crisis to crisis. The events and politics of the time are ever present and contribute to the intense atmosphere underlying the main plot of the novel. The ending of the book suggest that Sean's life will be taking a different turn in future - one I hope we get to read about.
May 2, 2019
Irish noir author McKinty won a Ned Kelly award for this 6th offering in his Detective Sean Duffy series. It is definitely the best one yet in the author’s historical crime series set in Northern Ireland during the time of the Troubles. Sean seems remarkably settled, living in Carrickfergus with his girlfriend and daughter. There haven’t been a lot of murders in 1988, so when Francis Deauville is murdered by crossbow in Protestant paramilitary territory, his Royal Ulster Constabulary team is intrigued. There aren’t a lot of clues, but Duffy pursues each one despite being pursued by the Provisional IRA and Special Branch. Fortunately, he has the unflappable DS McCrabben and the idealistic DC Lawson for support. Recommend.
December 6, 2019
I’m now caught up with this series. I believe this book is the best so far. I don’t know if McKinty plans any more Sean Duffy books, but I’d be satisfied if the ending of this one concluded the series. It’s in a good place.
February 5, 2017
I never thought I'd live to see the day that Sean Duffy would mellow but it's amazing what a baby can do to you. In the sixth book of this wonderful series, Duffy is now living with his girlfriend and daughter, Emma. People breaking into his house and shooting at him and his family just doesn't roll off his back the way it used to and he wants it to stop.
As the token Catholic on the police force, Duffy still answers to his own moral code and doesn't ignore crimes when warned by his superiors to do so. So when a heroin drug dealer is murdered by a cross bow, of all things, Duffy actually investigates the case. Then the dealer's wife goes missing and Duffy and fellow squad members, McCrabbe and Lawson, really dig in to it.
The problem is the case takes them places they shouldn't go from the IRA headquarters to the top echelons of the police hierarchy. And people start taking serious pot shots at him and Internal Affairs shows up to investigate him. Things look desperate for Duffy.
This is an excellent series set in Belfast during The Troubles. It's a terrifying time when you have to check under your car for bombs before driving. People live in religious enclaves- the Catholics there and the Prods here. It really makes the times and the city come alive. Carrickfergus, where Duffy works, is a small town outside of Belfast but still struggles with the same problems.
Duffy is quite erudite so there are lots of musical references, most of which I don't know but enjoy anyway. There are also lots of poems thrown in which adds another dimension. He is definitely not one dimensional and his maturity gives him even more depth.
This book takes a lot of twists and turns. I never ever saw the ending coming. This is a great addition to an addictive series. I highly recommend it.
As the token Catholic on the police force, Duffy still answers to his own moral code and doesn't ignore crimes when warned by his superiors to do so. So when a heroin drug dealer is murdered by a cross bow, of all things, Duffy actually investigates the case. Then the dealer's wife goes missing and Duffy and fellow squad members, McCrabbe and Lawson, really dig in to it.
The problem is the case takes them places they shouldn't go from the IRA headquarters to the top echelons of the police hierarchy. And people start taking serious pot shots at him and Internal Affairs shows up to investigate him. Things look desperate for Duffy.
This is an excellent series set in Belfast during The Troubles. It's a terrifying time when you have to check under your car for bombs before driving. People live in religious enclaves- the Catholics there and the Prods here. It really makes the times and the city come alive. Carrickfergus, where Duffy works, is a small town outside of Belfast but still struggles with the same problems.
Duffy is quite erudite so there are lots of musical references, most of which I don't know but enjoy anyway. There are also lots of poems thrown in which adds another dimension. He is definitely not one dimensional and his maturity gives him even more depth.
This book takes a lot of twists and turns. I never ever saw the ending coming. This is a great addition to an addictive series. I highly recommend it.
September 27, 2023
4.49 average on Goodreads: I concur, 4.5 stars. Another very well written novel by Adrian McKinty, the sixth in the Sean Duffy series. Duffy is a Catholic detective in Protestant Northern Ireland during the Troubles. His career continues to languish because he is all about the job, not politics. His personal life has improved though, he lives with his girlfriend Beth and their daughter, Emma. A drug dealer is killed with a crossbow, and Duffy is being railroaded to close the investigation by his bosses, but the disappearance of the dealer's wife when released from police custody is too much. With the able and unwavering support from his team, Duffy is able to connect the dots, and deliver justice. Dark, as always, but excellent. If you enjoy police procedurals, read this series.
January 14, 2017
Several years ago I chanced upon "Dead I Well May Be" by Adrian McKinty, a novel about a Belfast ex-pat, Michael Forsythe, becoming embroiled in New York gangland, a slice of violent noir, with wonderful dialogue, with the action punctuated with poetic, almost mystical passages. The book and the author quickly became favourites. I read the complete "Dead" trilogy and the rest of McKinty's work and, five years ago, began to follow his new trilogy set in 1980s Belfast. "The Cold, Cold Ground" introduced Sean Duffy, a Roman Catholic in a predominantly Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary. The books are all five-star, the series uniformly excellent, McKinty one of the best crime-writers currently writing. But nothing has usurped "Dead I Well May Be" - until now...
