5 out of 5 stars
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Mountroyal is a mystery drama novel written by Hilton McCabe. Set in May 1983 in North Ireland, the book follows the lives of officers at the Mountroyal RUC station and their newly appointed sergeant, Tony.
The book begins with the bombing of a building. This sets the tone as there is always an underlying feeling of danger at any point. There had also been a string of sexual attacks in the East Belfast region. It is with this backdrop that Tony begins as Sergeant of Section A, Mountroyal RUC. He meets with the new crew, which is a collection of colorful personalities. These include Tweety, an enigmatic genius with a tragic past; Arnie, an alcoholic, the usually reserved Preacher, as well as the dynamic detective duo of Pinky and Perky. There is also George, the commander of the Mountroyal station, which comes under intense pressure due to the series of attacks. Follow the gang through their interesting adventures as officers in a precarious time as they try to discover the mysterious attacker behind the series of sexual assaults.
There is quite a lot to like about this book. The author does well to set the scene where each action takes place, whether it is a beautiful countryside or a dirty back alley. The attention given to imagery is truly commendable. A lot of effort was also given to the characters' backstories, such that I had a full understanding of each character's actions and motivations. I really liked the dialogue between almost every character, especially between the officers. I found their interactions very engaging and, at times, downright hilarious.
There were so many amazing characters. I particularly loved Tweety. "The legend of Tweety pie" was easily my favorite part of the book. It had enough plot material to be an amazing novel on its own! I also liked how the author took me on an emotional rollercoaster. There were many points where I was enjoying a hilarious interaction while being worried about an impending attack. The book truly had me on the edge of my seat. Overall, it was an excellent read, and I hope the author decides to do a sequel!
I have absolutely no negative issues with the book. I found only one error in the book, as it was professionally edited. Therefore, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I found the book intriguing, as it pulled off a difficult fit of having me laughing and worried simultaneously. I was completely satisfied with the book and could not rate it any lower. I recommend this book to lovers of fictional mystery dramas.
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Mountroyal
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