The Bloomsday Dead

We were previously introduced to Michael Forsythe in "Dead I Well May Be" and "The Dead Yard". I would strongly recommend reading "Dead I Well May Be" before reading "The Bloomsday Dead", because there are a lot of references to (and plot twists involving) previous characters that will be better understood if you are familiar with these characters already. "The Bloomsday Dead" is a highly entertaining novel, but in a slightly different way than the two previous Michael Forsythe books. This novel reads much like an episode of the television show "24", with plenty of fast paced action and numerous plot twists. But, as usual, Adrian McKinty adds a touch of poetry between action sequences, especially when describing the beautiful (and sometimes not so beautiful) scenery of his native Ireland. I found the conclusion of the novel to be a satisfying end for our hero (..I'm not sure if hero is the right word for him), but I wouldn't mind reading more about Michael Forsythe either, if given another chance.

In this, which the dust jacket says IS the last of the Forsythe series, Michael Forsythe is forced to return to Ireland in order to help the woman he fell in love with and whose fiance he killed in the first book of the series. When we first see Forsythe in this one, he is in Peru, heading up security for a hotel. For a moment--just one brief one--it seems he may have found some peace after all, a place where he can use his skills but not in overtly violent ways. But then, and quickly, it all goes to pot, and Forsythe is given a choice: return to help me look for my daughter, or die after this conversation. Forsythe returns for more than one reason. He wants to help Bridget find her daughter, who has been kidnapped. He wants to see Bridget again. He wants a chance at getting rid of the albatross he's had hanging around his neck for years: Bridget wants him dead, revenge for the fiance he killed in her presence all those years ago. The hunt for Bridget's daughter takes up a big part of the book, of course, but so do other things equally enthralling. For one, Forsythe is MUCH more in tune with who he is in this book. In the first book, he was an angel of death who didn't really much twig to the fact that he trailed doom wherever he went. Now, though, he's very much aware of it. Very much prepared to go where that takes him. He hurts people, kills them, and loses very little sleep over it. He's never lost a lot of sleep, but now he loses none. The tension between Forsythe and Bridget makes this novel stand out even more than the previous two. Forsythe seems to encounter people who want him dead or in incredible pain every few pages or so, and it's a wonder he can keep his head straight through all the beatings and chases. I must admit that at first I thought "he can't possible be upright after that kind of beating" and "he can't possibly be thinking straight after getting the crap kicked out of him" several times in this one, but one of the things that becomes clear here is how Forsythe compartmentalizes and uses pain to move forward. All in all, this was a satisfying third novel. I will miss Mr. Forsythe, but the end of this one seems natural, not contrived. Now--on to another McKinty (a non-Forsythe one)!

This book was great it was just as good as Dead I Well May Be and i cant wait to read the dead yard, its the most violent books ive ever read and i love it Adrian Mckinty is a great writer and i will read every book he writes

I had great misgivings about the third (and final?) installment of the series featuring Michael Forsyth, but am here to report Bloomsday Dead was wonderful. The audio narration was spot on, with the suspense stretching me out until the final scene. The ending seemed abrupt, in the middle of the last CD of the audiobook. I was surprised, as normally the audiobook goes to the very end of the last CD. Dare we hope to see more of Michael in the future?

He has been on the run for twelve years ever since he turned informer, killed her father and her lover. He broke up the New York mob and went into the witness protection program because there is a bounty on his head put there by Bridget Callaghan. Though he was her lover, Michael betrayed the mob and killed her loved ones but so far he has escaped these assassination attempts. Now he is working as head of security for the Miraflores Hilton in Lima, Peru when two thugs grab him. They call Bridget who tells Micheael Foesythe that her daughter Siobhan disappeared and if he comes to Belfast and finds her, she will call off the hits. Although he doubts her sincerity, he travels to Dublin where two hits are made on his life. He escapes and gets to Belfast where he gets information he needs to begin a search knowing one of Bridget's men Marso will tell kill him regardless of whether he succeeds or not. His search takes him to many places where he kills in self-defense. What he doesn't know is that Bridget has an enemy she knows nothing about and Michael is the bait and her daughter is the prize. Talk about action, THE BLOOMSDAY DEAD starts off at light-speed and swiftly goes to warp drive in a matter of a few pages. None of the characters are very likeable because they rationalize their actions by insisting the end justifies the means. Readers get a pulse for Northern Ireland where one misstep could break the truce and hostilities are still simmering. Adrian McKinty gives the audience a thrill a second which is better than the fastest twisting roller coaster. Harriet Klausner