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)

A Gripping Sense of Time & Place

Belfast in the 1980s defines.... (get ready to look it up..) dystopian. There, I finally worked that word into a conversation, but it fits like a mercury-switched bomb beneath an Ulster cop's car. The Troubles are rumbling all about with the caprice of Northern Irish weather when a psycho-sexual serial killer challenges the police. Adrian McKinty's ear is laser aimed at the moment, and he hears for us the way average people struggled to create a sense of normalcy, even if normal meant solving a kinky murder mystery during the heat of a civil war.

I wish that Gerard Doyle, whose own wonderful accent delivers us believably into this space, was just a tad broader at capturing the various Irish dialects which the author assigns to certain of this ensemble cast. But, that's a piddling complaint. Sure n'-I'm-thinkin' that this is both a cultural and procedural investigation which takes the reader on a trip to what's, thankfully, history now: For at least as long as the truce that Clinton and Mitchell so powerfully negotiated between Irish and Brits some fifteen years ago.

I'm off to find me a bit more from Adrian McKinty.

Fantastic!!!!

This is a great book. If you haven't listened to an Adrian Mckinty book you are cheating yourself. This guy is in a class by himself. I have listened to all of his books more than once. His last book Falling glass won book of the year on audible 2011. Cold cold ground is as good or better. Enjoy.

A very enjoyable reading, but...

Welcome to the tough word of Sean Duffy, a detective in the Northern Ireland police force in the early 1980s at the height of The Troubles.The book is well written (after all Adrian McKinty is one of the very best contemporary thriller writers), has good dialogue and some original ideas - enough to keep the interest going.
I could however not get to feel empathy for the main character (Sean Duffy), as probably McKinty is putting too much into him. A bit anguished, very smart, very different , very sensitive, very contrarian thinking., Sean is "special"...In the previous serie (the Dead Trilogy) the main character -Michael Forsyte- was a bit "naif" , not so introspective, but nevertheless terribly charming, spontaneous and without the continuous good/evil dilemma that seems to obsess Sean Duffy. It is like McKinty wanted to give more sophistication to the main character to prove that he is becoming a better writer. There was no need to do so....

Perfect match of author and narrator.

Any additional comments?

In my audible experience of over 12 years and 300 books, nothing could match James Lee Burke and Will Patton for the perfect audio book experience...until now. I simply could not have enjoyed this book more. It combines a great character, a masterful history, great crime mystery, pop culture connections, and humor with the perfect narrator. This book begs to be LISTENED to, not simply read.

I came to this party late, purchased because the first two installments were on sale and thought I'd take a chance with great reviews, and have since used two credits to get all four installments. The best advice of all...start at the start...with this book, and work through the entire series. I can't say if the Irish accent is authentic, have no real knowledge, but if not then it ought to be.

With so much woven together, and writing style and narration that at times is dazzling, this series is at the top of my list for all time favorites.

Northern Ireland Noir

This is a very "book noir" (as opposed to film noir) kind of story, and that style seems to fit in well with The Troubles there. It's my first Adrian McKinty novel, but I don't think it will be my last. The characters are good, the environment is well imagined, and the plot is enough to keep things moving without overwhelming the other two elements.

A great listening experience all 'round. I'm looking forward to more Troubles stories, and maybe another of his books as well.

An intense novel

Any additional comments?

Detective Sean Duffy has the aesthetics of a fine arts aficionado and the appetites of a bisexual playboy, both of which, surprisingly, help him solve a series of brutal murders near Belfast in 1981. The dreary war-torn setting adds to the dismal atmosphere of the story. I recommend this to readers who like an intense experience from reading a novel.

Excited for the five other books in this series!

Adrian McKinty is perfect at Irish crime, and the more books I consume the more I feel like I know what Ireland was like in the 80s and 90s. I would suggest any of his titles.

Historical and Gripping

The Cold, Cold Ground is a novel set during "the Troubles" in N. Ireland. McKinty paints a vivid picture of the time and place, populating it with characters who are real, flawed and likable. Gerard Doyle's narration is a treat.

Starts slow, but you'll be pulled in quickly!

Overall very good! Started slow for me, but I was pulled in quickly. Loved the backdrop of "the troubles" in Northern Ireland. The reader gave a great performance and it was fun to hear all the accents.

Interesting story, likable characters . .

I liked this, but I typically like McKinty's work. The main character isn't Michael Forsythe, but still a likable. I liked learning about the hunger strikes, but the homosexual theme seemed strange to me at times. If McKinty releases another book in this series, I will probably buy it.