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A review by amandagstevens
In the Morning I'll Be Gone: A Detective Sean Duffy Novel by Adrian McKinty
4.0
Detective Inspector Sean Duffy is, on multiple levels, a "cop who needs a break." He's embroiled in politics that threaten his very job, tasked by MI5 to stop an IRA bombing suspect whose location and plans are unknown, and waylaid from said task by a family member of the bombing suspect who refuses to talk unless Duffy can solve a cold case for her. To understate, the tension never lets up in this book. Sean Duffy is an angry, sarcastic, self-deprecating, persevering hero and Ireland in 1984 is a vivid, bleak setting for this mystery-fueled manhunt story.
In 1984, I was an American toddler. Going into this novel, I had almost no knowledge of its time and place. McKinty paints not only the landscape, the loss, the upheaval of the time; he also lets us glimpse the hearts and mindsets of the people and the reasons behind their views. None of it eclipses the plot or the protagonist, but (perhaps obviously) this plot and this protagonist would not exist in any other setting. The Troubles have shaped Sean Duffy into the man he is.
Speaking of Sean Duffy. What a wonderful character, and what a voice McKinty has given him. From that first scene (ignoring his emergency police beeper in favor of his Atari game), he's intriguing--smart, cynical, resentful. He turns out to be the kind of cop who underestimates himself before his enemy, who doesn't take condescension from anybody, and who doggedly works a case as long as it takes. He enjoys music of many genres, eats too little, drinks too much. He tells his story in a witty and lyrical voice that observes the quietly profound beauty and sorrow of the world around him. Yet Mr. McKinty understands author restraint. There's no theme-spouting here, from Sean or anyone else. The beliefs of the characters belong to themselves.
The plot unfolds rather oddly, jump-starting with the IRA bomb threats and then detouring almost entirely from that element to the cold case. A relative of the bomber, who believes a certain "accidental" death wasn't, demands closure in exchange for information. Without other leads, and despite his MI5 contact's lack of enthusiasm, Duffy agrees. It's an unusual author choice, and I can understand why not every reader would want to follow McKinty here, but it works for me. At first, upon finishing, I felt the bomber's story thread was too marginalized; there's personal history between him and Duffy, and I wanted to know more. But really, the book is understated, not underdeveloped. I want more not because something's missing but because I'm invested in what's here. It all works.
IN THE MORNING I'LL BE GONE succeeds on so many levels--dialogue, characterization, setting, mood, plot, and above all, voice. The first two Sean Duffy novels have just leaped to the top of my to-read list.
In 1984, I was an American toddler. Going into this novel, I had almost no knowledge of its time and place. McKinty paints not only the landscape, the loss, the upheaval of the time; he also lets us glimpse the hearts and mindsets of the people and the reasons behind their views. None of it eclipses the plot or the protagonist, but (perhaps obviously) this plot and this protagonist would not exist in any other setting. The Troubles have shaped Sean Duffy into the man he is.
Speaking of Sean Duffy. What a wonderful character, and what a voice McKinty has given him. From that first scene (ignoring his emergency police beeper in favor of his Atari game), he's intriguing--smart, cynical, resentful. He turns out to be the kind of cop who underestimates himself before his enemy, who doesn't take condescension from anybody, and who doggedly works a case as long as it takes. He enjoys music of many genres, eats too little, drinks too much. He tells his story in a witty and lyrical voice that observes the quietly profound beauty and sorrow of the world around him. Yet Mr. McKinty understands author restraint. There's no theme-spouting here, from Sean or anyone else. The beliefs of the characters belong to themselves.
The plot unfolds rather oddly, jump-starting with the IRA bomb threats and then detouring almost entirely from that element to the cold case. A relative of the bomber, who believes a certain "accidental" death wasn't, demands closure in exchange for information. Without other leads, and despite his MI5 contact's lack of enthusiasm, Duffy agrees. It's an unusual author choice, and I can understand why not every reader would want to follow McKinty here, but it works for me. At first, upon finishing, I felt the bomber's story thread was too marginalized; there's personal history between him and Duffy, and I wanted to know more. But really, the book is understated, not underdeveloped. I want more not because something's missing but because I'm invested in what's here. It all works.
IN THE MORNING I'LL BE GONE succeeds on so many levels--dialogue, characterization, setting, mood, plot, and above all, voice. The first two Sean Duffy novels have just leaped to the top of my to-read list.