Hidden River [Audio CD]

Adrian McKinty comes from a small town near Belfast and was brought up during what the Irish call "The Troubles". He has written a novel that sings of the Irish tradition, the Irish Culture and the Irish addiction. How he has come to know all of this is a little bit of a mystery, and in the telling of this story we gain a little bit of knowledge of what is in his head.

Alex, Alexander Lawson, is a junkie, a heroin addict and an ex-detective for the Northern Ireland police force. At a young age he joined the force and was promoted rapidly in to the detective division, until he was asked to resign for stealing the junk he was hired to protect. What is behind this"? Why would such an intelligent young man allow this to happen? Slowly, ever so slowly we come to learn a few of the reasons. Alex is wanted by the MI5- something is fishy in the drug world of Belfast, and the MI5 wants to know more and Alex is their boy. The MI5 frightens Alex; he can't be imprisoned and he needs to flee. Alex finds a ticket to the US in the guise of discovering just how his first girlfriend, Victoria Patawasti was murdered. The murder took place in Denver, Colorado and Alex and his friend, John are off to solve this murder.

One thing after another happens, and Alex becomes involved in an environmental group that Victoria had worked for. There are several interesting people in this group and among them is Amber, the beautiful, blonde wife of one of the owners. But, also, something isn't right in this group, and Alex finds out exactly what the problem is. Within this mess he leaves several dead bodies behind, but makes a friend of Pat, an ex-firefighter who has HIV. Quite a collection of friends has this Alex- some kind, but most of them are dark and well, murderous. Alex is led throughout Colorado and starts to gather evidence that will convict one of the owners of the murder of his friend Victoria. But then something interesting happens, and the killer turns into someone we would never expect. Except we knew this was too black and white- we suspected something was not ok. The drug mess he left in Ireland is explained in several flashbacks and that is how we come to understand. And, yes, well, never mind, read this fast paced, brilliant book for yourself.

Adrian McKinty has found a fan. He writes an intelligent mystery full of little bits of this and that, brilliantly executed and then just when you have it all figured out, BAM- you are wrong. Recommended for everyone who loves a mystery, who loves a sexy, violent novel. Enter at your own risk. prisrob

I really enjoyed this one. There are so many thrillers that I love from the start, but at about the halfway point start worry me. Will the ending live up to the promise of the great beginning? So many never do. So many have endings that are obvious, contrived or just silly. Well, Hidden River has a great ending to go with its terrific beginning. The characters are excellent. Young Irishman Alex Lawson is a former star detective, current junkie who left the force under murky circumstances. He is somehow involved in a big investigation and needs to escape for a while. What gets him out of Ireland is the mysterious murder of an old girlfriend many time zones away in Colorado. Alex is a terrific and charming hero, human, not too macho, funny and endearing. I really enjoyed this well-written thriller, which, as thrillers go, is one of the best I have read in a while. Enjoy this one.

Adrian McKinty is a fantastic writer - - to truly get it, you must listen to the audio book version of Hidden River, it is one of the best audio performance I have ever heard. This one will stay with you long after the first listen.

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