In the Morning I'll Be Gone: A Detective Sean Duffy Novel (The Troubles Trilogy)
*Starred Review* After an unfortunate bit of political tangling (I Hear the Sirens in the Street, 2013), Royal Ulster Constabulary detective Sean Duffy has been demoted, and his superiors are primed to cut him from the force. Duffy’s fortune shifts when an IRA breakout from the Maze prison destroys a relatively quiet period in Belfast’s urban war. Dermot McCann, an IRA leader, explosives expert, and Sean’s childhood friend, is among the escapees. So it’s only mildly surprising when MI5 approaches Sean, promising to restore his good favor in the RUC if he can find McCann. When Sean tracks down McCann’s ex-wife, he shakes loose the glimmer of a lead. Mary Fitzpatrick, McCann’s former mother-in-law, pledges to reveal McCann’s location if Sean can solve the locked-room mystery surrounding her youngest daughter’s death. She’s convinced that Lizzie was murdered, but the evidence leans heavily toward an accident and even Sean’s sharp wit and nimble reasoning can’t keep the case from stalling. This powerful conclusion to the Troubles trilogy is guaranteed to leave readers wondering what particular brand of authorial sadism motivated McKinty to abbreviate this full-sensory tour of 1980s Belfast with only a trilogy. The Troubles’ first two novels were exceptionally smart police procedurals, and McKinty applies the same expertise here, contrasting a classic locked-room puzzle with the gritty, violent Belfast backdrop. --Christine Tran