"Police at the Station...", the sixth in the Duffy trilogy (take that "Hitchhikers..."), may be the best novel Adrian McKinty has written to date and it deserves to be widely read. Duffy, a little older, perhaps slightly wiser, has undergone some life-altering changes since the end of the last novel and is struggling to get used to being a father and nearly-husband. Meanwhile somebody is murdering drug dealers with a crossbow.....
As with McKinty's previous work, the story is filled with snappy, authentic dialogue and the investigation brings Duffy, and his loyal team, McCrabban and Lawson, into contact with real-life 'Troubles" in Belfast, in this case the terrible aftermath of the March 1988 SAS shooting of an IRA team in Gibraltar which led to rioting in Northern Ireland, Michael Stone's attack on the IRA funerals and the televised lynching of two British Army corporals. But, again as usual, there is also a lot of humour in the book as well as Duffy's love of literature and music - he is listening to a lot of 20th Century classical this time around and at one point memorably, and correctly, characterises the 1980s pop-music as “anodyne, conformist, radio-friendly bollocks, lacking in soul, grace, intelligence or joy.”
Adrian McKinty is a literate and intelligent writer of clever and exciting crime thrillers and, despite being completely wrong about Denis Villeneuve's "Arrival" and putting the irritating "I'd of.." in Duffy's mouth twice in this novel, should be on any self-respecting crime fan's to-read list well ahead of any amount of Scandi-bollocks and James Patterson's weekly output.
"Police at the Station...", the sixth in the Duffy trilogy (take that "Hitchhikers..."), may be the best novel Adrian McKinty has written to date and it deserves to be widely read. Duffy, a little older, perhaps slightly wiser, has undergone some life-altering changes since the end of the last novel and is struggling to get used to being a father and nearly-husband. Meanwhile somebody is murdering drug dealers with a crossbow.....
As with McKinty's previous work, the story is filled with snappy, authentic dialogue and the investigation brings Duffy, and his loyal team, McCrabban and Lawson, into contact with real-life 'Troubles" in Belfast, in this case the terrible aftermath of the March 1988 SAS shooting of an IRA team in Gibraltar which led to rioting in Northern Ireland, Michael Stone's attack on the IRA funerals and the televised lynching of two British Army corporals. But, again as usual, there is also a lot of humour in the book as well as Duffy's love of literature and music - he is listening to a lot of 20th Century classical this time around and at one point memorably, and correctly, characterises the 1980s pop-music as “anodyne, conformist, radio-friendly bollocks, lacking in soul, grace, intelligence or joy.”
Adrian McKinty is a literate and intelligent writer of clever and exciting crime thrillers and, despite being completely wrong about Denis Villeneuve's "Arrival" and putting the irritating "I'd of.." in Duffy's mouth twice in this novel, should be on any self-respecting crime fan's to-read list well ahead of any amount of Scandi-bollocks and James Patterson's weekly output.
February 5, 2018
The murder of a known drug dealer sets off a chain of events which ultimately leads Sean Duffy to dig his own grave. Down a rabbit warren of violence, corruption, assassination, and complicated by vigilante groups and IRA hit squads, this murder is anything but a simple gang/drug related homicide.
Much like the other books in the series, there's a healthy dose of Duffy's personal life which adds depth to the character, this time round it's the added emphasis on Duffy as a family man with live-in girlfriend Beth and baby Emma. Naturally there's family trouble which fuels Duffy's investigative prowess in hunting down the killer/group responsible for the murder in order to make a safer place for his young family. Beth and Duffy's actions also dictate the course of events to a certain degree which keeps things interesting.
One of the things that I love about the Sean Duffy novels is the characters (The Crab-man, Lawson, Sean etc) and with each installment in the series these character come more to life. There was one moment in the book which pulled on the heart strings which I won't go into as to avoid spoilers but will say it's very well written and full of tension.
Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly is the sixth book in the series and while this reads well enough as a self contained police procedural, I would recommend picking up the first book The Cold Cold Ground and reading through to this one to feel the full impact of the story.
My rating: 4/5 - the life of Sean Duffy is as dangerous as a mercury tilt bomb.
Much like the other books in the series, there's a healthy dose of Duffy's personal life which adds depth to the character, this time round it's the added emphasis on Duffy as a family man with live-in girlfriend Beth and baby Emma. Naturally there's family trouble which fuels Duffy's investigative prowess in hunting down the killer/group responsible for the murder in order to make a safer place for his young family. Beth and Duffy's actions also dictate the course of events to a certain degree which keeps things interesting.
One of the things that I love about the Sean Duffy novels is the characters (The Crab-man, Lawson, Sean etc) and with each installment in the series these character come more to life. There was one moment in the book which pulled on the heart strings which I won't go into as to avoid spoilers but will say it's very well written and full of tension.
Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly is the sixth book in the series and while this reads well enough as a self contained police procedural, I would recommend picking up the first book The Cold Cold Ground and reading through to this one to feel the full impact of the story.
