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

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

An intelligent cop in a crazy time

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

This is the best. The character is interesting, the story is properly complicated, and the writing is superb. I've read all of McKinley's books before joining Audible and really wanted to have this one in my Audible library to listen to a second time.

What about Gerard Doyle’s performance did you like?

Gerard Doyle is fabulous as the Irish Duffy, as well as English and American characters (men, women, and children) who come along.

Any additional comments?

I'm not a writer but I enjoy a good one when I encounter one. Adrian McKinty is a gem waiting to reward you for discovering him. If they ever make his novels into a movie or TV show, they'll never do the books justice.

A good story

A nice addition to the Sean Duffy saga. Gerard Doyle is the perfect reader for these stories.

A Great Addition to the Duffy Character Study

I love this author and this series. Sean Duffy is a very interesting character. He floats along in his life wondering if he should wish or want for more. He amicably attends confession before heading off on a an unsanctioned excursion, casually confessing to murder, lust and adultery. At the same time his sense of those who "do wrong" seems very much intact, even if he himself is excluded. Ireland comes alive and so do the characters. A great listen!

Great story and performance

Would you consider the audio edition of I Hear the Sirens in the Street to be better than the print version?

YES!
Gerald Doyle is Irishness itselfe

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

No spoilers :)

What about Gerard Doyle’s performance did you like?

Wonderful

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No particular moment of so many

Any additional comments?

This is book all you would expect from the author. A real pleasure.

Adrian McKinty plus Gerard Doyle - Brilliant

Brilliant book, brilliant narrator, plain and simple. The Sean Duffy novels are funny, serious, interesting historical fiction with a smattering of procedural crime. But they're their own thing, not Belfast Noir but Adrian McKinty.

McKinty is amazing

Deadpan wit, detailed historical accuracy, and plausible answers to the mystery around why the Delorean was doomed from jump. Sean Duffy is the best detective in the fictional world of ‘whodunnits’. Gerard Doyle is of course —perfection.

Love me some McKinty!!

It doesn't get much better than this

Would you consider the audio edition of I Hear the Sirens in the Street to be better than the print version?

There's no doubt.

Gerard Doyle's reading takes you straight into Ireland, engulfs you and doesn't let go. McKinty seriously knows how to paint an environment even with the sparse language he uses but Doyle interprets his writing in a way that elevates it well beyond the words.

If there's a better writer/reader combination on Audible I have yet to find it.

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

On the edge. That is a such dumb question.

This is not one of those Shots fired, dumb joke, flat remark, shots fired type of books. There is an interesting main plot, yes, but many others things are happening and if you weren't present during the "troubles" in Northern Ireland during that time (I certainly wasn't) this is your chance of getting a hint of what it could have felt like.

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

Someone desperately needs to edit these questions.

I liked the milk man a lot.

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

Yes, but I mainly listen during commuting and so my daily listening time is limited. That's why I augmented by reading the print (ebook) version.

Any additional comments?

I you haven't come across Adrian McKinty before and can deal with tough violence go and read the Michael Forsythe trilogy (starts with "Dead I Well May Be"). Gerard Doyle reads these as well. It's unfortunate that McKinty is struggling to sell his books but this may relate to the fact that he doesn't follow the shoot-smug remark-shoot formula.

Another Grand Slam for Adrian McKinty

I am a big fan of this author but sometimes the stories overdose on violence, that is not the case with this book. It is the second one in the series and even better than the first. The story has the author's usual dry wit which I enjoy very much. The mystery is good and I really like the background of Belfast during "The Troubles." The reader is excellent so I gave the book 5 stars all the way around!

Gritty and witty

Sean Duffy is a wonderful, richly drawn character and these books in which he figures are marvelous. The author immerses us in a time long-past with references to music and the fundamental elements that make life in the early 1980s in Ulster so different from life now. The whole novel is saturated with sharp wit. Our hero is complex and his decisions not always pretty, which makes tagging along with him that much more interesting. He's in a constant moral quandary, for reasons you'll know right away. I have already bought three or four more books in the series, and look forward to many happy hours spent with Duffy and his estimable colleagues.

AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

Author tells a story with the dry wit of an Irishm

If you enjoy real people, with real problems, you will like this book. The author tells a tale of crime, murder and mayhem with a dry wit of a Northern Irish Catholic copper.