The First Four Sean Duffy Novels and then the Sixth

The Cold Cold Ground 320 pages
I Hear Sirens in the Street 256 pages
In the Morning I'll Be Gone 314 pages
Gun Street Girl 311 pages
Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly 319 pages
All by Adrian McKinty.
Detective Sean Duffy joined the Royal Ulster Constabulary shortly after Bloody Sunday. To a lot of people that seemed like an odd thing for a Roman Catholic to do, especially since he had first tried to join the IRA. But Duffy's not a man who is much moved by what other people think. This attitude repeatedly causes him trouble with his higher ups, and as the seriers progresses, with British intelligence, the FBI, random IRA kill-teams, UVF kill-teams and most of the women he dates, and maybe one young man he meets in a highway rest-stop bathroom. Duffy drinks too much (even for a Northern Irish Peeler), smokes too much weed, and cuts a lot of corners. When describing himself Duffy says he's plodding instead of brilliant, he's aware that other
Well-written, with great dialogue, a terrific (as far as I know) sense of Belfast and the surrounding area in the 1980's and tight, intricate plotting throughout. Strongly recommended to fans of noir, fans of Ed McBain or Elmore Leonard. Plus, you get McKinty's take (through Duffy's acerbic commentary) on popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s as well as classical music. I'm really glad I found these. I saw Nancy Pearl's recommendation after I was already hooked, so I have to credit Christa for this one. She had a copy of the book on CD and I had to drive for 11 hours. Of the five I have finished, I have listened to 3 of them. They are all read brilliantly by Gerard Doyle. Pretty much everything McKinty has written is available on Hoopla. Check it out.
Now I have to go and finish Rain Dogs.