In his debut novel DEAD I WELL MAY BE (2003), McKinty introduces us to Michael Forsythe, a street-smart immigrant from Ireland struggling to make a go of it in New York. Forsythe soon becomes involved with a local crime boss and quickly gets in over his head. McKinty has a knack for tough-guy dialog and prose that puts him on (or near) the front page of modern noir fiction storytellers....
...only to succumb to the underwhelming follow-up THE DEAD YARD (2006). Here we find Forsythe working with the FBI to battle an Irish terrorist cell. The story felt tired from the get-go and never really found its footing. Unlike its predecessor, which pushed the boundaries of the genre, this entry simply fell flat.
The trilogy concluded with THE BLOOMSDAY DEAD (2007). Here we find Forsythe making a quiet life for himself in Peru, only to quickly find himself back on his home turf of Ireland assisting the beautiful Irish mob boss (and former lover), Bridget, locate her missing daughter. An improvement over YARD, but not as strong as the first entry. McKinty definitely shows a sense of place and frequently keeps the reader on their toes as we follow Forsythe into the underbelly of Belfast. No ground is broken telling this tale, but a solid entry and satisfying conclusion.
Overall, the DEAD trilogy comes recommended. The books convey a solid message of revenge, include a protagonist we will follow to the dark end of the street and are told by one of the more prominent noir voices in modern crime fiction today. I have yet to read McKinty's stand-alone books, but will be seeking them out.
Dead I Well May Be: A
The Dead Yard: D
The Bloomsday Dead: B
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