Publisher's Weekly Review
This series starter from McKinty (Fifty Grand) introduces hard-boiled but likable Det. Sgt. Sean Duffy, a Catholic who remains brashly, winningly sardonic even under the pressure of 1981 Belfast's over-whelmingly Protestant police force. With the hunger strikes ongoing, Duffy tries to prove himself by finding an apparent serial killer targeting gay men, but is impeded by Northern Ireland's revolution-racked but socially conservative culture. As Duffy tries to decipher gnomic clues involving opera and mythology, he begins to suspect that the suicide of a hunger striker's wife links the apparently apoliti-cal murders to the equally ruthless paramilitary and IRA factions. Though an anachronistic tone occa-sionally jars with the period atmosphere provided by carefully observed detail and cameos from the likes of Gerry Adams, the deft mix of noirish melancholy with express-train pacing and blockbuster-ready action enticingly sets the stage for Duffy's future adventures. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
In this time capsule of a mystery novel, McKinty, with great skill and authenticity, transports readers to the Northern Ireland of 1981, at the height of the "troubles," when Bobby Sands and other IRA hunger-strikers are inflaming an already violent and unstable Belfast. DS Sean Duffy is a maverick on several levels, including being a Catholic in the largely Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary in the town of Carrick-fergus, near Belfast. Duffy is trying to solve the murders of two gay men, one of whom turns out to be the head of the IRA's internal security force. Gerard Doyle reads with an Irish accent that sounds impeccable, lending added authenticity to dialog and language. The Cold Cold Ground is reported to be the first book of a "Troubles" trilogy, so look for these great characters and this engrossing setting to continue through at least two more books. verdict Not to be missed. ["For fans of Stewart Neville's crime novels, a new and harrowing Irish trilogy is under way. At turns violent and labyrinthine, McKinty's fine police procedural is also the ultimate page-turner," read the review of the Seventh Street: Prometheus hc, LJ 11/1/12.-Ed.]-Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.