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)

An insight into the troubled N.Irea Gangs politics

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

This is a great read and yes it would be alot better due to the story and reader

Who was your favorite character and why?

Det Sgt Duffy of course the other characters were interesting but Sgt Duffy was my favorite

Which scene was your favorite?

Neat the end in Italy the real showdown

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

This story had high emotion for both sad and funny

Any additional comments?

Look forward to reading the next one #2 which should be just as good as the first

Riveting !

If you could sum up The Cold, Cold Ground in three words, what would they be?

Raw honest plausible exciting

Which scene was your favorite?

Way better than the more popular american mystery/thrillers

Any additional comments?

want to read all of Mckinty's books

One of the best books I have listened to!

I loved the main character with all his flaws and persistence. Dark and clever and very descriptive of the "troubles". A little humor as befits an Irish theme. This author (and this narrator) are fabulous!

Cold Ground: Hotbed of intrigue

fast moving and violent: my husband was in Ireland and the North at this time period and says McGinty 's work has the right feel. Glad I missed it in person, but will learn more via other books in this series.

Well written but not my cup of tea.

Well written and very well performed but perhaps just too bleak (but probably realistic) for my tastes. I could never become truly engaged with the characters and was so easily distracted from listening that I could not keep all of the characters sorted out. Stopped listening with just 2 hours left, which I have never done before. I just didn't care what happened and was anxious to get to something that I found more entertaining. My opinion, however, is subjective, I can see how others would enjoy it, I think I need a little more escapism in my books.

McKinty never fails to deliver a great story

There are two writers that I always anxiously await and purchase any work they put out. One is James Lee Burke and the other is Adrian McKinty.
The Cold Cold Ground is one of McKinty's best. Gerard Doyle's narration is perfect. They just keep getting better with each story. I give all of Adrian's work 5 stars along with Doyle's delivery.
If you haven't read "Falling Glass" you are missing out on another great listen.
Adrian has a blog that is a fun and educational read also, check it out..

Not as good as anticipated

I thought I would like this book better. The mystery was good, but I just really didn't care about the characters. There are more books by this author, but I wasn't impressed enough to download any more books by him or about this character.

sucker for an Irish accent

Would you listen to The Cold, Cold Ground again? Why?

I don't usually listen/read books more than once, but I would give this one another go. Although I now know what happens, the narrator's accent was just lovely and it is a great story.

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

I haven't listened to him before but plan to look up his other performances.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the dry humour, the crime mystery and the personal story of the main character. It's a great read

The reason why to start reading crime fiction.

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

The author Adrian McKinty made me start reading crime fiction - he's that good.

The Cold, Cold Ground starts off with a scene of chaos in Northern Ireland:

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

The plot never exposed itself to me while I listened, which is a good thing. McKinty built the plot with care, making me want to listen to the whole book in one trip.

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

Gerard Doyle's voice is dry. He has great intonation, pacing, and differentiation of characters including women without sounding like an arse. I've loved his other work on McKinty's other novels.

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

yes.

Any additional comments?

Don't be dismayed that Adrian McKinty's books in print can be tough to locate. Irish crime fiction hasn't taken hold of the US audience yet like it should.

Great Book

I love this book. Great suspense. Was hard to get into it first but after I did it was great