The Detective Up Late

By: Adrian McKinty

Publish Date: 8 August 2023

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

General Fiction (Adult)/ Mystery and Thrillers

#TheDetectiveUpLate#NetGalley

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

Book Review:

This is not going to be a normal review. I need to pay closer attention to what I request because I didn’t fully read the description and just requested the book because of the author. This is the seventh book in the series that I have never read before and don’t intend to read. I did give it a chance, but I was so lost that I decided to stop reading it.

This has nothing to do with the story line or the writing. In this series you really need to read it from the beginning and not get the last book and start reading.

I was so excited to see that he had another book out and I requested it thinking it was one of his stands alone like The Chain and The Island. I will gladly read and review one of those.

Please give this author a try and if you are interested in this book,

please start with book one so you are not completely lost like I was.

Finally, Adrian McKinty’s seventh Sean Duffy novel, The Detective Up Late, has been published, and with it, he continues offering up interesting tales involving his sarcastically witty, though increasingly wizened detective.

As the 1980s tumble into the 1990s, It is a new decade, and with this change, Duffy is hoping for a calmer future, especially while facing changes of his own as he tries to solve the case of a missing and presumed dead young woman who many seem not to care whether it is solved or not.

With the onset of the new decade, McKinty brings along Duffy’s usual co-stars, especially his loyal number two ‘Crabbie’, and weaves a story where Duffy is still cautious when it comes to bombs beneath his vehicle and the possibility of the eruption of new violence.

Not much else needs to be revealed about The Detective Up Late for mainly two reasons. For one, the potential for spoilers is too easy (I won’t even reveal what my first impression was upon reading the first few pages, because that in and of itself would require a spoiler), and secondly, I don’t think Adrian McKinty can publish a novel that is not well done.

The Detective Up Late continues McKinty’s streak of enjoyable storytelling while easily maintaining interest in the Duffy character.

On a related note, fans of the Duffy series are also encouraged to not only read his other non-Duffy novels, but also, familiarize themselves with the compelling writing history of McKinty and how a blurb for his novel The Chain by fellow writer Don Winslow lead to a larger interest, and most likely rescued McKinty from the need to continue driving an Uber.

The Detective Up Light is highly recommended to all fans of gritty tales and smart mouthed detectives, especially those based within Ireland and Europe.

An ARC of The Detective Up Late was provided by Netgalley upon the promise of a fair review and is available for purchase.

Six years after his last Sean Duffy book, Adrian McKinty’s seventh book of the series, The Detective Up Late (2023) has been published. The Catholic detective in the Belfast police force during The Troubles returns and it’s the beginning of a new decade. It may be 1990 but life in Northern Ireland is much the same, as a teenage Tinker has disappeared and the police aren’t that bothered. Sean is ordered to clear the case quickly before he moves to Scotland in a part-time reservist police role. Sean is not convinced Tinker has run away and investigates, determined to find the truth despite his boss’s complaints of a budget overrun. As Sean and the team dig deeper, they find numerous suspects but no victim in an intriguing case that Sean will not let go of. With typical McKinty suspense, humour and historical references, comes another riveting crime tale. A masterful storyteller who captures the atmospherics of the times, comes a most welcome Sean Duffy tale with a five stars must-read rating. There is no doubt this novel would make a fine standalone police procedural that will ignite the inevitable necessity to enjoy all the books in this classic historic crime fiction series. With many thanks to Blackstone Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
It took me a little bit to get into this but once I was, I flew through it. You don’t have to read the rest of the series, neither did I. It’s a quick read with continuous suspense. I love a good detective and Sean Duffy definitely is one. We slowly got to know Kat to uncover the truth. It’s addictively written and I finished it in one sitting.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Short chapters
Detectives
Continuous suspense
Quick read

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘰𝘧 1980𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 1990𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘐𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘈𝘴 𝘢 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘰𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘙𝘜𝘊 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘋𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘐𝘋, 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘈 𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯-𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳-𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘋𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴. 𝘐𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘋𝘐 𝘋𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥? 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳?

