02/05/2024
Edgar winner French’s slow-burn sequel to 2015’s The Searcher underlines her knack for setting and character development. Teenager Trey Reddy is less than pleased by her ne’er-do-well father Johnny’s unexpected return to the small Irish village of Ardnakelty to execute a get-rich-quick scheme he believes will finally enable him to provide for his family. On a recent visit to a London pub, Johnny claims to have spoken up when a stranger asked whether anyone present was from Ardnakelty; the man, Cillian Rushborough, then revealed to him that the village was home to a hidden trove of gold. Johnny’s account is met with skepticism from Cal Hooper, the ex-Chicago cop who retired to the village and became a surrogate father to Trey after the events of The Searcher. Cal’s suspicion proves warranted, and Rushborough’s subsequent arrival in Ardnakelty sets in motion a series of crimes, including a murder, that upend Cal’s and Trey’s once peaceful existence. While this isn’t quite up to French’s best—the gears of the plot take too long to start turning—it’s a pleasure to spend time with her finely drawn characters, and the murder investigation, when it finally gets underway, has impressive scope. This may be a step down from its predecessor, but it’s still a cut above similar fare. Agent: Darley Anderson, Darley Anderson Literary. (Mar.)
Tana French is… like a poet. She writes beautifully…If you haven’t read her yet, I really highly recommend that you do.” —Harlan Coben
Praise for The Searcher
"The west of Ireland looked good to Cal Hooper on the internet. But now that he’s living there, the rugged beauty of the region overwhelms him, as it will anyone reading Tana French’s The Searcher, an audacious departure for this immensely talented author… Not to be missed." —Janet Maslin, The New York Times
“Taut, chiseled and propulsive." —Vogue
"French's writing here is on fire. Eerie and nuanced and spellbinding." —Fresh Air
“French avoids the fireworks of conventional crime fiction, instead taking a classic setup—the lone outsider revealing the dark side of a small town—and imbuing it with simmering menace. There’s also an unexpectedly moving friendship and storytelling so atmospheric you can practically smell the peat bogs.” —People
“The perfect cold-weather escape…French’s writing style is so unhurried and pleasurable…and every page smells and sounds like Ireland. At a time when travel is impossible and we’re spending more time at home, staying safe, it’s thrilling to be transported to another place entirely, gripped by suspense and a sense of danger as I turn the pages in my cozy lair.” —Glamour
“Nuanced and compelling.” —The New Yorker
“Thriller mastermind Tana French's . . . work is as consistently thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is entertaining...[In The Searcher] French finds interesting angles and dynamics, and her cast is, as always, wonderfully drawn." —The Los Angeles Times
"Vivid and poetic." —Associated Press
"French takes this standalone novel at a measured pace, easing readers into Cal's quiet life before the thrills unravel."—TIME
"Compelling."—Vox
“The Searcher feels different from French’s previous books—there’s a sparseness to the setting that contrasts with the bustle of the Dublin Murder Squad, or even the gathered family in The Witch Elm—but is no less addictive; the pages practically turn themselves.” —The Seattle Times
"A creepy slow burn that focuses just as much on the central characters’ inner lives as on the mystery at the heart of the story . . .packed full of twists, turns, and shocking reveals.” —BuzzFeed
"All things atmospheric and mysterious, this one may keep you up past your bedtime.” — Cosmopolitan
"A moving new tale of friendship and healing, set in an Irish countryside populated with eccentrics, curmudgeons, and a hilariously weird British woman obsessed with fairies." —CrimeReads
"Evocative and lyrical, The Searcher is a mystery worth reading slowly to savor every perfectly rendered detail." —Bookpage
“It has everything you love–the suspense, the questions, the unraveling of lies…. obsessively fascinating.”—Marie Claire
“The queen of crime returns with a thriller about a retired Chicago police officer who discovers the sinister underbelly of a seemingly quaint Irish town.” —Entertainment Weekly
“In The Searcher, Tana French stakes out new territory: a rural Irish setting quite different from the urban and suburban Ireland of her previous works, and a central character who is an American . . . The Searcher blends qualities of French’s best novels, the first and third of her “Dublin Murder Squad” police procedurals . . .”—Los Angeles Review of Books
“Readers who share her interest in exploring the lives of flawed and compelling characters will find much to love in the atmospheric story of a retired cop who moves to Ireland for relaxation, only to be asked to find a missing teen.” – St Louis Post-Dispatch.
