3.5 stars rounded up! ⭐️ This is a good addition to the Sean Duffy series, and I love the apocalyptic backstory and anything set during the IRA era is always intriguing for me. The author does a great job building suspense and I love the characterization in this novel. It was definitely a slow burn for me, and I would have liked a faster pace, but overall, it was a solid book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC.

I absolutely love Adrian McKintys writing style.
His characters and plots are well planned and executed.
I do wish I had checked that this was part of a series because I think I’ would have liked to read in order.
Really liked the backdrop of Ireland

I've gotta be honest, I requested this book on the wrong assumption that it would've been the latest from powerhouse thriller writer Adrian KcKinty. Imagine my surprise when I was granted access only to discover that not only was Thai not the latest offering from the much-lauded creator orlf The Chain and The Island, but that it was the second book in an older series.

I know: my bad, my bad... B having said all this, past the 30% mark and having over one my initial disappointment, the book is slowly picking up speed and dragging me in its mad dash across the border between England and Ireland. The voice of the narrator is doing a brilliant job of immersing me in the period and the local area.

Thank you Netgalley for this ALC.

Longtime reader and listener to the Sean Duffy series. So excited that even though Sean Duffy had allegedly worked his last case in The Detective Up Late, he has returned!

Love the narration by Gerald Doyle, who has narrated this series to date. Please never change this! To me, he is Sean Duffy, he’s the voice I hear in my head when I read the books!

Love the writing of Adrian McKinty. His writing sets the scene, it takes me to a time and place (1990’s Northern Ireland) that I only visit in these stories.

Hang On St Christopher (Sean Duffy series, book 8) has DI Sean Duffy returning for just one more case… It’s early 1990’s and he’s semi retired, now a part time reserve working 6 days month only for a short time to get a pension. On 6 days a month you can’t do case work with that schedule, you mostly do paperwork. However when there’s a murder and the head of Carrickfergus CID is on holidays, he suddenly finds himself heading up a murder case. A case that turns out to be the murder of an IRA hitman. It’s Duffy’s case, so he’ll get to the bottom of it with a combination of team work and going lone wolf, his impeccable instincts don’t let him down. It also draws him and his team into more danger as they get closer to the truth.

Hang on St. Christopher by Adrian McKinty follows Detective Inspector Sean Duffy, who has relocated to Scotland with his common law wife and young child. He now only works six days a month in Belfast, Duffy is getting to that age where he is too young to retire and too old to be a detective, but he misses it. During one of his brief stints back on duty, Duffy is assigned to investigate the murder of an artist in a carjacking gone wrong. His first challenge is to identify the victim, which he does through clues like a tailored suit and Picasso prints. As the investigation progresses, Duffy uncovers the shocking truth: the artist's death was deliberate. The key question becomes who killed this IRA assassin and why?

This is the eighth installment in the Sean Duffy series, and it stands out from its predecessors.I feel like every single installment of this series just gets better. The plot unfolds in unexpected ways, taking the reader across multiple countries, and the conclusion particularly impressed me. McKinty offers a detailed depiction of police work during The Troubles, including the complex dynamics between rival law enforcement agencies and the cross-border operations that were a part of the time. Duffy’s routine is also shaped by the constant threat of violence, as he checks under his car for bombs each time he gets in. The fast-paced narrative kept me hooked from start to finish.

I cant tell you the amount of times I stopped to laugh out loud and then pick right back up in the story. loved it!!

Hang On St Christopher by Adrian McKinty was my first book I’ve read in this series but I enjoyed it. It is a fast paced mystery and kept my attention the entire time. I enjoyed the main character’s wit and humor and the narrator did a great job as well. This book definitely makes me want to go back and read the previous books in this series that come before this one.

"This is Duffy's most violent and dangerous case yet and the whole future of the burgeoning "peace process" may depend upon it. Based on true events, Duffy must unentangle parallel operations by the CIA, MI5 and Special Branch. Duffy attempts to bring a killer to justice while trying to keep himself and his team alive as everything unravels around them. They might not all make it out of this one."

I've read the other Sean Duffy novels, and I always look forward to a new one. Hang on St. Christopher does not disappoint, as part timer Duffy and crew are thrust back into the still deadly Troubles in 1992. Duffy doesn't NEED to be involved in the cases, but like a dog with a bone, he just can't let go. This is an era of the Troubles I actually remember, as opposed to some of the earlier novels, so I found it particularly interesting. Duffy's still an arrogant ass, but he gets the job done, as always.

Gerard Doyle provides fantastic narration, again. Wouldn't want to listen to the audiobooks without him!

I received a free audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I have previously read Adrian McKinty's "The Island" and "Belfast Noir" which Mckinty edited and was a contributor; however, I had not read any of his Sean Duffy series. There are several series where I have inadvertently jumped in the middle of (most notably Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley series) where the story is so well drawn that you do not need to have read the prior books to enjoy the one your are in, but does entice you to go back and read the series from the beginning. "Hang on St. Christopher, is one of those book.

Set in the waning days of "The Troubles" in Norther Ireland, the semi-retired Duffy is drawn into a investigating a car-jacking that ended in murder. A mash-up of police-procedural and spy novel, provides a harrowing ride through Belfast and beyond, where being a police officer is no guarantee for safety, with Duffy constantly checking his car for "mercury-tilt-switch" bombs.

I definitely need to go back and start at the beginning with Sean Duffy!

4.5 stars.

I read a lot of books that make me stop and jot down some poignant thing the author wrote, but Sean Duffy is the only character I will stop, laugh, and write down his truly spectacular insults. The references to pop culture from my younger years is always fun., too. The fun of these books break up the serious cases and danger Duffy gets himself into, the trouble he causes and the badass ways he deals with bad guys. I really love this series!

I have to mention how great the narrator is, because he has brought Duffy to life for me over the years and I cannot imagine any other voice handling it so well. Superb job.

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone publishing for this audiobook arc!! This was such a fast paced twisty thriller that kept me glued. I love audiobooks that engage the audience and this audio did that exactly. The accent and tone delivery for this book was an immense reading experience I enjoyed!

Detective Inspector Sean Duffy has moved to Scotland with his girlfriend and their young child. He now works in Belfast only 6 days a month, just so he can earn his pension. (It seems odd that such a work arrangement is permitted, for continuity reasons, but I’ll buy it for plot purposes.). During his most recent stint on duty, an artist is killed in a carjacking and Duffy is assigned to the case. The first challenge is identifying the victim. I enjoyed the way that the identity was traced through a bespoke suit and some Picasso prints. It turned out that the victim’s death was intentional. Duffy had to find out who had killed an IRA assassin, and why. But his 6 days had to keep getting extended.

This is the 8th book in the Duffy series. I read the first 2 books in the series and thought that they were just OK, but I liked this one much more. The plot took unexpected turns (through several countries) and I particularly liked how the book ended. The book gave details of police work during The Troubles, including competing law enforcement agencies and cross-border investigations. (Duffy had to check for a bomb under his car each time he entered it.) The book was fast paced and held my interest throughout. The narrator of the audiobook did a good job, although I occasionally struggled with his Irish accent.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.

Loved this. Hang on St. Christopher
by Adrian McKinty was well written and entertaining. I thought it was cleverly narrated by Gerald Doyle, he brought a lot to the story and I highly recommend listening to this one. I loved Sean Duffy and his wit and sarcasm. The pace was perfect and I enjoyed everything about it. It had a good balance of mystery, humor and suspense.
Thanks Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley.