• I Hear the Sirens in the Street

  • Detective Sean Duffy, Book 2
  • By: Adrian McKinty
  • Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
  • Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (3,254 ratings)

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I Hear the Sirens in the Street  By  cover art

I Hear the Sirens in the Street

By: Adrian McKinty
Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
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Publisher's summary

A torso in a suitcase looks like an impossible case, but Sean Duffy isn’t easily deterred, especially when his floundering love life leaves him in need of a distraction. So with detective constables McCrabban and McBride, he goes to work identifying the victim.

The torso turns out to be all that’s left of an American tourist who once served in the U.S. military. What was he doing in Northern Ireland in the midst of the 1982 Troubles? The trail leads to the doorstep of a beautiful, flame-haired, twentysomething widow, whose husband died at the hands of an IRA assassination team just a few months before. Suddenly Duffy is caught between his romantic instincts, gross professional misconduct, and powerful men he should know better than to mess with. These include British intelligence, the FBI, and local paramilitary death squads - enough to keep even the savviest detective busy. Duffy’s growing senseof self-doubt isn’t helping. But as a legendarily stubborn man, he doesn’t let that stop him from pursuing the case to its explosive conclusion.

©2013 Adrian McKinty (P)2013 Blackstone Audio

What listeners say about I Hear the Sirens in the Street

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Adrian McKinty

Kept me interested the whole way through. I would love another book in this series ASAP. Reader is wonderful!

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  • Dr
  • 08-05-13

Excellent!

Where does I Hear the Sirens in the Street rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best. I like the fact that it's a crime novel, but the crime is almost incidental to the story, which really brings to life the day-to-day issues for people working in N Ireland during the Troubles.Also like the wry sense of humour, and the way he weaves the story around real-life events.

What was one of the most memorable moments of I Hear the Sirens in the Street?

The part where they in an armoured vehicle being shot at -- very graphic description.

What does Gerard Doyle bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Doyle is easy to listen to, and he does a great job of bringing out the character of the narrator.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best combination in hard boiled fiction

What made the experience of listening to I Hear the Sirens in the Street the most enjoyable?

There is no better audiobook experience than an Adrian McKinty novel read by the incomparable Gerard Doyle.

What did you like best about this story?

Sean Duffy is a classic, terrific protagonist in the hard-boiled mode -- quick witted, fearless, tough but with a heart of gold, resolute in his desire to see justice done regardless of the personal consequences, etc etc. He seems improbably irresistible to gorgeous women who he seems to encounter with shocking regularity for a town like Belfast -- but that's OK for this type of book.

Which scene was your favorite?

Noble but bemused Sean faces down the neighborhood IRA thugs defending a lady in distress. The neighborhood hooligans are priceless.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Started a bit slowly, but I could listen to Gerard Doyle read Adrian McKinty all day.

Any additional comments?

Terrific re-creation of Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Including John DeLorean as a character was a nice touch.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Another great read from McKinty

What did you love best about I Hear the Sirens in the Street?

Another crackling yarn by Adrian McKinty, author of the amazing Michael Forsythe / Dead Trilogy, this is the second book of The Troubles Trilogy, featuring DCI Sean Duffy. Set in the city of Carrickfergus, just to the northeast of Belfast, in 1982, at the height of "The Troubles", the three decades of social unrest and intense violence which began in the late 1960s until the "Good Friday" agreement of 1998. Gritty and believable, this mystery opens with a dismembered body found in a suitcase and gets deeper and bigger throughout. It is an excellent followup to the tremendous opening book, The Cold Cold Ground.

What did you like best about this story?

What a great job McKinty does of evoking these terrible times. So great, in fact, I am on a quest for a modern, unbiased retelling of The Troubles, which I am surprised seems to have not yet been written. The BBC has a very informative website, but there doesn't seem to be a consensus pick for a book. It must have been an awful time. Duffy, a Catholic on a mostly Protestant police force (and thus working for the "enemy"), has to check his car for a "mercury tilt bomb" every time before driving it, as the news is quick to remind him.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The dialog sparkles and cracks, with both humor and pathos. That's one big drawback to listening on audiobook - it's impossible to highlight all the wonderful passages. But narrator Gerard Doyle does a grand job at reading it, with an addicting Irish accent, getting all the place names spot on, as well as all the interesting slang (still not sure of the source of the slang for a pair of sneakers!). He has a little trouble pulling off an American accent, as Duffy makes his way over to the Boston area for a holiday investigation that turns out horrible for him. A little niggling fact check though - Sam Adams beer didn't come out until the mid-1980s, and I don't think it was available on tap until the late 80s. So Duffy heading to a Saugus dive bar for a Sam Adams draft is a historical anachronism. Not sure where he could get a good beer back then.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

How can you not love Adrian McKinty?

If you could sum up I Hear the Sirens in the Street in three words, what would they be?

The Troubles,Mystery,Humorous dialogue

Who was your favorite character and why?

Duffy, smart introspective, humorous, good Peeler

Which character – as performed by Gerard Doyle – was your favorite?

Duffy

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

This isn't the time for an Irish Vacation!

Any additional comments?

Adrian McKinty's writing and Gerard Doyle's reading is compelling. I have listened to 3 of McKinty's Books. This is the 4th. There are not many author/reader combos that I have enjoyed as much Oh yeah, maybe James Lee Burke/Will Paten

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, great writing, great narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, because it's intelligent, witty, engaging, and the narration is perfect.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The characters were sympathetic, so I cared what happened to them. Also the writing was so witty and fun that I wanted to keep going -- was sorry when the book ended.

Have you listened to any of Gerard Doyle’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've listened to Doyle's performances of all Adrian McKinty's books. He has a beautiful voice and accent that make the performance a pleasure to listen to -- he makes each book come alive.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, because I wanted it to last a long time.

Any additional comments?

I wish all writers had McKinty's knack for knowing just how much blood-and-gore to include and how to draw characters that the reader cares about. He brings intelligence, wit, humor, and humanity to every book.

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  • JE
  • 10-30-23

I'm hooked!

Love the series-glad I came to it later so I can continue the next one now!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I hear the sirens

Well read, brilliantly written.
Realistic and gritty.
‘The troubles’—what an ironic description of the horror.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Ok

Am on my second listening of all the books, and struggled with this one just as the first time.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Sirens is Superb

When Duffy gets his teeth into an investigation, he’s like a bull terrier, he just won’t let go, no matter who tells him to stop. The story is well written, with many funny come backs from Duffy. It’s a super story with excellent narration.

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