The Cold, Cold Ground cover art

The Cold, Cold Ground

Detective Sean Duffy, Book 1

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About this listen

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.

©2012 Adrian McKinty (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Crime Crime Fiction Historical Mystery Fiction Murder

Critic reviews

“McKinty is a streetwise, energetic gunslinger of a writer, firing off volleys of sassy dialogue and explosive action that always delivers what it has promised.” ( Irish Times)
“What makes McKinty a cut above the rest is the quality of his prose. His driven, spat-out sentences are more accessible than James Ellroy's edge-of-reason staccato, and he can be lyric.” ( The Guardian)
“If Raymond Chandler had grown up in Northern Ireland, The Cold Cold Ground is what he would have written.” ( The Times, London)
All stars
Most relevant
Enjoyable story, well narrated. Gives a great snapshot of a time and a place. Who'd have been in the RUC? Grim business and an unusual perspective

Lord knows the Troubles I've seen

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I really enjoyed this book, bit frisky in parts but latter books moves away from that.
Performance is let down a tiny bit by mispronounced place names, but if you aren't local to NI, you wouldn't notice at all.

Excellent start to the Sean Duffy series

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This adaptation is very good, the narrator brings the story to life, it really captures the Northern Ireland I know.

Excellent

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I am now totally addicted to Adrian Mckinty's writing and can only hope he keeps writing prolifically.

Wonderful

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This is a brilliant series by one of my favourite writers. Highly recommend you follow Duffy from start to end.

My favourite series

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