Another Sean Duffy adventure from Adrian McKinty. Anyone need some Holy Water? A great story, and I love the mental dialogue of Sean Duffy. There some great snarky quips all throughout the story, when you least expect it, and it snaps you out of the seriousness of the story and makes you stop for just long to smirk, then get on with the story. I could keep reading Sean Duffy until I die. Adrian’s history in Ireland takes an American reader away into a land you don’t know, into a character you can relate to. If you haven’t read his Sean Duffy series, you should start at book one and work your way to now.

EXCERPT: The alarm bells were ringing now. Ringing for both of us.
We knew how these things went most of the time. A teenage girl goes missing. One day, two days, no trace of her anywhere and then on that third day she shows up. She's at a friend's house, she's at a boyfriend's, she's with her estranged father. This was a surprisingly common narrative. Maybe got three or four of those a month. A million reasons for it: domestic abuse, kid growing out the nest, a row with her mum, a row with a sibling, a row with her dad, guilt over some minor infraction of the social norms, a boy at the back of it . . . Like I say, three or four of those a month.
But a prostitute going missing? A teen prostitute?
That was another kettle of fish.
That was never good.
That was front page of The News of the World stuff.
Alarm bloody bells.

ABOUT 'THE DETECTIVE UP LATE': It’s the dawn of the new decade, and Detective Inspector Sean Duffy is more than happy to slam the door on the grisly ’80s, clinging to the hope that the ’90s might prove more peaceful for the people of Belfast. Duffy looks forward to embarking on his own personal new chapter, spending more time with his longtime partner, Beth, and daughter, Emma, as he switches to being a part-timer at the Carrickfergus RUC.

Before Duffy can shift gears though, a missing person report captures his attention. A fifteen-year-old girl from a seedy local caravan park has vanished without a trace. Duffy’s sense that this is more than a case of a teenage runaway is soon confirmed as he uncovers a network of lurid middle-aged men closely connected with the girl. Fearing that every second lost could mean the case remaining unsolved, Duffy urgently tries to uncover what happened to the girl—while simultaneously having to manage a mercurial triple agent. This final case for Detective Duffy looms more dangerous and twisted than anyone had first expected.

MY THOUGHTS: Sean Duffy, I have missed you. It seems like forever since #6, 'Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly' was published. Indeed, it was 2017. Mr McKinty, I know you have been busy writing other books, but I really need a regular fix of Sean Duffy, otherwise I tend to get a wee bit tetchy. Not that I don't love your other books - I do - but I love Sean Duffy more. I read I checked under the Beemer for bombs, but she was clean. or some variation, and all is right in my world again.

So, it's 1990. Believe it pal. Forget the rain. Forget the weather cos the future's coming. The future was a silver light. The smell in the air was change. Before year's end, Thatcher will be gone, the Soviet Union will be on its last legs, Germany will be one country, not two. Iraq's about to invade our consciousnesses and a rich kid called Osama Bin Laden is going to start a jihad to rid Saudi Arabia of the infidel.

And it's Sean Duffy's last case as a full time D.I.

And he's moving to Shortbread Land. (Duffy's term, not mine.)

Change is certainly afoot, but first he has one last case to solve, and a jittery spy to placate.

McKinty, as always, writes with a black humor that has me snorting out loud at the most inopportune times. He writes with passion, with confidence, and imbues his characters with acres of personality and their own particular offbeat charm. His dialogue is superbly rich, his settings full of accuracy and atmosphere. I simply Hoover up his words, desperate for my fix, but not wanting to get to the end of the book anytime soon.

I simply can't imagine Sean Duffy not being a detective. Which he won't be in his new part time role. Not that I think that will stop him because detecting is in his blood. It's what he does. It's like breathing to him. So, while I am waiting for #8, I will simply start this wonderful series again, from the beginning.

