The Cold, Cold Ground, McKinty - B+

                       This absolutely fabulous novel is set in Belfast in 1981. Det. Sgt. Sean Duffy is a rare bird on the RUC: he has a graduate degree in psychology and is Catholic.  His squad catches what appears to be a straight forward case. A serial killer is killing gay men, leaving notes, and provoking Duffy. The team is pleased to work on a matter that doesn't involve the Troubles until it learns that the first victim was high up in the IRA;  indeed he was in charge of internal security. Duffy speaks to various members of the IRA, follows up in the gay community, and extracts information from some of the Ulster paramilitary units. But after coming up empty, he is relieved of the case. He won't let it go, and faces MI-5 and a rogue group of Ulster assassins before matters are resolved. This a a very well done police procedural, but the real value is how in depth and insightful it is on the Troubles, when Belfast was wracked by killings, bombings, fires, strikes, explosions, and virtual outright urban warfare, all driven by centuries-old sectarian hatred. An excellent read.