aprilthelibrarian's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love Tana French's book and writing. I listened to the audiobook which was well done, as you could hear all the accents. I think this is a wonderful book in terms of a strong sense of place for Ireland. I really enjoyed the relationship between Cal the main character and the local kid Trey, as Cal ended up taking a parental figure role.
If you are looking for a book with a gloomy Irish countryside in a small town, where all the locals know everyone's business, and there is a mystery of a missing teen, this is a great book to pick up.
If you are looking for a book with a gloomy Irish countryside in a small town, where all the locals know everyone's business, and there is a mystery of a missing teen, this is a great book to pick up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Child abuse
Minor: Alcoholism and Animal cruelty
annniina98's review
2.0
Long, dragging, boring start, quite good middle, a huge let down as the revelation. I can see that some people would love to have this much set up, even in a thriller. But the ending was rushed, there is no way around it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Animal death, and Blood
Moderate: Drug abuse, Murder, Drug use, Physical abuse, Violence, Child abuse, and Grief
Minor: Rape
avafritsch's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was a Christmas present from my bestie. I judge books by their covers and by looking at it I figured I'd like it. I started reading it, took a bit to get into it but once I got there... the story is emotional and tense. You know where it's all going but you keep hoping that it won't end up there.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death, and Stalking
placebogirl's review
dark
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Grief
beckyekg's review
So different from her other wonderful books. It was dull and in need of better editing. I googled the ending and agreed with reviews that said it was predictable and a let-down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Graphic description of butchering a wild animal.linesiunderline's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I hadn’t expected to like this one very much - in fact, quite a few meh / disappointed reviews almost had me passing it on to another reader. But it was a birthday gift, and so I felt I should give it a try. I’m so glad I did.
This is a quiet, character driven, literary style of mystery (otherwise known as my favourite kind of mystery). Yes, it’s slow paced. Yes, not a lot “happens,” and what does happen doesn’t come in any kind of rush. But somehow French creates a foreboding sense that kept me turning the pages, curious to know where things were going, and fine with the slow and steady telling.
A strong sense of place is one of the winning qualities of this read, and the relationship between Cal and Trey is quite wonderful. I was surprised to find this one really quite moving by the end. And the audiobook was excellent. Well worth the time - my review lands on the “read it” side of things.
This is a quiet, character driven, literary style of mystery (otherwise known as my favourite kind of mystery). Yes, it’s slow paced. Yes, not a lot “happens,” and what does happen doesn’t come in any kind of rush. But somehow French creates a foreboding sense that kept me turning the pages, curious to know where things were going, and fine with the slow and steady telling.
A strong sense of place is one of the winning qualities of this read, and the relationship between Cal and Trey is quite wonderful. I was surprised to find this one really quite moving by the end. And the audiobook was excellent. Well worth the time - my review lands on the “read it” side of things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Hate crime, Homophobia, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, and Transphobia
bella_cavicchi's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was atmospheric and suspenseful and showcased a distinctive cast of characters. I tore through it in a night -- a testament, I think, to how captivating French's writing is.
Related: I think often about our collective engagement with crime novels because the genre's success often relies on a binary sense of justice and the unchecked necessity of policing. What is a thriller in an abolitionist world? It's a question I don't have an immediate answer for, but I really appreciate how French doesn't shy away from it altogether.
Excited to check out her backlist of works!
Related: I think often about our collective engagement with crime novels because the genre's success often relies on a binary sense of justice and the unchecked necessity of policing. What is a thriller in an abolitionist world? It's a question I don't have an immediate answer for, but I really appreciate how French doesn't shy away from it altogether.
Excited to check out her backlist of works!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Cursing
Minor: Police brutality and Suicide
magicalrealem's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Tana French doesn't write only plot-focused books. Figuring out the mystery isn't the main reason for reading. She builds her characters, carefully, purposefully so that it all unfolds, as sprawling as the setting, as the pages lead up to the very end. That is her other character: the place, the environment. In The Searcher the Irish countryside is vivid; in a small town on the west coast, it is harsh with mountains and unrelenting weather but beautiful in its sunsets, sunrises, rivers, and ambling walks. It is one of the main reasons Cal has moved from Chicago to the small town of Ardnakelty—to get away from it all and fish. Cal Hooper is a retired cop. He has lost his sense of code: what is good and what is wrong; what is moral or immoral. He wants to believe he was a good cop, a good husband, a good father, but he can’t discern that he was or where things went wrong. He is a doer, which is not to say he isn’t a thinker, but he has a compulsion to take action as his way of helping, so when Trey Reddy, a 13-year-old kid from a family ostracized by the town shows up looking for Cal’s help to find a missing brother, Cal, reluctantly since he did retire, reverts back to his cop/detective persona: taking action to solve what’s going on. He likes the kid; he wants to help. This is not a book you should pick up if you are interested in solving the mystery Cal gets swept up in; this is a book for atmosphere, for taking a long walk through fields and mountains as the neighbors and nature reveal their true selves. Trey is my favorite character in the book. I love the scenes between Trey and Cal when they are methodically working on carpentry or hunting. I also love Trey’s attitude and aggression and relentlessness to get answers. This is a slow book. It took me 3 weeks to read. Cal is our main character but I’m not invested enough in him; he feels a little generic and not complex enough given that he is searching for a way back to his code. Overall, I recommend if you want a slow burn small-town mystery that is atmospheric where the mystery is even less important than in French’s other books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Child abuse
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