2018 crime, seventh in the Sean Duffy series. As the 1990s dawn,
Sean Duffy just has a bit of paperwork to do before he goes part-time
for good. But he can't ever let it lie…
So that last case is a missing young Traveller woman, and
nobody's terribly interested because that's what they do right, but
Duffy goes all quixotic. Because the author loves him, this comes out
well – though I couldn't help but notice that the case would have been
resolved the same way if he hadn't got involved in the first place
(though a side matter wouldn't have shown up at all).
In the usual Duffy style, there's some initial information, then a
long frustrating pause while nothing seems to make sense, then Duffy
re-interviews people and bullies them until they give up their
secrets. I'm finding him increasingly believable as a character, but
also increasingly unsympathetic, thinking of himself as the cool
dope-smoking jazz-listening dude while he casually destroys suspects'
lives.
Still, I also think I'm not really meant to sympathise with him; he
is after all a fairly rubbish policeman, but at the same time he's the
best possible policeman that the messed-up situation and system in
Northern Ireland can produce. I like to be able to sympathise with
protagonists, but it's no longer a reason to stop reading when I
can't.
It's decent, but after McKinty turned down the chance to end the
series in a relatively stable place after book 6 I find myself out of
sympathy with this book.
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