Rain Dogs: Adrian McKinty 5 STARS
Monday, 15 August 2016
Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
Series: The Troubles, Book 5
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:08/03/2016
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
5 STARS
Source: Own copy
Publishers Summary
Rain Dogs, a stunning instalment in the Sean Duffy thriller series, following the Edgar Award-nominated Gun Street Girl, is "another standout in a superior series" (Booklist).
It's just the same things over and again for Sean Duffy: riot duty, heartbreak, cases he can solve but never get to court. But what detective gets two locked-room mysteries in one career?
When journalist Lily Bigelow is found dead in the courtyard of Carrickfergus castle, it looks like a suicide. Yet there are a few things that bother Duffy just enough to keep the case file open, which is how he finds out that Bigelow was working on a devastating investigation of corruption and abuse at the highest levels of power in the UK and beyond. And so Duffy has two impossible problems on his desk: Who killed Lily Bigelow? And what were they trying to hide?
©2016 Adrian McKinty (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Review
What a great opening chapter! Yes, Duffy is in his riot gear again, but on this day he and his men are detailed to protect a very special visitor. Muhammad Ali is visiting Belfast on his Peace Initiative tour. Thousands turn out to see him, all the bigwigs are there, even little (elevated) Bono is all excited.
Not all are friendly though, the National Front are there shouting their hateful racist bullshite. Then the unthinkable happens, the protectors nightmare; Ali goes walkabout and heads straight for the heckling skinheads! Fearing the worst, his protectors try to get to him, to take him to safety, but then the strangest thing happens …..
His hero now safe, Duffy goes home to Coronation Road where a nasty shock awaits. His lovely Beth, she of the questionable taste in music, but with the razor sharp wit, tells Duffy she is leaving in the morning. He didn't see that coming! He had thought that something which had begun as a temporary arrangement had settled nicely into something more permanent.
Work is an immediate distraction though, Duffy is called out to investigate a petty offence, a wallet stolen from an hotel room, it only contained twenty pounds so hardly called for the attention of an inspector. However, the complainant is a foreign business man , the city needs his investment money, Duffy is told sort it. During his investigation at the hotel Duffy meets up with Financial Times reporter Lily Bigelow, she is there to report on the Finnish business dealings. Hearing the activity she turns up, notebook at the ready, hoping for a story.
Lily is found dead, seemingly she jumped from the Carrickfergus castle. Duffy and his surreptitiously irreverent young sidekick, Lawson, attend. Cause of death appears to be suicide but this changes, not only does Duffy have a murder to solve, it is a Locked Room Murder!
When Lily’s missing notebook is found they discover that she was following up on a tip-off about a potential sex scandal, a well known TV celebrity is involved and gets a visit from the RUC. In fact their investigations require a bit of world travel, stretching the budget to its limits, much to the ire of Dalziel the budget man (pronounced differently to the Dalziel of the Dalziel and Pascoe TV series, who likes to be called “Dee-al”).
Young Alexander Lawson gets a well deserved prominence in this book, I love his wit, and please don’t let anything happen to Crabbie, (McCrabben) my favourite character,
This book is a little different to the others in the series, Duffy seems to be less angst ridden, less tortured by his thoughts, he is still drinking, still toking, but maybe not in such a desperate manner. He seems a little calmer, that is until his Beemer gets nicked, then he gets mad “call Interpol!”.
Luckily a good deed is repaid and his beloved Beemer is returned safe and sound.
As usual, Adrian McKinty gives his readers top value for money with a book filled to bursting with sheer good reading.
Narrator
What can I say about Gerard Doyle that I haven’t said before, there comes a point when the use of too many superlatives sounds a bit ridiculous. Suffice to say he is a magnificent narrator; top of the line; best in the biz; storyteller extraordinaire, well, you catch my drift! …..
This audiobook is my own copy.
Authors Website
To read my review of the first in series The Cold Cold Ground click here
To listen to a sample or purchase: Audible Australia
Audible U.S.
Audible U.K.
