And what of crime novels set in the North?

Northern Ireland that is? I mentioned earlier in the week that I’d read some of Adrian McKinty’s Sean Duffy series – Rain Dogs. This is centred on a Catholic detective sergeant in the RUC. It’s an interesting read for many reasons, not least one keeps wondering just what life was like for Catholic members of that force – it’s staggering at this remove to see just how few were in it at the time (and the PSNI albeit with problems does represent a break with that numerically). There’s a genuine camaraderie in it and difficult not to disagree that that would emerge, but how did matters function day to day, minute to minute? Did one integrate fully with the force or stand a little apart or some point between those? Or somewhere else? As I noted in that post I was bemused by it – there’s a lot less sense of confliction than I’d have expected for a force that itself was so controversial that the British themselves had to oversee its disbanding and the establishment of a successor. Perhaps this is dealt with in earlier instalments.

It’s not a direct history, for example in the first I read the Stone Roses are said to play Belfast, they did indeed but a year later than given in the book – there’s mention of a possible ‘anonymous’ SF MP as a suspect in something very unpleasant indeed but given there was only one SF MP full stop at the time that seems either mean spirited or an effort to gain some nominal balance with an equally anonymous ‘Official’ Unionist MP (the author has commented on Amazon that the work is fiction so perhaps the former is carping but the latter sits oddly). Some questions in regards to technology – did RUC stations have Apple Macs during that period? They could have but I’d have thought it more likely they used PCs.

It is a fast-paced read taking in the Troubles, Jimmy Saville (in a rather convincing scene that underscores how much license he was given by state and society and how difficult it might have been to even comprehend there was a problem) and the issue of abuse in the North and matters various.

Then there’s the one on the Brighton bombing which has one character outlining a potential future for the North which given the circumstances is remarkably cynical. But that’s the way it goes. There’s another on DeLorean which is no less cynical.

But what of other detective or crime novels set in the North? Could this become our version of Scandi Noir?