Does Cal truly escape from his past in the end? Is there catharsis?.Does Cal’s relationship with daughter define his relationship with Trey?.How does Cal’s character develop through the book?.Why do you think the gay inclusion and religion discussion was added? Did it add any colour to the town?.What motivated Mart’s decision to protect Irish tradition at the cost of murder?.What is Cal’s code? Has Cal betrayed his own code by covering up for the crime?.Do you think social workers should have been called in to take care of the Reddy children?.IMP: SPOILER ALERT, visit this section only after you’ve read the book: She has two standalone novels: The Witch Elm and now her new book, The Searcher. Tana has written a well-received detective series – Dublin Murder Squad. She has won various awards for her crime fiction books.

She is an American Irish writer who started writing in her 30s but is also a professional actor. The book is available at your local bookstore and online here on Amazon (external link) More about the Author:

I do think many other characters in the book too deserved a bit more fleshing out.ĭespite this, it does come together (loosely) right at the very end! How To Buy The Book: I see there was an attempt to build and then unravel the protagonist’s character, but I do wish the novel was edited a bit more. It is interspersed with a rabbit stew recipe, a gory hunting scene, a lot of carpentry and general phone calls made to an estranged family. There is a lot of going around in circles. I like the beautiful rolling hills and grey skies – I don’t mind the playful rooks – but for more than half of the book we hear of an apparent runaway teenager and some butchered sheep. Actually, I can handle slow, but this was: sloooow!Īs much as I appreciate atmospheric novels, this felt a bit overdone. While the main mystery is quite anticlimactic, but the central theme is the inner journey our protagonist has while chasing the truth. Cal is drawn in reluctantly to solve a missing person case.Īs he chases the truth, he will soon come to realise that there is much more about this town than meets the eye. Cal for a while is hypnotized by the misty rains, open mountains and nosy but friendly neighbours.

He’s come to escape his personal problems in an apparently idyllic Irish town. Our protagonist is Cal Hooper – a not-so-old and retired Chicago policeman. The story takes you to an old town with lazy sheep, crazy rooks and some alcohol-loving farmers. As far as I can tell this isn’t the best example of her work. This book needs patience, and acceptance to read some stilted Irish English. It is not for someone who wants a fast-paced action thriller. This is a slow, atmospheric mystery novel set in a fictional town in Ireland.

The searcher review tana french