Sean Duffy · #7
The Detective Up Late
From New York Times bestselling author Adrian McKinty comes the next thrilling mystery in the Edgar Award-winning Sean Duffy detective series
Slamming the door on the hellscape of 1980s Belfast, Detective Inspector Sean Duffy hopes that the 1990s are going to be better for him and the people of Northern Ireland. As a Catholic cop in the mainly Protestant RUC he still has a target on his back, and with a steady girlfriend and a child the stakes couldn't be higher.
After handling a mercurial triple agent and surviving the riots and bombings and assassination attempts, all Duffy wants to do now is live. But in his final days in charge of Carrickfergus CID, a missing persons report captures his attention. A fifteen-year-old traveler girl has disappeared and no one seems to give a damn about it. Duffy begins to dig and uncovers a disturbing underground of men who seem to know her very well. The deeper he digs the more sinister it all gets. Is finding out the truth worth it if DI Duffy is going to get himself and his colleagues killed? Can he survive one last case before getting himself and his family out over the water?
The series
Amid the foggy streets and tense neighborhoods of 1980s Belfast, the Sean Duffy series immerses readers in a city brimming with secrets, suspicion, and moral complexity. At its heart is a detective navigating not just violent crime, but the invisible pressures of a society divided by politics, religion, and loyalty. Each case is more than a puzzle, it is a collision of personal ethics, institutional corruption, and the everyday realities of life under constant scrutiny.
Read full series description
The series weaves together atmospheric settings, sharp dialogue, and a darkly intelligent humor that illuminates the human cost of violence and the resilience of those who confront it. From unraveling serial murders to chasing elusive conspiracies, the stories explore how ordinary people are shaped and sometimes shattered by extraordinary circumstances. The backdrop of Northern Ireland during the Troubles is not just a historical setting, it shapes every choice, every risk, and every consequence that Duffy faces.
Through meticulous world-building and deeply realized characters, the series balances suspense with insight, making readers feel the tension of each investigation while understanding the weight of history pressing on every street corner. It is a journey into noir-infused crime fiction where the stakes are as psychological as they are procedural, and the atmosphere is thick with uncertainty, danger, and moral ambiguity.
For those drawn to crime novels that combine historical depth, intricate plotting, and psychological tension, the Sean Duffy series delivers an experience that is both gripping and haunting, keeping readers on edge long after the last page is turned.
#0.5 · 2025God's Away on Business 
#1 · 2012The Cold Cold Ground 
#2 · 2013I Hear the Sirens in the Street 
#3 · 2014In the Morning I'll Be Gone 
#4 · 2015Gun Street Girl 
#5 · 2016Rain Dogs 
#6 · 2017Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly 
#7 · 2023The Detective Up Late 
#8 · 2025Hang on St. Christopher 
#9 · 2027Sean Duffy Book 9 Be the first reviewer
Sign in and write the first reader review.
