Reviews

Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly: A Detective Sean Duffy Novel by Adrian McKinty

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annemariep68's review against another edition

4.0

Another great audiobook read by Gerard Doyle. Great story and I'm sorry it's over...now I'm waiting for the next Sean Duffy mystery to be written!

emckeon1002's review against another edition

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5.0

Sean Duffy is back again, and no more loved by his colleagues, his Protestant neighbors nor his criminal adversaries. McKinty pulls you in and doesn't let go. You'll likely finish it at 3am, as I did, unable to put it down until it careens to its logical end.

kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition

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5.0

Part history lesson, part social exploration, the Sean Duffy series from Irish-Australian writer Adrian McKinty is required crime fiction reading. Reviewed at: Newtown Review of Books

susanob's review against another edition

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4.0

I listened to the audio book and I fecking loved it. The narrator was great. This is my first Detective Sean Duffy book and I'm so glad that I have others to look forward to. All around fantastic story. Ticked all my boxes. Interesting characters. Great plot. Place and era fascinating. And love the dark humor.

constantreader471's review against another edition

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4.0

I raced through this library book in 2 days. Detective Inspector Sean Duufy is on holiday with his parents. His father wants him to go a religious walk and Sean doesn't have the heart to say no. Then he gets a call from Detective Sargent Crabbe asking him if he could come back to help with an unusual murder. He tells his parents that duty calls. Little does he know that this murder puts him in serious danger. He is attacked by IRA hit teams and interrogated by the Special Branch for suspected collusion with the IRA. He and his team do unravel the mystery. To add to his troubles, the RUC doctor tells him that his blood work shows traces of cannabis and threatens him with an unfit for duty report if he does not quit.
I am retired law enforcement and was drug tested a couple times. I passed. Those who didn't pass were fired or allowed to retire.
Two Quotes:
Conversation between Sean and a colleague:
"Good to see you Sean. You're looking well ... for a man twice your age."
Sean trying to follow doctor's orders: "...I was down to four ciggies a day: after breakfast, lunch, dinner and before bed. Find me a Catholic RUC man that can do better."
I rate this book a solid 4 stars.

kenlaan's review against another edition

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5.0

I finished this in less than 24 hours. It is definitely my favorite of the series, and I've thoroughly enjoyed every entry leading to it.

Where to start? I think more than anything, what keeps me coming back to this series is how thoroughly transported I am to the setting of 1980s Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. I can see the buildings, feel the weather, picture the clothes people are wearing, hear the music, and smell the smoke. And this is quite an accomplishment for someone as ignorant of the time and place as me. Related, I've decided I'll be reading a book on the Northern Ireland conflict ("the Troubles") this year as a result of this series.

But I think this book succeeds more than previous entries because of how taut the narrative is. A couple of the previous entries featured a locked room mystery, and I got the sense that McKinty was just as interested in playing with that construct as he was in telling a good story, partially to the detriment of the narrative, even though I still thoroughly enjoyed them. In this one, the mystery is just as compelling but it's filled with more impactful character moments and perilous decisions by Duffey. The book begins with Duffey digging his own grave with an IRA hit squad behind him!

McKinty is at the top of his game with this one and I'm looking forward to the next entry when I get to it.