My favorite line: Getting a morality lesson from you two is like getting sensitivity training from Himmler.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TheDetectiveUpLate #NetGalley

I: #adrianmckinty @blackstonepublishing

X: @adrianmckinty @Blackstonepubl1

#crime #detectivefiction #friendship #irishfiction #mystery #suspense #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Adrian McKinty is an Irish novelist. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Victoria Council Estate, Carrickfergus, County Antrim. He read law at the University of Warwick and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford. He moved to the United States in the early 1990s, living first in Harlem, New York and from 2001 on, in Denver, Colorado, where he taught high school English and began writing fiction. He lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Detective Up Late by Adrian McKinty for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

This book was provided to me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, here it is :
I discovered the Sean Duffy series a few years ago, an interesting story of a Catholic cop in the Belfast RUC during the Troubles.
This is what I might call a historical series, the action started in the 1970s and this last volume (not the final one, I hope) is located in the early 1990's.
What I love in here ? The action, with such a rich historical background. The characters, Catholic and Protestant, all so very good, bad, and credible. Sean Duffy's love of music, arts, literature and so on - so much that you wonder what the hell is he doing in the police ?! Except that he loves justice, even if he's not your perfect straight cop, but just a human being with (sometimes) a lousy sense of humour.
But mostly, he's human and when a Traveller girl is missing, he'll do his best - and worst - to find out what became of her, even when nobody gives a damn about her.
It's such a great series. I'm a librarian and loved it so much that I bought it for the library I work in and was rewarded when people came to borrow it specifically. This latest (not final, I hope !) is really catchy - I stayed up very late to finish it even if I was not supposed to and believe me, it was hard, but worth it.
However, I have to say I didn't read the previous book, but I will. It didn't keep me from understanding it all so I guess everyone can jump in and catch up later.
Very recommended !

Book 7 in Adrian McKinty's Sean Duffy series takes the reader to Ireland, 1990. A missing traveller teenager sets Duffy and his co-workers on a hunt for a killer, while also dealing with some of what it means to be police in this country at this time.

While I have not read any other installment in this series, the voice of the detective (the entire book is written from inside his head) is clear. While at times I did not understand all of the historical references, the feeling of living inside this time and place comes across clearly. The mystery was interesting, as was the other things that happened while Duffy tries to close out his last case.

Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for my review copy.

The Detective Up Late by Adrian McKinty was a very enjoyable story.
I’ve not read the five previous titles in the series but now I’m going to.
The story was extremely atmospheric and didn't let go from the start of the action to the very last page.
This was a very good and well written read. A quick easy read. The characters were well developed and kept me entertained.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Another fine volume in this seri3s/. Mayb3 not as eventful as some of the others but a fitting ending. Wish more authors would know when to end a series.

Life got busy for me so I didn’t get to finish this book- but I had my amazing mom read the whole book for me! Haha and These are her thoughts…
”Overall this was enjoyable. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. A lot of informative content about Ireland and past events there which was interesting. I’d give it a solid 3.5 stars. This book was the first I read in the series and I think it’s fine as a stand alone, I did not feel like I was missing any character information by not starting at the top of the series. I enjoy his style of writing a lot too- my first book from him was The Island just fyi. I’m intrigued what’s next for Sean Duffy!”

<i>“Back to the station through the devastated streets. Past bomb sites turned into parking lots and derelict buildings and huge craters brimming with rainwater. I’m being watched by men in doors and alleyways. A peeler on his own. A tempting target. Death is close here.”</i>

The Detective Up Late is the 7th book in the Sean Duffy series. It’s set in Belfast in 1990 and it follows on quite soon after the events of Police At the Station And They Don’t Look Friendly. Duffy continues to demonstrate that he’s far from your standard peeler with his unconventional methods, sardonic wit and razor sharp mind.

<i>“I’d be forty in a little over a year and forty in Northern Ireland years was fifty everywhere else, and forty in Northern Irish-policeman years was sixty. And I was a Catholic policeman, so you can do that arithmetic yourself.”</i>

But his time in the RUC is almost up and he’s preparing to move himself, his wife and daughter to Scotland, finally agreeing that remaining in Belfast is too dangerous. But he’s staying on to finish the case he’s currently working on, passing on his wisdom and his wiles to Lawson, the man who would soon replace him.

<i>“Patience - that’s what a good copper needs. Patience in following up all the leads, patience in running through the hordes of data, patience in talking to the general public when most of them are eejits and wankers.” </i>

Kat McAtamney has gone missing in the days leading up to the new year. She’s only 15, but because she’s a Traveller there has been no urgency in looking for her. Duffy takes on the case with alacrity.

Although others believe that the case is a simple runaway because she had disappeared before, Duffy’s not having it and his doggedness is rewarded when he unearths a string of men she regularly met with. Any of these blokes could have been responsible for her disappearance or could at least provide him with information. But there’s no such thing as a straightforward missing child case and everyone’s proving tight-lipped.

