Review: The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty

A Mysterious Review of …

The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty. A Sean Duffy Mystery.

Review summary: As powerful as the setting and environment is — Northern Ireland in 1981 at the height of "The Troubles" — it is the riveting, absolutely first-rate murder mystery storyline that is the hallmark of this police procedural-style whodunit, the first of a trilogy of thrillers featuring a young police detective. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

The Cold Cold Ground
Adrian McKinty
A Sean Duffy Mystery
Seventh Street Books (November 2012)

Publisher synopsis: Spring 1981. Northern Ireland. Belfast on the verge of outright civil war. The Thatcher government has flooded the area with soldiers, but nightly there are riots, bombings, and sectarian attacks.

In the midst of the chaos, Sean Duffy, a young, witty, Catholic detective in the almost entirely Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary, is trying to track down a serial killer who is targeting gay men. As a Catholic policeman, Duffy is suspected by both sides and there are layers of complications. For one thing, homosexuality is illegal in Northern Ireland in 1981. Then he discovers that one of the victims was involved in the IRA, but was last seen discussing business with someone from the Protestant UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force).