Dead I Well May Be

By: Adrian McKinty

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

"I didn't want to go to America, I didn't want to work for Darkey White. I had my reasons. But I went."

So admits Michael Forsythe, an illegal immigrant escaping the troubles in Belfast, Northern Ireland. But young Michael is strong and fearless and clever, just the fellow to be tapped by Darkey, a crime boss, to join a gang of Irish thugs struggling against the rising Dominican powers in Harlem and the Bronx. The time is pre-Giuliani New York, when crack rules the city, squatters live furtively in ruined buildings, and hundreds are murdered each month. Michael and his lads tumble through the streets, shaking down victims, drinking hard, and fighting for turf, block by bloody block.

Dodgy and observant, not to mention handy with a pistol, Michael is soon anointed by Darkey as his rising star. Meanwhile Michael has very inadvisably seduced Darkey's girl, Bridget, saucy, fickle, and irresistible. Michael worries that he's being followed, that his affair with Bridget will be revealed. He's right to be anxious; when Darkey discovers the affair, he plans a very hard fall for young Michael, a gambit devilish in its guile, murderous in its intent.

But Darkey fails to account for Michael's toughness and ingenuity or the possibility that he might wreak terrible vengeance upon those who would betray him.

A natural storyteller with a gift for dialogue, McKinty introduces to readers a stunning new noir voice, dark and stylish, mythic and violent, complete with an Irish lilt.

Don't miss these other noir thrillers in the Michael Forsythe series: The Dead Yard (Unabridged) and The Bloomsday Dead (Unabridged).©2003 Adrian McKinty (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"A profoundly satisfying book from a major new talent, and one of the best crime fiction debuts of the year." (Booklist)

Enjoyable series

I liked this series and read it in order. The narrator is fabulous.

Excellent, but for the language.

This was an excellent book. It had plot, characters, was read well, and kept the listener connected throughout the book. I would have offered 5 stars, except the language was terrible! The f-word is used over and over, and really adds nothing to the storyline. I guess it was an attempt to make the story more believable. If so, it failed to do that for me.

Without the bad language, this is a 5-star book. As is, 3-star book. Too bad. Sometimes books improve by leaving something to the imagination.

Liked it

I got into McKinty with the Duffy series, which moved a lot quicker for me and I like better than the Forsythe books. Honestly, I went four hours with this book, not really connecting with it. Then it got better. The descriptions of New York are awesome. The narration on this is perfect as in all the other books. If you are first breaking into McKinty, ready Cold Cold Ground first (The trouble trilogy).

A must read series

Both the author and reader are terrific. Make sure you read all three of the series books in order. As good as this one is, they just keep getting better from here.

Good story but overly descriptive

I enjoyed the overall story, but the long-winded single word descriptions get esoteric and superfluous. I understand that they are used to transport the reader into the mind and surroundings of the character, but after a while they stop adding value to the story. They actually break the narrative rhythm. But if you stick to it, this is an enjoyable book. The performance was very good and the Irish accent was done well. This added to my overall enjoyment of the story.