“McKinty’s story opens with a visit to Belfast by ‘sporting royalty’ Muhammad Ali—a challenge narrator Gerard Doyle meets with a gravelly, rhythmic delivery. Even better are Doyle’s varied Irish accents, which help differentiate the various Northern Irish policemen who work with Detective Sean Duffy…Duffy’s journey to Finland to investigate poses an interesting vocal challenge that Doyle handles admirably. His delivery further ratchets up the tension when the threat of IRA bombings and the death of a high-ranking police official add to the mayhem.” AudioFile
Description
It’s just the same things over and again for Sean Duffy: riot duty, heartbreak, cases he can solve but never get to court. But what detective gets two locked-room mysteries in one career?
When journalist Lily Bigelow is found dead in the courtyard of Carrickfergus Castle, it looks like a suicide. Yet there are a few things that bother Duffy just enough to keep the case file open, which is how he finds out that Bigelow was working on a devastating investigation of corruption and abuse at the highest levels of power in the UK and beyond.
And so Duffy has two impossible problems on his desk: Who killed Lily Bigelow? And what were they trying to hide?
Praise
“McKinty’s story opens with a visit to Belfast by ‘sporting royalty’ Muhammad Ali—a challenge narrator Gerard Doyle meets with a gravelly, rhythmic delivery. Even better are Doyle’s varied Irish accents, which help differentiate the various Northern Irish policemen who work with Detective Sean Duffy…Duffy’s journey to Finland to investigate poses an interesting vocal challenge that Doyle handles admirably. His delivery further ratchets up the tension when the threat of IRA bombings and the death of a high-ranking police official add to the mayhem.” AudioFile
“The tension between McKinty’s competing love of tight, formal puzzles and loose, riffing dialogue is what makes the Duffy novels such a joy.” The Guardian (London)
“Adrian McKinty is a gifted storyteller I love to read and Sean Duffy is a character you will never forget.” Don Winslow, New York Times bestselling author, praise for the series
“McKinty is one of the most striking and most memorable crime voices to emerge on the scene in years.” Tana French, New York Times bestselling author
“Set during the Troubles, the Duffy series could be construed as historical fiction…but the books don’t feel like historical novels. They’re too urgent and too topical…His prose style is vital, vigorous, and…if you’re not reading him already, do yourself a favor: start now.” Irish Times
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Mar 7, 2016 |
| Release Date | March 8, 2016 |
| Number in Series | 5 |
| Series Display String | The Sean Duffy Series |
| Release Date Machine | 1457395200 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Bestselling Mystery, Black Friday Sale, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, Literature & Fiction, Police Procedurals, International Crime & Mystery, Sean Duffy Series, Bestselling Mysteries, Fiction - All, Fiction - Adult |
Author Bio
Adrian McKinty was born and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during the Troubles. His father was a welder in Harland and Wolff—the shipyard where they built the Titanic; his mother was a school lunch lady and secretary. Adrian went to Oxford University on a full scholarship where he studied philosophy.
Emigrating first to America and then Australia he found work as a door-to-door salesman, a driver, a bookstore clerk, a barman, a high school English teacher, and a semipro rugby player.
His debut crime novel, Dead I Well May Be, was shortlisted for the 2004 Dagger Award and was optioned by Universal Pictures. He is the author of more than a dozen crime novels that have been translated into over forty languages. He has won the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, the Barry Award, the Macavity Award, the International Thriller Writers Award, and is a three-time winner of the Ned Kelly Award.
His 2020 novel The Chain was a New York Times bestseller and appeared on twenty-five best-of-the-year lists. His 2022 novel The Island was an instant New York Times bestseller and made five best-of-the-year lists including those of the London Times and the New York Times.
Adrian is a member of the Linnean Society and the National Audubon Society. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.
Narrator Bio
Gerard Doyle, a seasoned audio narrator, he has been awarded dozens of AudioFile Earphones Awards, was named a Best Voice in Young Adult Fiction in 2008, and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He was born of Irish parents and raised and educated in England. In Great Britain he has enjoyed an extensive career in both television and repertory theater and toured nationally and internationally with the English Shakespeare Company. He has appeared in London’s West End in the gritty musical The Hired Man. In America he has appeared on Broadway in The Weir and on television in New York Undercover and Law & Order. He has taught drama at Ross School for the several years.
Overview
It’s just the same things over and again for Sean Duffy: riot duty, heartbreak, cases he can solve but never get to court. But what detective gets two locked-room mysteries in one career?
When journalist Lily Bigelow is found dead in the courtyard of Carrickfergus Castle, it looks like a suicide. Yet there are a few things that bother Duffy just enough to keep the case file open, which is how he finds out that Bigelow was working on a devastating investigation of corruption and abuse at the highest levels of power in the UK and beyond.
And so Duffy has two impossible problems on his desk: Who killed Lily Bigelow? And what were they trying to hide?