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emckeon1002's review against another edition
4.0
Petty criminal Michael Forsyth becomes the anti-hero who can't be defeated, in this second of a series following the paripatetic Belfast exile. What begins in Spain, ends in Maine, with a sojurn in Northern, Mass, and the fleeting New Hampshire coast. Credibility may be stretched thin, but it's difficult to put a McKinty novel down.
sandin954's review against another edition
5.0
Well written but very violent. Michael Forsythe is coerced into infiltrating an IRA cell in Boston that seems to have a bunch of misfits and rejects as members. Listened to the audio version which was narrated by Gerard Doyle who was excellent.
shaughnp26's review against another edition
3.0
I had read the entire Sean Duffy series first then wanted to go back and check out the earlier books by this author. This series is much more violent than the other series. This one is set in my state of Massachusetts (north shore) and Maine. That was interesting, but I do prefer the books he writes that are set in Ireland. I did appreciate some of the details of the North Shore (greenhead flies on Plum Island) I don't think I will continue with the series as I found them a bit too violent and graphic for my taste. Once again the narration by Gerard Doyle is exceptional!
essjay2023's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Some fairly implausible situations as our one legged friend chases an Irish terror cell single-handedly, (and also gets the girls).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
myrdyr's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this one more than the last one. He stayed on track and didn't ramble on.
stacy08's review against another edition
5.0
Interesting concept, telling you what will happen at the beginning of the chapter then telling how it happened. Somehow I was always surprised, even though I knew what was coming. Actually was listening to this as I cleaned and raked leaves. I had to find more work so I could keep on listing, didn't want to stop.
bgg616's review against another edition
4.0
Adrian Mc Kinty writes very good thrillers, though this character isn't my favorite of his, he promises a lot of action. This book is set in and around Boston - The North Shore. Despite the geographical, and cultural gaffs, I found this an enjoyable and entertaining listen. Michael Forsythe is working undercover for British Intelligence and the FBI trying to infiltrate a small American group that supports IRA splinter groups.
I was annoyed by some gaffs which revealed ignorance of the local culture - always a risk for anyone writing a book set in a specific place. Three come to mind - when in Revere, miles north of Boston, a reference is made to the Back Bay as if it's close by (it's not). One character talking about baseball probably makes the biggest gaffs from the perspective of a Red Sox fan. A true Red Sox fan would find it hard to talk about the team from NY, as anything but the MF Yankees (this book is set in the 90's not after the Red Sox finally won the World Series in 2004). I still often refer to them as "the team that shall not be named" (references to Harry Potter) or the team from NY. The third gaff was a language error. For some reason, when the characters are on their way to rob a bank they have to stop and buy ice cream cones. The one buying the ice cream insists they must have sprinkles on them. Pleezzzz - these are NEVER called sprinkles anywhere in eastern Massachusetts at least not in the 1990's. They are JIMMIES:
http://www.thedialectdictionary.com/view/country/Boston/7388/
I am editing this to add in my research on the term, I discovered, they character gets chocolate 'sprinkles' which are jimmies, and was asked to get sprinkles which are multi-colored. This may have been the author's point though it'd help to include that if he's going to have the whole ice cream episode.
I was annoyed by some gaffs which revealed ignorance of the local culture - always a risk for anyone writing a book set in a specific place. Three come to mind - when in Revere, miles north of Boston, a reference is made to the Back Bay as if it's close by (it's not). One character talking about baseball probably makes the biggest gaffs from the perspective of a Red Sox fan. A true Red Sox fan would find it hard to talk about the team from NY, as anything but the MF Yankees (this book is set in the 90's not after the Red Sox finally won the World Series in 2004). I still often refer to them as "the team that shall not be named" (references to Harry Potter) or the team from NY. The third gaff was a language error. For some reason, when the characters are on their way to rob a bank they have to stop and buy ice cream cones. The one buying the ice cream insists they must have sprinkles on them. Pleezzzz - these are NEVER called sprinkles anywhere in eastern Massachusetts at least not in the 1990's. They are JIMMIES:
http://www.thedialectdictionary.com/view/country/Boston/7388/
I am editing this to add in my research on the term, I discovered, they character gets chocolate 'sprinkles' which are jimmies, and was asked to get sprinkles which are multi-colored. This may have been the author's point though it'd help to include that if he's going to have the whole ice cream episode.
dustin_o's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
mizbee's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't like this one as much as the first in the series. Female characters merely "love interests", annoyingly shallow.