Scan barcode
katejones's review against another edition
2.0
Good narrator and story seems Ok but just didn't hold my interest.
Might try again later.
Might try again later.
slimbay's review against another edition
3.0
Love the author but this one's a lot different. I couldn't like our protagonist.
dustin_o's review
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
howjessicareads's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as the Sean Duffy series, but still very enjoyable.
ericwelch's review against another edition
4.0
Audiobook read with the classic Irish brogue by Gerard Doyle. There's a great scene in the beginning where Killian, sent to either kill or get money from a man with huge gambling debts, talks his way out of a desperate situation where the debtor gets the drop on him with a shotgun. In the end, both he, the man, and Killian's boss make out financially well. Classic
Killian, having long retired as an IRA fixer, has watched his real estate investments go bad as the economy tanks in Ireland. So when the offer of an extremely well-paying job comes along, ostensibly simple, to find and retrieve the ex-wife and daughters of an extremely wealthy airline owner, Killian agrees to take the job. Nothing is ever simple nor as it appears, and while Richard Coulter, his employer insists it's only about getting his daughters back, there's also a laptop that figures in the equation, not to mention an ex-military Russian who wants to earn the reward, too and will stop at nothing to get it.
There's an interesting subtext to the book: an examination and brief history of the Pavee** travellers, not Romani Gypsies as the author is at pains to point out, but some say the original settlers of Ireland. Some readers may find these digressions as distracting; I did not. I enjoy a little social history with my fiction. These "tinkers" as they are also known, earn their living as free-spirited wandering carnival operators. Subject to extreme hostility and prejudice, Killian has roots in the community which helps him extricate himself, Rachel and the girls from the devastating information they discover on the laptop, information that could destroy the peace-process and bring down the government and many wealthy men.
This story will grab you and not let go until the end.
**From the Wikipedia: "The historical origins of Irish Travellers as an ethnic group has been a subject of academic and popular debate. Such discussions have been difficult as Irish Travellers left no written records of their own.[23][24]In 2011 an analysis of DNA from 40 Travellers was undertaken at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin and the University of Edinburgh. The study provided evidence that Irish Travellers are a distinct Irish ethnic minority, who separated from the settled Irish community at least 1000 years ago; the claim was made that they are distinct from the settled community as Icelanders are from Norwegians.[25] Even though all families claim ancient origins, not all families of Irish Travellers date back to the same point in time; some families adopted Traveller customs centuries ago, while others did so more recently.[26] It is unclear how many Irish Travellers would be included in this distinct ethnic group at least from a genetic perspective.
There has been a wide range of theories speculating their origins such as that they were descended from those Irish who were made homeless by Oliver Cromwell's military campaign in Ireland in the 1650s, or possibly from the people made homeless in the 1840s famine due to eviction, or the descendants of aristocratic nomads the Clan Murtagh O'Connors in the Late Middle Ages. Their nomadism was based on cattle-herds or creaghts.
There is evidence that, by the 12th century, the name Tynkler and Tynker emerged in reference to a group of nomads who maintained a separate identity, social organization, and dialect.[23] The genetic evidence indicates Irish Travellers have been a distinct ethnic group in Ireland for at least a millennium."
Killian, having long retired as an IRA fixer, has watched his real estate investments go bad as the economy tanks in Ireland. So when the offer of an extremely well-paying job comes along, ostensibly simple, to find and retrieve the ex-wife and daughters of an extremely wealthy airline owner, Killian agrees to take the job. Nothing is ever simple nor as it appears, and while Richard Coulter, his employer insists it's only about getting his daughters back, there's also a laptop that figures in the equation, not to mention an ex-military Russian who wants to earn the reward, too and will stop at nothing to get it.
There's an interesting subtext to the book: an examination and brief history of the Pavee** travellers, not Romani Gypsies as the author is at pains to point out, but some say the original settlers of Ireland. Some readers may find these digressions as distracting; I did not. I enjoy a little social history with my fiction. These "tinkers" as they are also known, earn their living as free-spirited wandering carnival operators. Subject to extreme hostility and prejudice, Killian has roots in the community which helps him extricate himself, Rachel and the girls from the devastating information they discover on the laptop, information that could destroy the peace-process and bring down the government and many wealthy men.
