Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Searcher by Tana French

10 reviews

aseel_reads's review

mysterious tense medium-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

1.0

I only continued with this book because it was an easy audiobook to listen to, otherwise, it became copganda about halfway through and then it had some really off putting actions by certain characters who never got punished and I don't like that 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Alcohol, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail

mirandap442's review

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Addiction, Drug abuse, Gore, Blood, Death, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol and Cursing

Minor: Suicide

katiekaiser's review

challenging mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I liked this book enough. It was slower than I prefer and not as suspenseful as I expected. It seemed like a lot of build up for a somewhat anti-climactic  ending. The writing is very good. This is definitely not a fast-paced thriller. It’s almost more fiction than it is mystery. I don’t mind it, I was just expecting more suspense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Animal death, Child abuse, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Suicide, Car accident, and Gun violence

stacy837's review

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Gun violence and Drug use

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Grief

noshelf_control's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Violence

moon's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

while tana french's writing is definitely a strong point of this novel, i find it hard to feel as positively for the plot. the pacing was quite slow so it was a challenge for me to get through the first part and the fact that the mystery was so boring didn't help in keeping my attention either. i mostly just kept going because i hate leaving things unfinished. the fomo is strong in this one (me). the conclusion to the mystery was pretty lacklustre and disappointing too because i had the impression that more shit was gonna go down.

that said, i'm a huge fan of the way tana french moulds her characters. all of them feel so authentically human, with their flaws and individualities that set each character apart from the rest. i have my reasons for disliking the main character and others as well, which is why i answered that i didn't find the characters lovable, but trey and lena are an exception. the way i got so attached to trey like she was my own sibling...

my point is, i didn't hate this book due to the brilliant writing, but the other things could be better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, and Police brutality

Minor: Hate crime

bookmarkie's review against another edition

mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Minor: Drug use and Alcohol

readerette's review

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I've never read anything else by Tana French, but based on this book, I would read more of her work. This book was slow, which I usually don't enjoy as much, but it felt an appropriate pace given the pace of life in the little town. I'm not sure how believable it is that someone who was a law enforcement officer, even a disenchanted one, would allow what he found out to go unreported or would stay in a community where that had occurred, but I can forgive that stretch by the author. Bit too much in the weeds about the sanding and shopping for me, but otherwise I liked how the characters fit together even when they seemed they shouldn't, and I could definitely feel the setting come alive.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, and Physical abuse

Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Car accident, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Medical content

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!

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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