Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly

Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly: a Detective Sean Duffy Novel / Adrian McKinty, read by Gerard Doyle, 319 p.

The sixth (and I hope not the final)  in the Detective Sean Duffy series; these audiobooks, wonderfully read by Gerard Doyle, have been my car companions for months now.

In this title:

Two men have been attacked by crossbows, one fatally.  This is certainly not the paramilitaries' normal MO, but one always has to consider the connection.  Police at the Station is great reading: the novel opens with Sean being led to his own execution.  And if that weren't bad enough, he's having women problems once again, and his higher-ups in the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) seem to have it in for him too.

In all Detective Sean Duffy novels:

• checking under the BMW for mercury tilt bombs
• a fabulous supporting cast, including Sergeant Crabben (Crabby), Duffy's dour Presbyterian sidekick, and attractive neighbor Mrs.Campbell, perpetually horny because her husband is either away or depressed
• an encyclopedic display of musical knowledge
• a shocking amount of alcohol consumption, even for Ireland
• hilarious dialogue
• a terrific sense of place

In the Morning I'll Be Gone

In the Morning I'll Be Gone: a Detective Sean Duffy Novel / Adrian McKinty, read by Gerard Doyle, 315 p.

The third in the Detective Sean Duffy series; these audiobooks, wonderfully read by Gerard Doyle, have been my car companions for months now.

In this title:

Sean is recruited by MI5 to track down IRA operative Dermot McCann, a recent escapee from the Maze prison, and a former schoolmate of Sean's.  In order to find Dermot, though, Sean must first reconnect with Dermot's family and that of his ex-wife, a woman Sean has history with as well.  An especially well-constructed plot and great suspense.

In all Detective Sean Duffy novels:

• checking under the BMW for mercury tilt bombs
• a fabulous supporting cast, including Sergeant Crabben (Crabby), Duffy's dour Presbyterian sidekick, and attractive neighbor Mrs.Campbell, perpetually horny because her husband is either away or depressed
• an encyclopedic display of musical knowledge
• a shocking amount of alcohol consumption, even for Ireland
• hilarious dialogue
• a terrific sense of place

I Hear the Sirens in the Street

I Hear the Sirens in the Street: a Detective Sean Duffy Novel / Adrian McKinty, read by Gerard Doyle, 256 p.

The second in the Detective Sean Duffy series; these audiobooks, wonderfully read by Gerard Doyle, have been my car companions for months now.

In this title:

Duffy and Crabby find a torso in a suitcase in an abandoned industrial park.    This would be OK, except that now they have to find out who it belongs to, how it ended up in the suitcase, and, well, where the rest of it might be.  Nothing is quite as it seems in Northern Ireland in the early 80s, not even John Delorean, whose car factory seemed for a time to promise salvation to the local economy.  And why isn't patho Laura Cathcart returning Sean's calls?

In all Detective Sean Duffy novels:

• checking under the BMW for mercury tilt bombs
• a fabulous supporting cast, including Sergeant Crabben (Crabby), Duffy's dour Presbyterian sidekick, and attractive neighbor Mrs.Campbell, perpetually horny because her husband is either away or depressed
• an encyclopedic display of musical knowledge
• an shocking amount of alcohol consumption, even for Ireland
• hilarious dialogue
• a terrific sense of place

The Cold Cold Ground

The Cold Cold Ground: a Detective Sean Duffy Novel / Adrian McKinty, read by Gerard Doyle, 320p.

The first in the Detective Sean Duffy series; these audiobooks, wonderfully read by Gerard Doyle, have been my car companions for months now.

In this title:

It's 1981, and Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland is in the thick of 'The Troubles.'  Sean Duffy is the lone Catholic officer at his station and the only Catholic in his housing estate on Coronation Road.  But he has his massive LP collection, his vodka gimlets, his ciggies, and his wicked sense of humor to keep himself sane(-ish).  His case involves an apparent homophobically-motivated serial killer who makes arcane classical music references and commits unfortunate acts with severed body parts.  Still, it's hard to believe any murder in greater Belfast is wholly unconnected to those Troubles, which greatly complicate matters.  Add to that the attractive patho Laura Cathcart and Detective Duffy has a lot to deal with.

In all Detective Sean Duffy novels:

• checking under the BMW for mercury tilt bombs
• a fabulous supporting cast, including Sergeant Crabben (Crabby), Duffy's dour Presbyterian sidekick, and attractive neighbor Mrs.Campbell, perpetually horny because her husband is either away or depressed
• an encyclopedic display of musical knowledge
• an shocking amount of alcohol consumption, even for Ireland
• hilarious dialogue
• a terrific sense of place