The Dead Yard

In this riveting sequel to Adrian McKinty's acclaimed debut, Dead I Well May Be, mercenary bad boy Michael Forsythe is back -- the hero "other writers can only aspire to create" (Ed McBain).

While on holiday in Spain, Michael Forsythe is arrested in the chaos of a soccer riot and hauled off to jail. Back on the wrong side of the law, the Belfast native has no hope of release -- until a seductive female British Intelligence Agent makes Michael an offer he can't refuse: Avoid jail time in a Mexican hellhole by taking on a special FBI assignment and infiltrating a dangerous Irish terrorist cell back in the States. Within hours Michael is thrust into the nightmarish world of madmen known for their distinctive brands of torture and revenge -- all while trying to hide his true identity. Coming face-toface with murder, deceit, and lustful desire in all the wrong places, Michael knows that in order to survive he must kill . . . or be killed.

Publishers Weekly

McKinty's literate, expertly crafted third crime novel, the sequel to Dead I Well May Be (2003), confirms his place as one of his generation's leading talents. Five years after taking down a powerful Irish mobster, Belfast-born mercenary Michael Forsythe has a new identity and the chance at a new life, courtesy of the FBI. Unfortunately, while vacationing in Spain, Forsythe's thrown into prison after a soccer match between the Irish and the Brits turns violent. Forsythe faces extradition to Mexico, where he's a wanted man, unless he cuts a deal with a gorgeous British intelligence agent, Samantha Caudwell, to infiltrate an Irish terrorist cell called the Sons of Cuchulainn. Based outside Boston and led by a pair of fanatic ex-IRA members, the SOC vows to ignore the IRA's current cease-fire and to attack British targets in the States. Once again, Forsythe goes undercover, entering a shadowy world of subterfuge and deception. McKinty possesses a talent for pace and plot structure that belies his years. Dennis Lehane fans will definitely be pleased. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Adrian McKinty was born and grew up in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, when terrorism in Ulster was at its height. Educated at Oxford University, he then immigrated to New York City, where he lived in Harlem for five years, working in bars and on construction crews, as well as a stint as a bookseller. He is the author of Hidden River and Dead I Well May Be, which was short-listed for the Crime Writers' Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award. He lives in Denver, Colorado.