Belfast, 1980, is the apocalypse. Bombings, riots, army on the streets, low flying helicopters, and ever-present rain. The grinding Northern Irish civil war between Protestants and Catholics has been going for a decade now. Hated by both sides are the police.
Sean Duffy Year 1 takes us into that world. Newly promoted Detective Sergeant Sean Duffy is given his first command at Carrickfergus CID.
In this prequel novella, McKinty takes listeners through Duffy’s first two weeks on the job. A case to solve and a chance to impress his bosses, if, of course, he can get out of it alive.
God's Away on Business, Adrian McKinty
An audio short story (1 hour and 39 minutes in length), this is tagged as "Sean Duffy Year 1", taking the reader back to the time when newly promoted DS Sean Duffy is given his first command at Carrickfergus CID. For followers of the entire series this short, sharp belt to the head of a story will give you plenty of background to the ongoing battleground - how he ended up at Carrickfergus, a Catholic cop living in a mostly Protestant housing estate, spending his days chasing criminals and his morning's checking under his car for bomb switches.
The entire story is set within the first two weeks of Duffy's time on the new job. He's got a case to solve, a violent neighbour to sort out, a blazing inferno to douse, and a new house to be settled into. All the while being warned of where he, as a Catholic cop, should be wary of going, and his housing estate is one of the first places everyone warns him about.
The narrator of this, Gerard Doyle, was a pleasure to listen to, the little bits of background to the Irish Troubles and how that all played out in day to day life were really informative, and the story rocks along at a solid pace. There's plenty here to show how the character of Sean Duffy played out - little bit of bravado, big bit of cheek and a survival instinct second to none.