Rain Dogs

Starred review from January 25, 2016
Det. Insp. Sean Duffy must solve the equivalent of a locked-room mystery in McKinty’s scorching fifth installment in his Troubles-set Northern Irish crime series (after 2015’s Gun Street Girl). It’s 1987 in Carrickfergus, and Duffy, a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, is constantly on the lookout for mercury tilt switch bombs planted underneath his car, the calling card of the IRA. Meanwhile, the body of Financial Times journalist Lily Bigelow is found in the courtyard of Carrickfergus Castle. The only way in or out of the centuries-old structure, now a tourist attraction, is through a heavy gate, and CCTV footage proves that no one entered or exited the castle at the time of Bigelow’s death, making Duffy think that she likely threw herself off one of the high walls inside. But the forensics experts conclude someone murdered Bigelow, whom Duffy soon connects to a delegation of Finnish businessmen visiting Northern Ireland to perhaps bring new jobs. McKinty expertly balances Duffy’s tense and suspenseful investigation with the political tensions of the region. Agent: Bob Mecoy, Creative Book Services.

April 25, 2016
McKinty’s new addition to his police procedural series featuring Sean Duffy, a detective in 1980s Belfast, kicks off when a young female journalist is found dead in the locked courtyard of Carrickfergus Castle. While the likable Duffy takes listeners through the twists and turns of the plot, the author paints a vivid, dimensional portrait of the man, the town, and the time. As the voice of nearly all of McKinty’s novels, including the four previous in this series, native Irishman Doyle is no stranger to his well-plotted, darkly funny, socially conscious prose as well as the beaten-but-never-bowed Duffy. He delivers the detective’s narration in a breezy, high-energy voice that magically retains its lyrical quality even when Duffy is down in the dumps. He also employs a bouquet of brogues in defining other coppers, including Duffy’s loyal assistant, a caretaker of the castle, and various townsfolk. For a visiting delegation of businessmen from Finland, Doyle adds a chilly Nordic touch to their conversation about creating a local factory for manufacturing mobile phones. Though the project is beneficial to the area, when Duffy discusses it, his voice is rich with sarcasm, indicating his suspicion it will somehow involve and derail his investigation. A Prometheus Books/Seventh Street hardcover.