My rating: 4/5 - the life of Sean Duffy is as dangerous as a mercury tilt bomb.
March 17, 2019
The last book available in the Sean Duffy series and now I feel slightly at a loss. I've spent so much time with this character and grown quite fond of him. The story was engaging and the writing clever and fresh as ever, but I read these books for the characters and they shone once again in this sixth addition to a favorite series!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
March 4, 2017
Sean Duffy is back. He is the father of a young girl and planning to settle down with his partner Beth. As difficult as it might be to imagine Duffy as a gentle family man, things are looking to change for him. But first there is a little case of a dead drug dealer to solve. It looks plain and simple: the guy wasn’t paying protection money, so the IRA offed him, or it was an act of vengeance from a family member of a dead drug addict. Even though the use of a crossbow as a murder weapon seems a bit … extravagant. After several dead ends in the investigation however Duffy and his trusted sidekicks Sergeant McCrabban and Constable Lawson began to feel that there might be more to the case.
For a character that was supposed to retire after three novels Sean Duffy is still in remarkably good health in this sixth instalment. Okay, at least mentally he is, his physical state shows signs of deterioration since he is developing asthma and fails the fitness test required for police officers. A troubling development which could even make him unfit for duty.
Duffy might be a great detective, but he is also unpromotable due to trouble in the past and must watch in horror how his nemesis at the station, inspector Dalziel is promoted to chief inspector. Dark days are lying ahead and Duffy is going to need all the help he can get.
Adrian McKinty has written another wonderfully entertaining entry in - as Ian Rankin calls it - " his masterpiece" the Sean Duffy series. There is a playfulness and humour here that is particularly delightful - the narrative alternating between scenes of hilarity and grim realism.
Sure, the series has always been funny, but you can tell that the author is perfectly confident in his setting, knowing Duffy’s world inside out. The more gentle moments, such as Duffy’s visit to his aging parents at the beginning, are as beautifully rendered as the scenes of violence. Also kudos for bringing back Jet the cat a new addition to the Duffy family from Rain Dogs.
Police At The Station And They Don’t Look Friendly (already a contender for most eccentric title of the year) creeps up on you slowly and grabs you by the throat when you expect it the least.
The ending is nothing short of spectacular. McKinty knows how to write a breathless action sequence but it’s the emotional resonance that will stay with you long after the end.
Police At The Station And They Don’t Look Friendly is a mature work from an always reliable author that will no doubt delight all his fans.
There is only one question that remains to be answered: Is this the end for our favourite Irish copper?
Mc Kinty leaves room open for a further instalment, which could be great news for readers and not so great for Sean Duffy given that mild SPOILER: Police At The Station And They Don’t Look Friendly ends on an almost optimistic note, I have a feeling things will only be able to go downhill from here.
“Mc Kinty is always the highlight of a crime reader’s year.” – exclaims the blurb from the Sydney Morning Herald. It would be sad if this indeed turned out to be the highlight of my crime reading year since there are more than 10 months left, but come the end of the year it will be hard to beat McKinty’s poetic prose and dynamic storytelling for the No. 1 spot on my annual Top 10 list.
For a character that was supposed to retire after three novels Sean Duffy is still in remarkably good health in this sixth instalment. Okay, at least mentally he is, his physical state shows signs of deterioration since he is developing asthma and fails the fitness test required for police officers. A troubling development which could even make him unfit for duty.
Duffy might be a great detective, but he is also unpromotable due to trouble in the past and must watch in horror how his nemesis at the station, inspector Dalziel is promoted to chief inspector. Dark days are lying ahead and Duffy is going to need all the help he can get.
Adrian McKinty has written another wonderfully entertaining entry in - as Ian Rankin calls it - " his masterpiece" the Sean Duffy series. There is a playfulness and humour here that is particularly delightful - the narrative alternating between scenes of hilarity and grim realism.
Sure, the series has always been funny, but you can tell that the author is perfectly confident in his setting, knowing Duffy’s world inside out. The more gentle moments, such as Duffy’s visit to his aging parents at the beginning, are as beautifully rendered as the scenes of violence. Also kudos for bringing back Jet the cat a new addition to the Duffy family from Rain Dogs.
Police At The Station And They Don’t Look Friendly (already a contender for most eccentric title of the year) creeps up on you slowly and grabs you by the throat when you expect it the least.
The ending is nothing short of spectacular. McKinty knows how to write a breathless action sequence but it’s the emotional resonance that will stay with you long after the end.
Police At The Station And They Don’t Look Friendly is a mature work from an always reliable author that will no doubt delight all his fans.
There is only one question that remains to be answered: Is this the end for our favourite Irish copper?
Mc Kinty leaves room open for a further instalment, which could be great news for readers and not so great for Sean Duffy given that mild SPOILER: Police At The Station And They Don’t Look Friendly ends on an almost optimistic note, I have a feeling things will only be able to go downhill from here.
