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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
Sean Duffy is on vacation and gets called back to work to investigate a murder done by crossbow. His investigation leads to him almost getting killed multiple times. He upsets some members of the IRA and they are out to get him.
He is having problems with his girlfriend and she takes their daughter and goes to her parents for awhile when she comes back they are almost killed. She doesn't like the neighborhood they live in and wants to move. Sean is struggling with this as he likes where he lives but decides he needs to change after some of his close encounters.
The doctor that gives him a physical for the police force says he has to cut back on his drinking a lot and stop smoking and taking any drugs or else he will lose his job and he has asthma which is affecting his life. He decides to make his family a priority and start making some changes.
He is obsessed as always with solving the case and doesn't like what he is finding out about some of the people involved. He won't give up which is just part of his character.
As always some good descriptions of life in Northern Ireland during the Troubles with a bit of humor thrown in.
He is having problems with his girlfriend and she takes their daughter and goes to her parents for awhile when she comes back they are almost killed. She doesn't like the neighborhood they live in and wants to move. Sean is struggling with this as he likes where he lives but decides he needs to change after some of his close encounters.
The doctor that gives him a physical for the police force says he has to cut back on his drinking a lot and stop smoking and taking any drugs or else he will lose his job and he has asthma which is affecting his life. He decides to make his family a priority and start making some changes.
He is obsessed as always with solving the case and doesn't like what he is finding out about some of the people involved. He won't give up which is just part of his character.
As always some good descriptions of life in Northern Ireland during the Troubles with a bit of humor thrown in.
McKinty is having a blast here and I’m right there every step of the way. Duffy is so much better at all the pop culture gubbins than Rebus ever was. Duffy is educated, smart, witty, driven and hopeless. His relationship with Beth is delightfully drawn and his affection for McCrabban and young Lawson feels earned.
I’ve written before about the Ellrovian conflation of fact and fabrication — this time around we have the deaths on the Rock and the subsequent loyalist attack on the funeral — but McKinty even drifts into full-on Ellroy jazz-prose towards the end. I don’t mind it. At this point he can pretty much do anything he wants. This was simply as good and as much fun as a book can be for me.
I’ve written before about the Ellrovian conflation of fact and fabrication — this time around we have the deaths on the Rock and the subsequent loyalist attack on the funeral — but McKinty even drifts into full-on Ellroy jazz-prose towards the end. I don’t mind it. At this point he can pretty much do anything he wants. This was simply as good and as much fun as a book can be for me.
Just an excellent, excellent book. Different people get to prefer different things and I know they’re from very different subsets, but I just finished reading a Louise Penny mystery and liked it, but this is so much stronger—deeply tied to the history of the region (to the extent that one historic figure’s name was “beeped out” of the narration), wonderful references to art and music and literature, strong narration, well-drawn characters—I reserve my “five star” ratings for what seem true “classics” but this gets my very highest four star recommendation.
By me, pretty much a perfect crime novel, especially the audio version read by Gerard Doyle. Sean Duffy is a marvelous protagonist who gains depth with each new book in the series. He's cut from the same cloth as Virgil Flowers but is more complex. Great supporting characters, snappy plotting and at times, lyrical prose.
I hope this isn't the last we see of Sean Duffy. I keep driving up Coronation Road and looking at 113 expecting to see him!!
Adrian McKinty's Sean Duffy is back again for the sixth time and this novel is as enjoyable as the others.
The opening to the book (and this does not offer a spoiler) portrays Det. Sean Duffy handcuffed and being led to his yet to be dug grave deep in the woods. Things do not look good at all for Duffy and while reading this portion, one wonders how will Duffy escape from this mess intact.
The book then flashes back to explain exactly how he found himself in a situation where he's going to take a bullet to the back of the head.
What I like about McKinty's writing is that while reading the book, because of this effective opening, I wondered is this possibly the last Duffy novel and McKinty is getting ready to move on.
The main plot to the novel is the investigation of a drug peddler murdered by use of a cross bow arrow. For some reason, in what should be a case no one cares about, apparently people do.
McKinty throws in all he is good at - the politics and carnage of Ireland, Duffy's wit and rebellion, his trusty sidekick Crabby and all the other usual fixings and it's done in a way that is not boring or repetitive.
Highly recommended.........especially if you like Ian Rankin's Det. Rebus......
The opening to the book (and this does not offer a spoiler) portrays Det. Sean Duffy handcuffed and being led to his yet to be dug grave deep in the woods. Things do not look good at all for Duffy and while reading this portion, one wonders how will Duffy escape from this mess intact.
The book then flashes back to explain exactly how he found himself in a situation where he's going to take a bullet to the back of the head.
What I like about McKinty's writing is that while reading the book, because of this effective opening, I wondered is this possibly the last Duffy novel and McKinty is getting ready to move on.
The main plot to the novel is the investigation of a drug peddler murdered by use of a cross bow arrow. For some reason, in what should be a case no one cares about, apparently people do.
McKinty throws in all he is good at - the politics and carnage of Ireland, Duffy's wit and rebellion, his trusty sidekick Crabby and all the other usual fixings and it's done in a way that is not boring or repetitive.
Highly recommended.........especially if you like Ian Rankin's Det. Rebus......