This story will grab you and not let go until the end.
**From the Wikipedia: "The historical origins of Irish Travellers as an ethnic group has been a subject of academic and popular debate. Such discussions have been difficult as Irish Travellers left no written records of their own.[23][24]In 2011 an analysis of DNA from 40 Travellers was undertaken at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin and the University of Edinburgh. The study provided evidence that Irish Travellers are a distinct Irish ethnic minority, who separated from the settled Irish community at least 1000 years ago; the claim was made that they are distinct from the settled community as Icelanders are from Norwegians.[25] Even though all families claim ancient origins, not all families of Irish Travellers date back to the same point in time; some families adopted Traveller customs centuries ago, while others did so more recently.[26] It is unclear how many Irish Travellers would be included in this distinct ethnic group at least from a genetic perspective.
There has been a wide range of theories speculating their origins such as that they were descended from those Irish who were made homeless by Oliver Cromwell's military campaign in Ireland in the 1650s, or possibly from the people made homeless in the 1840s famine due to eviction, or the descendants of aristocratic nomads the Clan Murtagh O'Connors in the Late Middle Ages. Their nomadism was based on cattle-herds or creaghts.
There is evidence that, by the 12th century, the name Tynkler and Tynker emerged in reference to a group of nomads who maintained a separate identity, social organization, and dialect.[23] The genetic evidence indicates Irish Travellers have been a distinct ethnic group in Ireland for at least a millennium."
cdcsmith's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure I liked this book when I was reading it, but I had trouble putting it down. I liked the spill-over of characters from another McKinty series. I found myself getting more and more attached to the main character. The ending... LOVED the ending. I had a little trouble getting into it at first, more because I was less familiar with the world this took place than in other series, but that has nothing to do with the writing. In the end, it didn't really impact how much I liked the story.
rosseroo's review
4.0
I read a bunch of McKinty's Detective Sean Duffy series and generally quite enjoyed them as atmospheric Belfast police procedurals. I haven't caught up with any of his three "Michael Forsythe" books, which this is kind of a standalone spinoff from. The story concerns a 40-something ex-enforcer, who has tried to leave the criminal life behind, but is sucked back in when he finds himself under water in his property investments following the collapse of the Irish economy. He's sucked into tracking down the ex-wife of a hugely wealthy Irish businessman (kind of an Irish Richard Branson wannabe), which of course proves to be more than meets the eye.
Killian is a pretty compelling character, preferring to use his brain and smooth tongue, rather than weapons. Unfortunately there's someone else looking for the ex-wife, and he's much less scrupulous. A former Russian Special Forces Seargeant who has flashbacks to Chechnya, he's brutal and more than a match for Killian in brains. Both characters get introductory scenes to demonstrate their working methods, Killian in a Westchester County mansion, the Russian in a basement under a Mexican mobster's ranch...
What makes this a bit more interesting than a standard mano-a-mano cat-and-mouse thriller, is Killian's background. He's an Irish Traveller/Tinker/Pavee, and part of the story takes place within one of their camps. That gives a much more interesting dimension to Killian and why he makes certain decisions. Plenty of plot twists occur along the way, so definitely recommend it as a page-turner.
Killian is a pretty compelling character, preferring to use his brain and smooth tongue, rather than weapons. Unfortunately there's someone else looking for the ex-wife, and he's much less scrupulous. A former Russian Special Forces Seargeant who has flashbacks to Chechnya, he's brutal and more than a match for Killian in brains. Both characters get introductory scenes to demonstrate their working methods, Killian in a Westchester County mansion, the Russian in a basement under a Mexican mobster's ranch...
What makes this a bit more interesting than a standard mano-a-mano cat-and-mouse thriller, is Killian's background. He's an Irish Traveller/Tinker/Pavee, and part of the story takes place within one of their camps. That gives a much more interesting dimension to Killian and why he makes certain decisions. Plenty of plot twists occur along the way, so definitely recommend it as a page-turner.
More...