“Mc Kinty is always the highlight of a crime reader’s year.” – exclaims the blurb from the Sydney Morning Herald. It would be sad if this indeed turned out to be the highlight of my crime reading year since there are more than 10 months left, but come the end of the year it will be hard to beat McKinty’s poetic prose and dynamic storytelling for the No. 1 spot on my annual Top 10 list.
December 28, 2019
I thought this was the best of the series. Lots more excitement and action, great characters as always, and even a seemingly happy ending (you never know, though).
As usual, there's a lot of references to music in addition to the usual title being derived from songs by Tom Waits. It's pretty funny when Duffy has practically got himself and his entire family killed, and he's racing along at 140 mph, and has to play the radio because he doesn't think putting in a tape would be a good idea. He's always thinking about what music to play no matter what's happening.
Also, poor Sean gets his usual abuse from up above and from the press, all of it unfair. But he accepts it as normal, which unfortunately, it seems to be. But in this story, we get some clue as to why his record looks so bad. Although, to be fair, he's a bit too nice and fair, so his arrest record is not as good as it could be.
This one also has some pretty terrible things going on by the IRA that are unbelievable, but probably true. Torture of the worst sort, indiscriminate bombings, especially against police, etc. The police always have to check under their cars before driving in case there's a bomb. Modern-day Muslim terrorists are not any worse than IRA terrorists, and the Muslim haters should look at these Christian terrorists before calling names.
In the middle of all the excitement, there is the usual groaner joke or two. One goes to a young girl he comes across:
As usual, there's a lot of references to music in addition to the usual title being derived from songs by Tom Waits. It's pretty funny when Duffy has practically got himself and his entire family killed, and he's racing along at 140 mph, and has to play the radio because he doesn't think putting in a tape would be a good idea. He's always thinking about what music to play no matter what's happening.
Also, poor Sean gets his usual abuse from up above and from the press, all of it unfair. But he accepts it as normal, which unfortunately, it seems to be. But in this story, we get some clue as to why his record looks so bad. Although, to be fair, he's a bit too nice and fair, so his arrest record is not as good as it could be.
This one also has some pretty terrible things going on by the IRA that are unbelievable, but probably true. Torture of the worst sort, indiscriminate bombings, especially against police, etc. The police always have to check under their cars before driving in case there's a bomb. Modern-day Muslim terrorists are not any worse than IRA terrorists, and the Muslim haters should look at these Christian terrorists before calling names.
In the middle of all the excitement, there is the usual groaner joke or two. One goes to a young girl he comes across:
“Why don’t blind people skydive?”
“Dunno, mister.”
“Because it scares the crap out of their dogs.”
December 6, 2024
A series that never lets me down. Sean Duffy is a Catholic detective in the primarily Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary during the 1980s, time of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. His cases always tax his personal moral code as he navigates among religious/political factions while trying to solve crimes.
In this sixth entry, Duffy is sharing his home with his girlfriend and their year old daughter. McKinty, who typically punches above his weight as a writer in these police procedurals, smoothly increases Duffy’s sense of responsibility in response to this development without changing his underlying character. I found this refreshing, since it’s Duffy’s character that’s the main draw of the series.
After a tense opening scene, the story circles back to the events that precipitated it. More investigative work, more excitement, and a satisfying ending. It’s not the plotting that makes these books special, though, it’s McKinty’s writing talent. He has a real feel for the jaded but ethical cop.
There is one more book in the series, and I’m definitely looking forward to it. McKinty needs to get Duffy out of Belfast in one piece!
In this sixth entry, Duffy is sharing his home with his girlfriend and their year old daughter. McKinty, who typically punches above his weight as a writer in these police procedurals, smoothly increases Duffy’s sense of responsibility in response to this development without changing his underlying character. I found this refreshing, since it’s Duffy’s character that’s the main draw of the series.
After a tense opening scene, the story circles back to the events that precipitated it. More investigative work, more excitement, and a satisfying ending. It’s not the plotting that makes these books special, though, it’s McKinty’s writing talent. He has a real feel for the jaded but ethical cop.
There is one more book in the series, and I’m definitely looking forward to it. McKinty needs to get Duffy out of Belfast in one piece!
October 17, 2021
All my childhood holidays were taken in Donegal at a succession of bleak caravan sites on windswept, cold, rainy beaches. Scores of parents wrapped in thick woollen sweaters and sou’westers could be seen up and down these beaches driving their small, shivering children into the Atlantic Ocean with the injunction that they could not come out until they had enjoyed themselves…
Book 6 in the entertaining, character-driven police drama series, starring DI Sean Duffy, one of few Catholic detectives in the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and even fewer Catholics living in Coronation Road, Carrickfergus – royalist heartland. It is now 1988, a drug dealer has been killed with a crossbow but no group is claiming responsibility – hardly the weapon of choice in a country riddled with firearms supplied by Colonel Gaddafi.
Sean has a one year old daughter, Emma, but his relationship with Beth has hit a stormy patch – taking the little girl away to her parents, and the police doctor has told him to cut back on smoking and drinking (and other substances). With the investigation going nowhere, someone high in command wants the case closed. But who and why?