Then the shooting starts and Duffy’s last Belfast case starts to look like it could jeopardise his retirement plans. He’s a fighter and always seems to come up with a plan that will squeak him through just about any scrape.

<i>“I slipped my fist into the knuckleduster. Look away now if you think Sean Duffy is the decent man who fights fair. He doesn’t fight fair. He fights very fucking unfair.”</i>

As far as the mystery itself goes, what starts out as a pretty standard type of missing person / murder case becomes a more substantial whodunnit. With a number of possible suspects, it very much becomes a game of eeny-meeny-miney-mo to challenge us into figuring out who’s guilty.

As with the previous books in the series, McKinty manages to draw you right into the story with a writing style that is both descriptive and evocative, yet sparse and direct. The plotting is tight and the characters are brought to life with a simple accented phrase that manages to place them perfectly. The tone is bang on and the dialogue perfectly defines the personality of each successive character Duffy meets.

This is more than a simple missing persons case that allows a bunch of coppers to go through their procedural pacings. There are moments of deeper introspection and reflection interspersed with some insightful commentary on societal norms, wry humour used to good effect at regular intervals. Slower, methodical moments of detective work are tempered by flashes of sparkling action to keep the pulse-rate high.

Yet another outstanding entry in the Sean Duffy series to cement Adrian McKinty as one of the finest exponents of the crime fiction genre.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were well developed and the story was engaging. I recommend that others try this book as well. Well done!

New Year's Eve 1989, Northern Ireland is ready to put the bloody decade behind them. Detective Inspector Sean Duffy is among them. Duffy is retiring and moving his family to Scotland due to the constant threat to their lives. He's looking forward to the future and seeing what life has in store for them. When a 15-year old Traveller girl goes missing, no one seems to care. Duffy seems to be of the mind, "everyone matters or no one matters". As Duffy, along with Lawson and McCrabban, begin poking around and asking questions, they start to believe the case is about much more than a missing Traveller girl. The deeper they delve into the her disappearance, the more abhorrent and dangerous it becomes.

I became aware of Adrian McKinty through his last two books, The Chain and The Island, so this was my first time meeting Sean Duffy. I admittedly don't know a whole lot about The Troubles other than two groups of people didn't like each other. Duffy checking his car for bombs each time he drove really showcases how dangerous of a time it was. McKinty's ability to put you on the streets of Belfast is visceral, and at times, unnerving and leaves you feeling dirty.

I really liked Duffy's whole vibe. Not your usual detective. The sarcasm, wit and inner monologue really lets the reader get to know Duffy. It helped me connect with Duffy almost immediately. Not having been to Northern Ireland I found the atmosphere and mood of the book endless fascinating. I'm looking forward to diving into the earlier Duffy books.

The Detective Up Late is a fantastic police procedural and I can't recommend it enough!

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Detective Up Late.

On New Year’s Day 1990 Sean Duffy is on holiday with his partner Beth in Israel and looking forward to the new decade. After the dangers of working for Carrickfergus RUC in Belfast during the 80s, he’s decided it’s time to move on with his life and keep Beth and his young daughter Emma safe. On his return to Belfast he will move Beth and Emma to the house they’ve bought in Portpatrick in Scotland, then finish his last case as Head of CID and become a part timer for the next three and a half years so he can complete 20 years of service and retire. He’ll still be the minder for John Strong, a paranoid informer who defected from the IRA, but he'll only have to work seven days per month, so the two hour commute by ferry to Belfast won’t be too onerous.

Since he expects to be firmly planted behind a desk once he moves to part time, Sean is determined to solve what he refers to as ‘Duffy’s last case’. A 15 year old girl, Kat McAtamney, from a Traveller family has disappeared, but no one was taking the case too seriously until her car was found in the river. No body was found inside the car, but with the doors open and the rough high tides, she could have been swept out to sea.

Investigating further with his colleagues Crabbie and Lawson, Sean discovers Kat had a photoshoot with a photographer who put her in touch with three older men looking for a ‘girlfriend experience’ with a younger woman and has a strong feeling one of these men is not who they seem to be. He knows he’s on to something when the case escalates to a point where Duffy, Crabbie and Lawson are set up and targeted by a group of hitmen in an abandoned building.

