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)

The Cold Cold Ground is HOT

Great read by a good narrator, good character development, interesting plot and deals with a subject I know little about.

Felt justified in buying this title by a new author that entranced me!

So glad I found this author!

Excellent prose and a great plot. What a delight to listen to this story (well, as long as I was braced for the brutal parts). So glad I gave this one a try, it's a Grade A crime novel. Now looking forward to my next Adrain McKinty novel.

Spot on description of the era

What made the experience of listening to The Cold, Cold Ground the most enjoyable?

I kept thinking about the storyline when I was not listening to the book, I could hear the narrator's voice in my mind and I tried to anticipate developments.

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

Don't want to spoil it for anyone.

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

This book will make a great film if they listen to the descriptions.

Great Read

First time I read Adrian McGinty book. I will read more. Very exciting and informative book.

Just not my Taste

This is not a badly written book. However, it simply did not hold my interest. I waited several weeks to write this review because I was not sure what to say.

The bleak and battered Irish towns, the tormented main character ... just not my style. If I had to label it, I would say this book reminded me of a film-noire movie. If that appeals to you, please read this novel.

I Love McKinty’s Writing!

I just read an article in the Wall Street Journal that said McKinty had written a new book that takes place in the U.S., about to be released (July 2019) without Sean Duffy’s “brooding, cynical, literary” touches.
The characters in the Duffy series are real and their literariness makes them feel worth reading or listening to.
McKinty promises Sean will stick around. I sure hope so!

A bit hard to follow

Although an interesting plot . I had a hard time following who was who with the characters (excluding the cops). I felt like I needed to have researched the conflict that was going on in Ireland to have had better understanding of the story.

Adrian McKinty just keeps getting better!

The Cold,Cold Ground is Adrian McKinty's latest novel and I have to say that the way he writes his central characters keeps getting better. We find ourselves both interested and and liking the young detective in this Irish police novel set during "the troubles" in Northern Ireland. A fine read by Gerard Doyle. I've read somewhere that this begins a trilogy and I certainly hope this is the case as I really liked it.

Subsequent Books are Much Better

I’m glad I first read a couple of the books appearing later in this series before buying this one. I like the main character a lot more as the series progresses and may not have been enticed to read on had I read this book first.

Complex and compelling

Ulster in 1981 is a unique and terrible setting. Add a singular protagonist and sectarian violence and it’s quite a page-turner.