The dead man’s widow Elena, is interviewed but hardly cooperative – for one thing she is Bulgarian, and Duffy arranges for an interpreter through the Embassy in Dublin to travel north for the interview. In one of the lighter moments of the book, with train services cancelled due to a bomb scare, Sean invites the interpreter Pytor, to his home for a meal and a bed for the night, offering Absolut Blue label vodka.
“It tastes of Sweden. It is neutral, clean, antiseptic, healthy.” Sean offers him some “Poitín” - “This is more like it.” Six more shots, and a bottle of wine with the chilli and we would have praised the virtues of paint thinner.
On the darker side, Sean escapes not one but two IRA hits, the first by his own wits in the countryside outside Derry, the second, an attack on his home in Carrickfergus when Beth and Emma are there, ably assisted by his neighbour, UVF enforcer, Bobby Cameron.
What’s not to like about Sean? Flawed but talented, his ironic wit and liking for Vodka gimlets and the poetry of Yeats (Kipling is in there too), overlooked for promotion after ruffling too many feathers. Descriptions of landscapes and seascapes, Scotland a smudge on the skyline, the weather, deserted factories, routinely checking under his beemer for mercury-tilt switch bombs. Ably assisted by DC Lawson and DS McCrabban he brings about a fitting end and poetic justice for all.
Verdict: a great story, well-written.
Book 6 in the entertaining, character-driven police drama series, starring DI Sean Duffy, one of few Catholic detectives in the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and even fewer Catholics living in Coronation Road, Carrickfergus – royalist heartland. It is now 1988, a drug dealer has been killed with a crossbow but no group is claiming responsibility – hardly the weapon of choice in a country riddled with firearms supplied by Colonel Gaddafi.
Sean has a one year old daughter, Emma, but his relationship with Beth has hit a stormy patch – taking the little girl away to her parents, and the police doctor has told him to cut back on smoking and drinking (and other substances). With the investigation going nowhere, someone high in command wants the case closed. But who and why?
The dead man’s widow Elena, is interviewed but hardly cooperative – for one thing she is Bulgarian, and Duffy arranges for an interpreter through the Embassy in Dublin to travel north for the interview. In one of the lighter moments of the book, with train services cancelled due to a bomb scare, Sean invites the interpreter Pytor, to his home for a meal and a bed for the night, offering Absolut Blue label vodka.
“It tastes of Sweden. It is neutral, clean, antiseptic, healthy.” Sean offers him some “Poitín” - “This is more like it.” Six more shots, and a bottle of wine with the chilli and we would have praised the virtues of paint thinner.
On the darker side, Sean escapes not one but two IRA hits, the first by his own wits in the countryside outside Derry, the second, an attack on his home in Carrickfergus when Beth and Emma are there, ably assisted by his neighbour, UVF enforcer, Bobby Cameron.
What’s not to like about Sean? Flawed but talented, his ironic wit and liking for Vodka gimlets and the poetry of Yeats (Kipling is in there too), overlooked for promotion after ruffling too many feathers. Descriptions of landscapes and seascapes, Scotland a smudge on the skyline, the weather, deserted factories, routinely checking under his beemer for mercury-tilt switch bombs. Ably assisted by DC Lawson and DS McCrabban he brings about a fitting end and poetic justice for all.
Verdict: a great story, well-written.
February 7, 2017
Duffy comes through again. He is living with his girlfriend, Beth and baby daughter, Emma on Coronation Road in Carrickfergus. Beth, from a well off Protestant family doesn't like living in this neighborhood of working class Prods. It's not exactly the center of paramilitary activity, but one of their neighbors is high up in one of the Protestant paramilitary organizations. Beth will discover later in the story that having such neighbors can be a good thing.
A drug-dealer is murdered by crossbow in the middle of a Protestant paramilitary territory on another estate (what Americans call "the projects") and Duffy is called back from holiday with his parents in Donegal, near Glencolumbkille. The victim's Bulgarian wife refuses to talk to the police and they assume she doesn't speak English so get someone from the Bulgarian Embassy in Dublin to come up to Carrick. This begs the question - how did she communicate with her husband? The Bulgarian embassy employee "connects" with Duffy, finding him trustworthy, and proves to be helpful later on in the investigation.
Duffy finds himself being pursued simultaneously by the Provisional IRA and the police's Special Branch after he manages to do more than ruffle feathers in various camps. He is also unhappy with some upcoming changes in command at his station. Beth and baby Emma never see him, and Beth is wondering why they stay in Northern Ireland.
Duffy has plenty of opportunities to drive his BMW at 100 mph plus making one wonder why he is never stopped in a country crawling with police and soldiers. I do have a bone to pick about Duffy's claim that it's only an hour and a half from Glencolumbkille to Carrickfergus. Belfast to Glencolumbkille is 143 miles and supposedly a 3 hour drive. He drives it in 88 minutes. I read the ARC so perhaps this discrepancy is corrected in the final version.
