With a title taken from a classic Tom Waits song, I eagerly tore into the latest Sean Duffy novel. Throughout HANG ON ST. CHRISTOPHER, Adrian McKinty displays his command of the delightful Irish way of speaking.

I am sure that releasing this book so close to St. Patrick’s Day was not a coincidence, and I just love how McKinty utilizes Irish charm with descriptions like this: “A well-poured pint of Guinness in the well-worn snug at the back of the beautiful Crown Bar, Belfast, is for many people their idea of heaven come to earth.” However, I recognize that this is a gritty police procedural and that Sean Duffy is doing more than just drinking quiet pints of Guinness. He is also solving brutal murders.

"The writing is so authentic and enticing that you cannot help but be drawn in by it. HANG ON ST. CHRISTOPHER is a must read, and I hope that it’s nominated for many awards in 2025."

Duffy is now a part-timer and counting the hours until he can officially retire from the force. So it is quite a surprise when his superior officer reaches out to him with a murder case. It appears that the detective who would have received this assignment is on vacation in Spain. Duffy reluctantly accepts but demands time-and-a-half plus double time for any extra work, as well as the opportunity to call in his mate, Sergeant “Crabbie” McCrabban, to assist under the same agreed-upon remuneration.

Crabbie, another part-timer who has taken more to farming than to detective work, joins Duffy as they investigate a man who seems to have been murdered. Was it a carjacking gone wrong, or was it just made to look that way? The deceased is without any identification, so finding that out will be of the utmost importance. Once they identify the victim as Quentin Townes, they go to his last-known residence. Upon arrival, it becomes apparent that Townes was both an artist and an art dealer. The first thought that crosses Duffy’s mind is that he may have been targeted by an art deal that went bad.

Duffy and Crabbie quickly determine that Townes may not have been who he claimed to be as there is absolutely no record of anyone by that name. There also was a high volume of phone calls made from Townes to a phone booth in Dundalk, which happens to be near the IRA army council HQ. This simple case has just become not only very complicated but also a political nightmare as the setting of 1992 is during the period known as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and any criminal activity involving or supported by the IRA is to be avoided.

Duffy and Crabbie are fearless, and their case grows legs and begins to run. Duffy will find himself in the company of the IRA chief in Dundalk. Townes’ true identity and the reasons behind his death will follow shortly. Duffy is like a bulldog with any case he sinks his teeth into and is not about to give this one up. His tenaciousness will take him across the pond to the US on the heels of a mysterious figure who may hold the answers to the entire situation.

There are not many writers as skilled as Adrian McKinty when it comes to crime thrillers, and I believe he is at his absolute best in this series. The writing is so authentic and enticing that you cannot help but be drawn in by it. HANG ON ST. CHRISTOPHER is a must read, and I hope that it’s nominated for many awards in 2025.