Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Irish novelist McKinty returns to his roots with the first book of the Troubles Trilogy, set in his hometown during the time he grew up. At the height of conflict between the Catholic IRA and Protestant paramilitary factions in 1981, Sean Duffy, a Catholic police sergeant in the Protestant town of Carrickfergus, near Belfast, gets an unusual case. Two gay men have been murdered, their right hands severed (the classic modus for killing an informant) and switched between the two bodies. Duffy initially suspects a serial killer, but when no more gay men are targeted, he comes to believe that the second killing was done simply to cover up the first, in which the head of the IRA's feared internal security force was the victim. Even after the case is reassigned, Duffy defies orders and keeps digging, coming up against corruption and collusion. Everything in this novel hits all the right notes, from its brilliant evocation of time and place to razor-sharp dialogue to detailed police procedures. McKinty, author of the Forsythe and Lighthouse Trilogies, has another expertly crafted crime trilogy going here, and readers will want to see what he does in the concluding two books.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This series starter from McKinty (Fifty Grand) introduces hard-boiled but likable Det. Sgt. Sean Duffy, a Catholic who remains brashly, winningly sardonic even under the pressure of 1981 Belfast's over-whelmingly Protestant police force. With the hunger strikes ongoing, Duffy tries to prove himself by finding an apparent serial killer targeting gay men, but is impeded by Northern Ireland's revolution-racked but socially conservative culture. As Duffy tries to decipher gnomic clues involving opera and mythology, he begins to suspect that the suicide of a hunger striker's wife links the apparently apoliti-cal murders to the equally ruthless paramilitary and IRA factions. Though an anachronistic tone occa-sionally jars with the period atmosphere provided by carefully observed detail and cameos from the likes of Gerry Adams, the deft mix of noirish melancholy with express-train pacing and blockbuster-ready action enticingly sets the stage for Duffy's future adventures. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
In this time capsule of a mystery novel, McKinty, with great skill and authenticity, transports readers to the Northern Ireland of 1981, at the height of the "troubles," when Bobby Sands and other IRA hunger-strikers are inflaming an already violent and unstable Belfast. DS Sean Duffy is a maverick on several levels, including being a Catholic in the largely Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary in the town of Carrick-fergus, near Belfast. Duffy is trying to solve the murders of two gay men, one of whom turns out to be the head of the IRA's internal security force. Gerard Doyle reads with an Irish accent that sounds impeccable, lending added authenticity to dialog and language. The Cold Cold Ground is reported to be the first book of a "Troubles" trilogy, so look for these great characters and this engrossing setting to continue through at least two more books. verdict Not to be missed. ["For fans of Stewart Neville's crime novels, a new and harrowing Irish trilogy is under way. At turns violent and labyrinthine, McKinty's fine police procedural is also the ultimate page-turner," read the review of the Seventh Street: Prometheus hc, LJ 11/1/12.-Ed.]-Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