The 4 star rating is due to the fact that the middle of the book seemed to lose momentum but Duffy was probably saving his energy for the final chapters where the s--t hits the fan.
A drug-dealer is murdered by crossbow in the middle of a Protestant paramilitary territory on another estate (what Americans call "the projects") and Duffy is called back from holiday with his parents in Donegal, near Glencolumbkille. The victim's Bulgarian wife refuses to talk to the police and they assume she doesn't speak English so get someone from the Bulgarian Embassy in Dublin to come up to Carrick. This begs the question - how did she communicate with her husband? The Bulgarian embassy employee "connects" with Duffy, finding him trustworthy, and proves to be helpful later on in the investigation.
Duffy finds himself being pursued simultaneously by the Provisional IRA and the police's Special Branch after he manages to do more than ruffle feathers in various camps. He is also unhappy with some upcoming changes in command at his station. Beth and baby Emma never see him, and Beth is wondering why they stay in Northern Ireland.
Duffy has plenty of opportunities to drive his BMW at 100 mph plus making one wonder why he is never stopped in a country crawling with police and soldiers. I do have a bone to pick about Duffy's claim that it's only an hour and a half from Glencolumbkille to Carrickfergus. Belfast to Glencolumbkille is 143 miles and supposedly a 3 hour drive. He drives it in 88 minutes. I read the ARC so perhaps this discrepancy is corrected in the final version.
The 4 star rating is due to the fact that the middle of the book seemed to lose momentum but Duffy was probably saving his energy for the final chapters where the s--t hits the fan.
June 3, 2022
This is a truly exciting entry in this series with many twists and turns and had me on the edge of my seat.
Standout quotes:
This one is meaningful to me, as throughout my childhood, our family visited Weston-Super-Mare and Devon on the SW coast of England, sometimes staying in holiday caravans, and swam in the Atlantic ocean through the end of September each year: "All my childhood holidays were taken in Donegal at a succession of bleak caravan sites on windswept, cold, rainy beaches. Scores of parents wrapped in thick woolen jumpers and Sou'westers could be seen up and down these beaches driving their small shivering children into the Atlantic ocean with the injunction that they could not come out until they had enjoyed themselves."
This one really speaks for itself: "If you really have to get shot, Belfast is one of the best places to do it. After twenty years of the Troubles, and after thousands of assassination attempts and punishment shootings, Belfast has trained many of the best gun-shot trauma surgeons in the world."
Standout quotes:
This one is meaningful to me, as throughout my childhood, our family visited Weston-Super-Mare and Devon on the SW coast of England, sometimes staying in holiday caravans, and swam in the Atlantic ocean through the end of September each year: "All my childhood holidays were taken in Donegal at a succession of bleak caravan sites on windswept, cold, rainy beaches. Scores of parents wrapped in thick woolen jumpers and Sou'westers could be seen up and down these beaches driving their small shivering children into the Atlantic ocean with the injunction that they could not come out until they had enjoyed themselves."
This one really speaks for itself: "If you really have to get shot, Belfast is one of the best places to do it. After twenty years of the Troubles, and after thousands of assassination attempts and punishment shootings, Belfast has trained many of the best gun-shot trauma surgeons in the world."
April 23, 2017
I love the whole Duffy series but this one not quite as much as the others. It seems more forced somehow. The book starts in the middle of the story. That's a cheap trick that's just unnecessary for readers on the sixth novel in a series, and especially since the real start of the story with the goat and the crossbow and all that would have been a fantastic opening scene anyway. Also, there are all these science fiction references (Hari Seldon!) but they don't really fit with the theme or tone of the story, even though psychohistory would actually be relevant for the Troubles.
Still, good fun for Duffy fans and superior to other thrillers anyway. Narrator excellent as usual.
Still, good fun for Duffy fans and superior to other thrillers anyway. Narrator excellent as usual.
July 20, 2023
3 ½
This one was a very slow start for me but at the end I was again reminded why I love listening to this series.
The novel opens with Sean in a bad place, handcuffed, on the ground in a godforsaken field and a heartbeat away from being executed by an IRA unit. The story backtracks to unfold how he got into that hot mess.
Duffy is still Duffy. He still has his admirable qualities, but he is also still his own worst enemy.
This is a story packed full of the IRA, shady policemen, snitches, nasty weapons, cover ups and with the ever-present vodka gimlet not far off (even though Duffy failed the police fitness test).
It is Irish Noir fiction you will either love or hate.
This one was a very slow start for me but at the end I was again reminded why I love listening to this series.
The novel opens with Sean in a bad place, handcuffed, on the ground in a godforsaken field and a heartbeat away from being executed by an IRA unit. The story backtracks to unfold how he got into that hot mess.
Duffy is still Duffy. He still has his admirable qualities, but he is also still his own worst enemy.
This is a story packed full of the IRA, shady policemen, snitches, nasty weapons, cover ups and with the ever-present vodka gimlet not far off (even though Duffy failed the police fitness test).
It is Irish Noir fiction you will either love or hate.
