In the Morning I'll be Gone by Adrian McKinty

Thatcher is due to give a keynote speech … Meanwhile the clock is ticking down to the Conservative Party conference in Brighton in 1984, where Mrs. Sean knows that if he can crack the 'locked-room mystery,' the bigger mystery of Dermot's whereabouts might be revealed to him as a reward. In the course of his investigations Sean discovers a woman who may hold the key to Dermot's whereabouts she herself wants justice for her daughter who died in mysterious circumstances in a pub locked from the inside. Sean Duffy, a conflicted Catholic cop in the Protestant RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary), is recruited by MI5 to hunt down Dermot McCann, an IRA master bomber who has made a daring escape from the notorious Maze prison.

“McKinty’s writing is dark and witty with gritty realism, spot-on dialogue, and fascinating characters.” - Chicago Sun-Times Spock’s “Baby and Child Care’’ for a terrified father-to-be.A Catholic cop tracks an IRA master bomber amidst the sectarian violence of the conflict in Northern Ireland in this pulse-pounding thriller from the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author Adrian McKinty. He shows his compassionate mettle - indelibly so - during an investigative visit to McCann’s mother and sister, and demonstrates an even softer touch by tracking down a copy of Dr. No stranger to violence, Duffy doesn’t suffer fools, but he is always polite to his over-the-fence neighbors, Mrs. He’s a whiz at crossword puzzles - his boss leans on him for clue solutions all the time - is a dab hand at lock-picking, and thanks to his barber, notary public, and neighborhood gossip, Sammy McGuinn, Duffy is hooked on Radio Albania.ĭuffy also has discerning taste in music: He’s partial to Arvo Pärt and Pink Floyd, considers Rimsky Korsakov’s “The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh’’ “good head-clearing music,” keeps a Blind Willie Johnson cassette in his car, and loyally tries to find something to like on Robert Plant’s “Principle of Moments.’’ He is a rare Catholic on a primarily Protestant police force with an appreciative knowledge of Jim Rockford, Kojak, “Star Trek,’’ and “Doctor Who.’’ Because of his dad’s bird-watching obsession, he knows his eider ducks from his rock doves. (Check out a police department’s list of arrested burglars, officially recorded as Michael Mouse, Dick Turpin, and Robin Hood.)Įach book is a solid standalone, but it’s even better to ride the entire trilogy roller coaster with Duffy as your intimate companion.

But it’s not all grit: McKinty’s novels are also shot through with a smart, crackling humor that manages to be both dark and witty.

In the Morning I'll be Gone by Adrian McKinty