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The Cold, Cold Ground
- Detective Sean Duffy, Book 1
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
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The Cold, Cold Ground
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Publisher's Summary
Fast-paced, evocative, and brutal, The Cold Cold Ground is a brilliant depiction of Belfast at the height of the Troubles — and of a cop treading a thin, thin line —from The New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author Adrian McKinty.
“McKinty is one of the most striking and most memorable crime voices to emerge on the scene in years.” —Tana French
Northern Ireland, spring 1981. Hunger strikes, riots, power cuts, a homophobic serial killer with a penchant for opera, and a young woman’s suicide that may yet turn out to be murder: on the surface, the events are unconnected, but then things—and people—aren’t always what they seem. Detective Sergeant Duffy is the man tasked with trying to get to the bottom of it all. It’s no easy job—especially when it turns out that one of the victims was involved in the IRA but was last seen discussing business with someone from the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force. Add to this the fact that, as a Catholic policeman, it doesn’t matter which side he’s on, because nobody trusts him, and Sergeant Duffy really is in a no-win situation.
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What the critics say
What listeners say about The Cold, Cold Ground
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-01-17
Bit of a drag in the beginning
Was pleasantly surprised at the end but the story itself was slow and picked up pace at the very end. loved the history aspect of it, but at the same time it also overshadowed the storyline. Was hard following the accent but that is on me.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2023-07-15
Realistic Crime Thriller During "The Troubles"
The crimes that RUC detective Sean Duffy is tasked to solve - the violent murder/sodomy of a gay IRA operative and staged suicide of another's ex-wife - are intriguing. The true star of this book, however, is the setting:
Officer Duffy (an Irish Catholic betraying his countrymen by working as a "Peeler" for the hated British-sponsored constabulary) examines his car for bombs every time he gets in it as a 100% justified matter of routine; avoids murderous riots as he conducts witness interviews & meets with pathologists; cringes after hearing explosions and riot guns in the distance; and routinely considers if the restaurant/theater he's patronizing might be a target for terrorists.
Adrian McKinty paints a picture of a jawdropping Belfast reality without overdoing it. The effort makes a fairly routine crime investigation fascinating.
Less fortuitously, reader Gerard Doyle sounds "disinterested" on this performance. Blackstone Audio Inc. provide outstanding technical support - and Doyle's natural Irish brogue (and undeniably accurate Gaelic where the dialogue includes it) make him a commendable casting choice - but he's not well-suited for the project. The narrator lacks the tonal range to deliver the emotiveness required for a Suspense-Thriller. Even beyond relatively weak voice-acting, Doyle sounds flat. The narration is distinctly "average" overall.
Altogether, this first entry in the 'Sean Duffy' series of Crime Thrillers rates 8 stars out of 10. Don't hesitate to give it a listen if you can get it as a 'Plus' selection.. but if they ask for a Credit, you could do better. As for me - I will continue following this fascinating character (sarcastic, music-obsessed, and jaded/distrustful but weirdly deferential to authority for some reason).
[Incidentally: I found one character's prediction for the date of the apocalypse - August 29, 1997 (the day that SkyNet became self-aware.. and coincidentally, the day I got married) - personally hilarious]
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Robert Pushman
- 2022-07-27
good series opener
Is there a better reader than Gerard Doyle? Master of voice, inflection, dialect and language, always faithful to the writing
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2019-05-19
Great book!
I found this book by chance. I seen posts about “the chain” and read up on Adrian. I was a big fan of Stephen King’s Bill Hodges series and figured I’d try this. Didn’t disappoint. Can’t wait to start the second.
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2 people found this helpful