April 8, 2017
I first encountered Detective Sean Duffy, the subject of many of globetrotting author Adrian McKinty's books, when I read The Cold Cold Ground, the first book in this excellent series. Duffy leads a precarious existence. As a policeman in Northern Ireland, he walks one of the least enviable beats on earth. As a Catholic member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) he has a standing IRA contract out on him. As McKinty points out, probably the only benefit to his position is that “If you really have to get shot, Belfast is one of the best places to do it. After twenty years of the Troubles, and after thousands of assassination attempts and punishment shootings, Belfast has trained many of the best gunshot-trauma surgeons in the world.”
In this, the sixth book of what was originally intended to be a trilogy, Duffy is older and a little wiser. He is also worn down by the pressures of his existence, having to always look over his shoulder for attacks from Catholic paramilitaries or distrustful protestant officers on the force and having to search his car for bombs every time he gets into it. He also has a girlfriend and a young daughter whose safety is ever one of his paramount concerns.
As the story begins, Duffy and his family is vacationing in Donegal on a cold, windswept beach where ‘Scores of parents wrapped in thick woolen jumpers and sou’westers could be seen up and down these beaches driving their small shivering children into the Atlantic Ocean with the injunction that they could not come out until they had enjoyed themselves.’ But the vacation ends early when he receives a call from his station that he was needed to investigate a murder case. At first glance the case appears to be fairly mundane, a drug dealer is shot in front of his house as he arrives home late at night. It was probably rival dealers out to eliminate the competition or the IRA doing its own. But their initial assumptions soon start falling apart. The IRA doesn’t claim the attack. It didn’t even take place in a Catholic neighborhood. To top it all off, the murder weapon turns out to be a crossbow.
Anyone familiar with Sean Duffy knows that things won’t stay mundane for long. Within just a few days he’s ducking drive-bys and being marched into the woods and forced by an IRA hit squad to dig his own grave.
While it makes sense and would be more enjoyable to read this series in order, I confess that this is the first Duffy book I have read since reading the aforementioned first volume many years ago. While there are several references to events that occurred in the intervening years, I never felt that I was lost or missed out on anything important. I do want to go back to the beginning and read the entire series. Sean Duffy is one of my favorite police characters anywhere, any time.
*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
In this, the sixth book of what was originally intended to be a trilogy, Duffy is older and a little wiser. He is also worn down by the pressures of his existence, having to always look over his shoulder for attacks from Catholic paramilitaries or distrustful protestant officers on the force and having to search his car for bombs every time he gets into it. He also has a girlfriend and a young daughter whose safety is ever one of his paramount concerns.
As the story begins, Duffy and his family is vacationing in Donegal on a cold, windswept beach where ‘Scores of parents wrapped in thick woolen jumpers and sou’westers could be seen up and down these beaches driving their small shivering children into the Atlantic Ocean with the injunction that they could not come out until they had enjoyed themselves.’ But the vacation ends early when he receives a call from his station that he was needed to investigate a murder case. At first glance the case appears to be fairly mundane, a drug dealer is shot in front of his house as he arrives home late at night. It was probably rival dealers out to eliminate the competition or the IRA doing its own. But their initial assumptions soon start falling apart. The IRA doesn’t claim the attack. It didn’t even take place in a Catholic neighborhood. To top it all off, the murder weapon turns out to be a crossbow.
Anyone familiar with Sean Duffy knows that things won’t stay mundane for long. Within just a few days he’s ducking drive-bys and being marched into the woods and forced by an IRA hit squad to dig his own grave.
While it makes sense and would be more enjoyable to read this series in order, I confess that this is the first Duffy book I have read since reading the aforementioned first volume many years ago. While there are several references to events that occurred in the intervening years, I never felt that I was lost or missed out on anything important. I do want to go back to the beginning and read the entire series. Sean Duffy is one of my favorite police characters anywhere, any time.
*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
January 5, 2019
I was about to just leave a star review and not write anything, but I remembered the 5000 experience points and the eternal gratitude and I want to level up, so...
I am a McKinty fangirl ever since I accidentally read Dead I Well May Be and then continued with the whole Forsythe trilogy, then hopped on to the Sean Duffy train and been riding it with delight and happy squeaks every time I see that a new Duffy novel is out. Nothing beats the Dead Trilogy, though I have to say Rain Dogs and Gun Street Girl came pretty near.
This is a well-written crime book, with a sturdy narrator voice, fresh lively dialogues, twists, turns, humor of all kinds (I had forgotten how it is to laugh out loud when reading mystery novels). McKinty has an arsenal of fine characters and they are not limited to the police officers, who we've come to know and love and invest into. Carrickfergus, the city, is a character, The Troubles are a character. Each and every person that appears in the story is a character, the teacher, the bulgarian girl, the life-saving neighbor, the cat, the goat, even the goons at the shootout who we shouldn't care about because in 40 seconds they'll be gone. What I want to say with this, is that the book is a universe of its own, everything in it is carefully thought of, it matters. This comes in high contrast with many crappy mysteries that get published these days (Scandinavia, I'm looking at you).
