Drown All the Dogs

Neil Hockaday Mystery #3

by Adcock, Jane Chelius (Editor)

New York detective Neil Hockaday, of the S.C.U.M. patrol--Street Crimes Unit-Manhattan--journeys to Ireland to uncover the truth about his father, who disappeared during World War II. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Charles Pergiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was brought up to treat books as sacred, or at least semi-sacred. You didn't write in them, you didn't deface them, you took good care of them. Probably because they were library books. Still, those were the rules.

For the last ten or twenty years I've been buying books, mostly in the bargain bins. Occasionally I will find an author I like and buy a new book, but I'm not really keen on spending a lot of money on a book. I would just as soon have a used paperback (as long as the pages aren't falling out) for a couple of bucks than a new hardback that cost me $25.

Recently I have started to notice what I was reading, instead of just consuming a book like a TV show. I started to notice particular passages that I thought were well written or illuminating. I also found that unless I made note of exactly where I found that passage, it was almost impossible to find it later.

All this combined in my latest read. I picked up a used paperback copy of this book somewhere, probably cheap, maybe even free. It's kind of old and beat up. I'm not sure why I picked it up. I certainly didn't like the title. I mean, I like dogs, why would anyone want to drown them? But it was a murder mystery, and paperback versions of murder mysteries are usually pretty good entertainment.

This book was a lot more than I bargained for, however. It was full of interesting passages and history, and since it was a cheap old paperback I overcame my inhibitions and marked it up as I saw fit.

I read this book twice, once in January and again this month. After I finished the first time I could not remember how it turned out. Reading it again was just as enjoyable as the first time. How it turns out is really of no consequence. The murder mystery is really only a frame to hold this portrait of Irish history and the Irish people who made it. It's a story of haters and the propogation of that hate, as opposed to those who are willing to forgive. It explains a lot about the way the world is and why there are so many places that never seem to get over their hatred. This story is very well told.


More about the book, along with some, pictures on my blog.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#3 in the Neil "Hock" Hockaday series. A most unusual mystery especially for a series character. "Hock" is summoned to Ireland to the bedside of his dying uncle. He also wants to find out more about his parents and their history. When he arrives, he finds that although his uncle is wheelchair bound - he is not in imminent danger of dying. What he does find is a message to call his superior on the NYPD and that call reveals that Irish politics have claimed lives in NY. Lives are also lost in Dublin and digging into his family's history discloses a group of pre-WWII Irish intellectuals, including his father, who lead by the anti-English rhetoric of poet William Butler Yeats form a fascist, pro-Nazi society. A rewarding novel, though not an easy read.

Detective Neil Hockaday, NYPD, assigned to the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan, heads to Ireland in search of his family at the request of his uncle. His father disappeared during World War II; Hock never knew him. Suddenly, a series of murders and suicides on both sides of the Atlantic lead Hock and his girlfriend, actress Ruby Flagg, on a near-deadly mission to discover long-hidden secrets of Ireland's past political history.

[Ice · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Down all the Dogs" is a powerful followup to the first two novels of Adcock's Hockaday series. It nearly reaches the same great level as the first, but doesn't quite get there. Neil Hockaday, our detective hero, goes to Ireland to see his uncle Liam, but finds a lot more than he bargained for. Secret Fascists, IRA madmen, and dirty Irish cops figure into a long and bitter feud that Hock is a mere pawn in. Meanwhile in New York, his "rabbi" Davy has to deal with an old conspiracy that claims a few lives. Great novel, with a dark and shocking ending. You'll never see Ireland the same again.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a 50 cent book from Big Lots, this was an interesting story about Ireland and the IRA. A new York detective goes to visit a dying uncle in Dublin to find out more about his family. He unearths all sorts of c onnections to the IRA and its politics. An interesting insight into the mindset of radicals.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Thomas Adcock by accident.... just picked up a second-hand book because the cover looked interesting. Now I love him. I'm not Irish but Irish-ness figures a lot in this book. But it's so much more than that. Loved it.

[Lemomcao · Rating 3 out of 5]

still working on it! and don't quite get the picture!!!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mystery with an Irish history backdrop.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good read