Read during a week in late August 2021.
This was the third book in Belfast born author McKinty's "Troubles Trilogy" featuring the Detective Sean Duffy. I've read the other books in the series this year along with another standalone novel by McKinty.
This was another fantastic crime mystery novel in the series that takes place in the Northern Ireland of the troubles in the 1980's during the British occupation. As usual this one has lots of personal history, betrayals, murder, terrorist bombings and this time it also has an old locked room mystery plot device. Lots of witty dialogue, atmosphere and attitude too.
I've liked the use of music and albums throughout the book to set a scene just as he has done in the other two books in the series. Very effective and of course right up my alley.
I finished this novel today and the very last part of the story was a British agent describing the problems and horrific carnage that was part of ending the sectarian war and pulling out the British troops from Northern Ireland. She went on about the terrible price of peace and the history of Great Britain's pulling back from having an empire. She went on to talk about the terrible bombings as the British left Palestine and the sectarian violence as they left India. Of course there are many more examples of terrorism and violence as Britain ended wars of occupation besides Palestine, India and Northern Ireland.
The book was written in 2014 so there was some hindsight to the long peace process and the violence that went on for decades after the events of this book ended.
What got to me today was seeing all of this play out on the news as the US pulls out of Afghanistan amid terrorist bombings and sectarian violence. I couldn't help getting choked up as I read the final passages in this novel that seemed to be so reflective of today's news. It certainly looks like the warnings were not heeded.
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