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Cover of The Cold Cold Ground

The Cold Cold Ground

by Adrian McKinty

My Rating:★★★★★
Published
2019
Read
2025-12-24
0

Genres

FictionMystery

Description

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. Amid 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 other 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). Fast-paced, evocative, and brutal, The Cold Cold Ground is a brilliant depiction of Belfast at the height of the Troubles and a cop caught in the cross fire. (back cover)

My Review

McKinty took the hard boiled detective and dropped him into the height of the troubles. The book is set in Northern Ireland during the IRA hunger strikes in 1981. For me, the story itself was overtaken by the background setting - which isn't to say the story was dull, just that I found the presentation of the troubles so very interesting. The protagonist is a man with more flaws, feelings, and depth than your typical detective and kept the story interesting and moving and the plot was well crafted, but I came away wanting to read more about the IRA than anything else. I will probably return to this series in the future.