This is the seventh novel in this acclaimed series and a very fine addition it is too. In keeping with the tradition with the rest of the series, the title derives from a Tom Waites song, ‘Bad as Me’ and fits perfectly. McKinty’s trademark dark sense of humour and sarcasm pervades the novel, as does his eclectic tastes in music, literature and film, which he uses to colour Duffy’s speech and tastes. Duffy’s cynical and unconventional approach to policing is what has kept him and his colleagues alive so far. Even though the times are safer, he still carries out his ritual daily check of the underside of his car for bombs, a habit that will persist, even when he is staying in Scotland.

Superbly written and tightly plotted, this is suspenseful and atmospheric with moments of very high tension action. Throughout the series, the character development has also been very strong, especially for Duffy who we’ve seen change from a young, reckless young man to a more mature, more responsible version, but still with his strong sense of justice. Duffy’s faithful colleagues ‘Crabbie’ McCrabban and Lawson are also moving on. Crabbie into part time retirement so he’ll have more time for his farm and Lawson to step up into Duffy’s shoes, something he’s not quite come to terms with yet.

Although two further novels in the series are promised, this finished on the perfect note to allow Duffy to move into a new decade and on to the next phase of his life and leaves the reader wondering if Duffy how much Duffy will change once he’s no longer living a high tension life on the mean streets of Belfast.

With thanks to Blackstone Publishing via Netgalley for a copy to read.

After loving THE CHAIN and being only so-so about THE ISLAND, I was interested to see where I would shake out here. Let me start by saying I haven't read anything else in the Sean Duffy series, but I still found this one quite enjoyable. On top of the engaging main storyline, I really loved all the art and music references. They were a pleasant surprise. It seems fans of this series are all rating this book very highly so I'm happy to say as a newbie, I agree. I will definitely seek out more Sean Duffy in the future.

Most people know Adrian McKinty from his 2019 best-seller The Chain. But I've always been a fan of an older series he wrote, police procedurals set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles featuring world-weary Sean Duffy of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

Duffy is back in The Detective Up Late, set in 1990. The Troubles seem – at long last – on the wane, though Duffy still checks under the car for mercury tilt bombs. (The Good Friday peace accord was reached in 1998.) Duffy is ready to step away from full-time policing. He's decided to work part-time in Ulster a few days a month, long enough to earn his pension, but he's moving to Scotland with his partner and young daughter.

Before he can leave, though, a missing persons case catches his interest. A 15-year-old girl has gone missing, and no one seems very interested. Perhaps that's because she's a Traveller – a member of an itinerant community that often faces discrimination.

As is always the case in Duffy novels, nothing is as simple as it seems. Duffy solves the case, but only after several twists and turns and a few vodka gimlets.

The plots of the Duffy novels are always inventive, the solutions never too obvious nor too out of left field. The real pleasure of the books are the indelible characters and sheer joy of reading McKinty's writing.

If you'd rather listen than read, the audiobooks (read by Gerard Doyle) are an absolute delight.

Folks around the Carrickfergus station label the missing teen "Duffy's last case." Dare we hope it's not?

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

This story was interesting with lots of history and references to the political unrest in Northern Ireland during the 80’s and early 90’s. I didn’t like the Sean Duffy character even though I assume he was representative of the times. Since I’m not familiar with the area, it was a little hard to follow where he was going in my head but I was able to find them on a map – Google can be a pretty amazing resource!

Sean Duffy and his last case. An intriguing case of a young woman gone missing just as Duffy is ready to retire to his part time status. Not inclined to leave a case unfinished, he doggedly pursues the minimal leads and by the end has solved her “ murder” found a spy and assaulted a neighbor.
Reads like a real homicide detectives life along with the ups and downs of moving house whilst following leads and being shot at.
An altogether intriguing and action packed novel.
I recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.

Sean Duffy is back with a case that has unexpected and dangerous ramifications for him. It's a sordid tale of a missing girl and those around her...lurid.

Adrian McKinty is a fantastic writer and I've read just about everything he's written. Detective Up Late does not disappoint