The plot’s complexity is sharpened by the everyday observations of the narrator. His literary quotations and philosophical references can sometime feel overwritten but this is not a great problem when you can also enjoy the pace of the storytelling. He enjoys vodka gimlets in pint glasses, music and recreational drug use and is a soft touch for more than one friendly woman. Nevertheless, among his team, there is a great sense of camaraderie: his officers, like the reader, recognise Duffy’s determination, care and courage.ĭuffy’s life-style is, naturally, troublesome. He is a compelling, cynical, street-wise hero who looks beyond accepted explanations for crimes, acts impulsively, and comes into conflict with criminals, corrupt officials and police budget restrictions.
As in all the Duffy books, these apparently unconnected crimes lead him deep into greater conspiracies.ĭuffy is a great character: a university-educated Catholic working in the Protestant Royal Ulster Police Force. Here Duffy investigates two cases: a weird double murder by a homophobic serial killer who is eager for publicity, and the apparent suicide of the ex-wife of a prisoner now on hunger strike in the Maze. As soon as it was driven, however, you’d eventually encounter a hill.” thus it could stay safe under a car for days or even weeks. The reason the IRA use mercury tilt switches is that they only work when the mercury establishes contact on an incline or decline. Now, mid-story, he’s driving away from a gang of armed, drugged teenage thugs, and had no time to look. For example, so far, through the novel, Duffy has routinely checked under his car before driving away. The plot mixes moments of sharp fact and social realism with dramatic action. Throughout the book, incidents remind the reader how angry and painful life was during the Troubles, less than thirty years ago. Detective Sergeant Sean Duffy, his main character, even “lives” in the same council house that was McKinty’s home. McKinty grew up in Carrickfergus, so his segregated estates, damaged buildings, industrial wastelands and lonely roads are bleakly believable. For more, see The Cold Cold Ground is the first in a series of crime thrillers set in Northern Ireland during the 1980s. She posts on the History Girls, on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure and also on The Cranky Laptop Writes, her personal blog. Her last novel for older children, A Boy Called Mouse, was nominated for the Young Quills Historical Fiction Award, and she is currently completing a companion book. Penny Dolan works as a children’s storyteller and writer.
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