“As always, French’s prose is spellbinding and lyrical . . . The beautiful imagery combined with the dialect of the earthly, witty characters creates an appealing atmosphere that engages the reader . . ." – The Austin American-Statesman
“Insightful characterizations, even of minor figures, and a devastating reveal help make this a standout. Crime fiction fans won’t want to miss this one.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A slow-burn stunner that will keep readers turning the pages late into the night. Recommend to the author’s legions of fans, as well as those who enjoy crime fiction set in small towns like Julia Keller’s or Jane Harper’s novels.”—Library Journal, starred review
“In another stand-alone, French again displays impressive versatility…French skillfully builds suspense…a fine thriller, but also a moving story of an unlikely friendship that grows from refinishing a ramshackle desk to rebuilding two nearly broken lives.”—Booklist
“Just pre-order and call in sick for a couple days after October 6 when the book comes out.”—The Millions
“Deliver[s] plenty of twists, shocking revelations, and truly chilling moments.”—Kirkus
01/19/2024
The talented French returns to the quaint-on-the-surface Irish village of Ardnakelty and the protagonists of The Searcher in this lively, character-driven, occasionally treacherous story. After two years in Ardnakelty, former Chicago cop Cal Hooper is finally feeling accepted by his neighbors, and he has built a found family with his widowed girlfriend Lena and teenager Theresa "Trey" Reddy. The fragile family unit is threatened when Trey's wayward father, gone for many years, returns to Ardnakelty. Johnny Reddy was always trouble, and nobody—but especially not Trey or her mother—is happy to see him again. But Johnny has a get-rich scheme for the locals, and his silver-tongued pitch to them begins to take hold. Cal is wary, but he keeps close to the action for reasons of his own. When a wealthy British businessman follows Johnny from London, a plan to find gold in the Ardnakelty hills begins. But a murder mars the scheme and sets everyone in the village, Cal included, against one another. VERDICT With quicksilver dialogue and deep characterizations, French portrays the Ardnakelty villagers' "gift of gab" and the roiling emotions beneath the banter splendidly. A few plot points strain credulity, but it's a treat for French's many fans and for readers who prefer realistic Irish characters and settings.—Liz French
2023-12-06
A divorced American detective tries to blend into rural Ireland in this sequel to The Searcher (2020).
In fictional Ardnakelty, on Ireland’s west coast, lives retired American cop Cal Hooper, who busies himself repairing furniture with 15-year-old Theresa “Trey” Reddy and fervently wishes to be boring. Then into town pops Trey’s long-gone, good-for-nothing dad, Johnny, all smiles and charm. Much to her distaste, he says he wants to reclaim his fatherly role. In fact, he’s on the run from a criminal for a debt he can’t repay, and he has a cockamamie scheme to persuade local townsfolk that there might be gold in the nearby mountain with a vein that might run through some of their properties. (What, no leprechauns?) “It’s not sheep shite you’ll be smelling in a few months’ time, man,” he tells a farmer. “It’s champagne and caviar.” Some people have fun fantasizing about sudden riches, but they know better. Johnny’s pursuer, Cillian Rushborough, comes to town, and Johnny tries to convince him he could get rich by purchasing people’s land. Alas, someone bashes Rushborough’s brains in, and now there’s a murder mystery. The plot is a bit of a stretch, but the characters and their relationships work well. Trey detests Johnny for not being in her life, and now that he’s back, she neither wants nor needs him. She gets on much better with Cal. Still, she’s a testy teenager when she thinks someone is not treating her like an adult. Cal is aware of this, and he’s careful how he talks to her. Johnny, not so much: “I swear to fuck, women are only put on this earth to wreck our fuckin’ heads,” he whines about Trey’s mother, briefly forgetting he’s talking to Trey. The book abounds in local color and lively dialogue.
An absorbing crime yarn.
Not every listener has felt that Tana French's stand-alone novels have lived up to the pleasures of her psychologically shrewd Dublin Murder Squad series, but THE HUNTER marks a return to form, at least in Roger Clark's thrilling audio performance. Here Cal Hooper, an American emigré like French herself, has moved to a ferociously insular Irish village. He's a retired Chicago police detective in a town that makes its own law. He's settled in, fallen in love, and become the mentor and protector of a valuable but not always valued teenager named Trey. Clark's Irish dialogue is so rich and musical it's addictive, but his American voice for Cooper is flawless as well, and his pacing, attention, and sympathy do splendid justice to this riveting story. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