Pop culture and poetry and music are all used to both entertain and immerse the reader into the plot and to the experience of living in Northern Ireland at that time. How it would be to be Duffy and to have to check each and every time under your car for mercury tilt bombs. And then return home to Vodka Gimlets and your record collection.
Having Gerald Doyle read the story to you is a treat. The man is a perfect match for Sean Duffy's voice, you can get intensely absorbed listening to him and I found myself replying back several times. Audiobook version is highly recommended.
I am a McKinty fangirl ever since I accidentally read Dead I Well May Be and then continued with the whole Forsythe trilogy, then hopped on to the Sean Duffy train and been riding it with delight and happy squeaks every time I see that a new Duffy novel is out. Nothing beats the Dead Trilogy, though I have to say Rain Dogs and Gun Street Girl came pretty near.
This is a well-written crime book, with a sturdy narrator voice, fresh lively dialogues, twists, turns, humor of all kinds (I had forgotten how it is to laugh out loud when reading mystery novels). McKinty has an arsenal of fine characters and they are not limited to the police officers, who we've come to know and love and invest into. Carrickfergus, the city, is a character, The Troubles are a character. Each and every person that appears in the story is a character, the teacher, the bulgarian girl, the life-saving neighbor, the cat, the goat, even the goons at the shootout who we shouldn't care about because in 40 seconds they'll be gone. What I want to say with this, is that the book is a universe of its own, everything in it is carefully thought of, it matters. This comes in high contrast with many crappy mysteries that get published these days (Scandinavia, I'm looking at you).
Pop culture and poetry and music are all used to both entertain and immerse the reader into the plot and to the experience of living in Northern Ireland at that time. How it would be to be Duffy and to have to check each and every time under your car for mercury tilt bombs. And then return home to Vodka Gimlets and your record collection.
Having Gerald Doyle read the story to you is a treat. The man is a perfect match for Sean Duffy's voice, you can get intensely absorbed listening to him and I found myself replying back several times. Audiobook version is highly recommended.
February 5, 2017
God’s away on business
As smart-ass detectives go, Sean Duffy is as smart-ass as they come. Police at the station has a great opening scene: Duffy is being marched through the countryside at night time by an IRA death squad, who plan to shoot him once he has dug his own grave. This black-as-they-come mise-en-scene is wonderfully seasoned with the author’s trademark humour – a discussion of the effects of rhodopsin on night vision, quotations from Gaston Bachelard (come on!!!), debate on whether Duffy’s incipient asthma is relevant to the specific circumstances he finds himself. The scene ends with Duffy lying in his own shallow grave waiting for the gunshot.
Cut to some days previously, a dead drug dealer, shot with a crossbow bolt, Duffy’s new case. How does this murder, apparently a punishment killing by a vigilante force, lead to the shallow grave, but also to corrupt police, IRA infiltration of the security forces, and also a long forgotten crime, committed by three members of the notorious B Specials many years before?
I think this is the best Sean Duffy novel I have read. As a thriller, it twists and turns, shocks and surprises, entertains and horrifies. I enjoyed especially the Ulster black humour and dialogue, the means by which we natives cope with the lunacies of Northern Ireland. As usual this particular author sails close to the winds of credibility often, but manages ultimately to steer his boat to harbour without too many knocks. (If the Europa Hotel in Belfast is the most bombed hotel in the world, then #113 Coronation Road, Carrickfergus must have been subject to the greatest number of hit-squad attacks.) I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys an intelligent, off-beat and inventive thriller of the highest order.
As smart-ass detectives go, Sean Duffy is as smart-ass as they come. Police at the station has a great opening scene: Duffy is being marched through the countryside at night time by an IRA death squad, who plan to shoot him once he has dug his own grave. This black-as-they-come mise-en-scene is wonderfully seasoned with the author’s trademark humour – a discussion of the effects of rhodopsin on night vision, quotations from Gaston Bachelard (come on!!!), debate on whether Duffy’s incipient asthma is relevant to the specific circumstances he finds himself. The scene ends with Duffy lying in his own shallow grave waiting for the gunshot.
Cut to some days previously, a dead drug dealer, shot with a crossbow bolt, Duffy’s new case. How does this murder, apparently a punishment killing by a vigilante force, lead to the shallow grave, but also to corrupt police, IRA infiltration of the security forces, and also a long forgotten crime, committed by three members of the notorious B Specials many years before?
I think this is the best Sean Duffy novel I have read. As a thriller, it twists and turns, shocks and surprises, entertains and horrifies. I enjoyed especially the Ulster black humour and dialogue, the means by which we natives cope with the lunacies of Northern Ireland. As usual this particular author sails close to the winds of credibility often, but manages ultimately to steer his boat to harbour without too many knocks. (If the Europa Hotel in Belfast is the most bombed hotel in the world, then #113 Coronation Road, Carrickfergus must have been subject to the greatest number of hit-squad attacks.) I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys an intelligent, off-beat and inventive thriller of the highest order.
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