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A review by bgg616
The Dead Yard by Adrian McKinty
4.0
Adrian Mc Kinty writes very good thrillers, though this character isn't my favorite of his, he promises a lot of action. This book is set in and around Boston - The North Shore. Despite the geographical, and cultural gaffs, I found this an enjoyable and entertaining listen. Michael Forsythe is working undercover for British Intelligence and the FBI trying to infiltrate a small American group that supports IRA splinter groups.
I was annoyed by some gaffs which revealed ignorance of the local culture - always a risk for anyone writing a book set in a specific place. Three come to mind - when in Revere, miles north of Boston, a reference is made to the Back Bay as if it's close by (it's not). One character talking about baseball probably makes the biggest gaffs from the perspective of a Red Sox fan. A true Red Sox fan would find it hard to talk about the team from NY, as anything but the MF Yankees (this book is set in the 90's not after the Red Sox finally won the World Series in 2004). I still often refer to them as "the team that shall not be named" (references to Harry Potter) or the team from NY. The third gaff was a language error. For some reason, when the characters are on their way to rob a bank they have to stop and buy ice cream cones. The one buying the ice cream insists they must have sprinkles on them. Pleezzzz - these are NEVER called sprinkles anywhere in eastern Massachusetts at least not in the 1990's. They are JIMMIES:
http://www.thedialectdictionary.com/view/country/Boston/7388/
I am editing this to add in my research on the term, I discovered, they character gets chocolate 'sprinkles' which are jimmies, and was asked to get sprinkles which are multi-colored. This may have been the author's point though it'd help to include that if he's going to have the whole ice cream episode.
I was annoyed by some gaffs which revealed ignorance of the local culture - always a risk for anyone writing a book set in a specific place. Three come to mind - when in Revere, miles north of Boston, a reference is made to the Back Bay as if it's close by (it's not). One character talking about baseball probably makes the biggest gaffs from the perspective of a Red Sox fan. A true Red Sox fan would find it hard to talk about the team from NY, as anything but the MF Yankees (this book is set in the 90's not after the Red Sox finally won the World Series in 2004). I still often refer to them as "the team that shall not be named" (references to Harry Potter) or the team from NY. The third gaff was a language error. For some reason, when the characters are on their way to rob a bank they have to stop and buy ice cream cones. The one buying the ice cream insists they must have sprinkles on them. Pleezzzz - these are NEVER called sprinkles anywhere in eastern Massachusetts at least not in the 1990's. They are JIMMIES:
http://www.thedialectdictionary.com/view/country/Boston/7388/
I am editing this to add in my research on the term, I discovered, they character gets chocolate 'sprinkles' which are jimmies, and was asked to get sprinkles which are multi-colored. This may have been the author's point though it'd help to include that if he's going to have the whole ice cream episode.