The Cold, Cold Ground

Detective Sean Duffy, Book 1

By: Adrian McKinty

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Fast-paced, evocative, and brutal, The Cold Cold Ground is a brilliant depiction of Belfast at the height of the Troubles — and of a cop treading a thin, thin line —from The New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author Adrian McKinty.

“McKinty is one of the most striking and most memorable crime voices to emerge on the scene in years.” —Tana French

Northern Ireland, spring 1981. Hunger strikes, riots, power cuts, a homophobic serial killer with a penchant for opera, and a young woman’s suicide that may yet turn out to be murder: on the surface, the events are unconnected, but then things—and people—aren’t always what they seem. Detective Sergeant Duffy is the man tasked with trying to get to the bottom of it all. It’s no easy job—especially when it turns out that one of the victims was involved in the IRA but was last seen discussing business with someone from the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force. Add to this the fact that, as a Catholic policeman, it doesn’t matter which side he’s on, because nobody trusts him, and Sergeant Duffy really is in a no-win situation.

©2012 Adrian McKinty (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“McKinty is a streetwise, energetic gunslinger of a writer, firing off volleys of sassy dialogue and explosive action that always delivers what it has promised.” ( Irish Times)

“What makes McKinty a cut above the rest is the quality of his prose. His driven, spat-out sentences are more accessible than James Ellroy's edge-of-reason staccato, and he can be lyric.” ( The Guardian)

“If Raymond Chandler had grown up in Northern Ireland, The Cold Cold Ground is what he would have written.” ( The Times, London)

Impressive!

Although the story dragged a bit at the begging, I was pleasantly surprised about how entertaining and well-performed this book was.

Will listen to the sequels

Great performance. Lovely accent. Good story. You feel like you are there.
Interesting concept. Loved it.

Wickedly Suspenseful!!

I just loved this book. Recommend it? Oh, you bet I recommend this! And you'll hear about my thoughts on all the other books in this series as I have purchased them all on Amazon and on Audible and plan to jump right into the next book.

What a GREAT book and EXCELLENT reading experience! YAY!

Great listen!

Interesting, unique and well written. The plot and the back ground tie together well. The details are important to pay attention to as the murder investigation plays out. The descriptions of the scenes in Ireland are nicely done and I thought I could even smell the salty sea as I listened!

I had a little trouble with the recording as there are blank spots where the audio cuts out and zips by in a garble. I think this was created from a taped recording and never checked.

I recommend this book highly, but would read it on Kindle or other book reader and not get this audio edition.

Great book humorous and a good mystery

I love ed this book and I am going to keep reading this author. it was funny and witty

Gripping...just had to keep listening!

Gerard Doyle was a joy to listen to, I'll be looking for more stories he narrates.
Adrian McKinty's tale had me coming back for more, his mix of current events of the time, the politics of Northern Ireland in 1981 made this crime novel even more interesting. Looking forward to more Sean Duffy novels, I think I'm going to like him as much as Harry Bosch and Dave Robicheaux!

One of the best audio books I've ever heard

Would you consider the audio edition of The Cold, Cold Ground to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print but the audio with the Irish accent is excellent.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Cold, Cold Ground?

The ending was amazing

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

the lead

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

I was so pleased with this book,I am looking forward to listening to more of his books.

Makes You Want to Be Irish

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

It was slow in parts but the narrator held my interest

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

Sean Duffy

Any additional comments?

Adrian McKinty is a good story teller and his books come alive with Gerard Doyle as the narrator. I kept reaching for a pint while I was listening.

Funny, filled with unexpected twists and turns

I enjoyed the story very much. It was dark and deep with an eye opening look at Northern Ireland and the social cultures. Funny and light hearted references mixed in.

Should have purchased the abridged version

This is the first story I've listened to by Adrian McKinty. While the story seems historically accurate, and is compelling and creative, it simply went on for for too long. The number of investigative deads ends encountered became aggravating, and seemed to be included for no other reason than to extend the length of the story.

Things didn't really get going until the last hour, when I think the puzzle pieces began to fit together. I say I think, because I'm not sure that everything was tied together as well as it should have been.

Separately, the homosexual encounter mid-story was completely irrelevant, and from what I would have expected, entirely out-of-character for one of the participants. Seems as though it was thrown in for no reason but to add shock value, because it was never developed into the storyline.

Finally, the title has absolutely no relevance to the story. Must have simply sounded catchy to the publisher.

On a positive note, Gerard Doyle did a stellar job of narrating the story. His verbal dexterity added credence to the location and characters in the story. He is a truly talented actor.