Although I’ve read a number of the ‘murder squad’ books and enjoyed them, I have sometimes found the pacing a bit slow for my liking. This, on the other hand, felt paced just right for the story, the setting and the characters.

We all know the familiar ‘fish out of water’ trope but it’s so often repeated because it works so well. Here our ‘fish’ is Cal, a retired policeman who has left Seattle to bury and reimagine himself in the wilds of rural Ireland. Cal may believe that he has left his squad and his badge back home but the community he moves into has other ideas. Before he knows it, Cal is waist-deep in a mystery he has no real desire to solve and doing so may just be the death of him.

This was actually quite a spooky and chilling read and fitted perfectly into the paranoia of a fog-drenched lockdown Hallowe’en/Bonfire Night.

I am extremely grateful to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for receipt of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eArc for an honest review. I haven't read any Tana French prior to this and had heard great things. I think my issue with this was potentially in two parts: 1) my expectations 2) my taste as a reader.

The story follows ex-cop who has moved to a small, rural Irish village. He strikes up an unlikely alliance with a village kid whose brother has gone missing and no one seems to want to help.

So to understand my feelings on this I should explain myself. When I read a thriller, I want it to be a quick pace read, I want to lose sleep because I can't put it down. I also had a vague expectation of this going into the book because the plot seemed centred on the missing brother.

This is not a thriller. It is a very slow character study and about the place it is set in. I was so bored. So bored. It moves at a glacial pace and like the majority of the village the main character doesnt seem to have a sense of urgency either to find the missing young man. The characters seemed like cardboard cut outs and I'd pretty much guessed at the very start who was responsible.

Had I gone into this with a different mindset would I have prefered it? Possibly. But I just dont think this was a writing style that suited me.

My thanks to Penguin Books U.K. Viking for the invitation to read an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Searcher’ by Tana French in exchange for an honest review. As I began reading on the day of publication I complimented my eARC reading with its audiobook edition narrated by Irish-American actor, Roger Clark.

Tana French is a brilliant writer and here she settles in for a slow burn, character-led mystery set in rural Ireland.

After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force Cal Hooper put in for retirement. However, rather than be delighted by Cal stepping away from his demanding job, his wife filed for divorce. Cal’s solution was to buy a fixer-upper in a remote Irish village. It seems to be the perfect escape, a place where he can build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub. A place where nothing much happens.

Then Trey, a local kid, starts coming around. Trey is skittish but eventually asks for Cal’s help. Trey’s brother has gone missing, and no one, least of all the police, seems to care. Cal really isn’t keen to get involved with any kind of investigation, but somehow is unable to walk away. Inevitably Cal discovers that this seemingly idyllic community has many secrets lying beneath the surface.

Tana French captures the claustrophobic atmosphere of village life with ease. I especially loved the matchmaking efforts of the locals.

As initially noted this is quite a slow paced novel. The fish out of water trope was effective, though I was surprised at how restrained former Chicago cop, Cal, was in the circumstances.

Overall, another engaging crime thriller that drew me into the lives of the characters and delivered some effective revelations before its final page.

This book received a lot of good reviews but this book just wasn't for me. I have never read a Tana French novel before and based on this one I won't again. To say it is a slow-burner is an understatement; she didn't even light the gas til half way through. Even with a slow starter, the readers needs something to keep their interest. French did not do this. Despite a lot of words (an awful lot of words), the characters never came to life. I read it out of duty as the author had kindly allowed me a complementary copy.

This book sounded like just my type of thriller but did not live up to it. I don’t mind a gentle build up to increase the tension but this was too slow. I admit I had to skim read some of it or I might have given up.
Plenty of high ratings so obviously not everyone agrees and that’s exactly as it should be but it was just not right for me.

I just could not get on board with this story, I really wanted to love it, but unfortunately it was just not for me. I found it too long winded and just a bit boring, I found myself wanting to skim read in order to just see the final outcome. I know this is probably a very unpopular opinion but a very honest one,

Although this was not one for me I would still very much like to thank NetGalley and Publishers for the opportunity to read and review it

Cal is an ex New York detective with 25years service and a broken marriage. He moves to rural Ireland to start a new life and buys a run down property to renovate. Despite his intention to put his past behind him ,when 13 year old Trey comes around and asks him to find out what happened to his brother Brendan, he cannot help making some enquiries. The investigation is without the police support he is used to and he soon finds the locals are tight lipped about what might have happened to Brendan. With atmospheric location description this is a slow burn of a book. All is not what it appears to be however.

'A small place. A small town in a small country. It seemed like that would be easier to make sense of. Guess I might have had that wrong.'

THE SEARCHER is Tana French's latest captivating novel. Like her last, THE WYCH ELM, the book is a standalone, unconnected to her excellent Dublin Murder Squad series, although the protagonist in this case is a policeman or, at least, a ex-policeman. Cal Hooper is a 48 year-old retired Chicago detective, disillusioned and somewhat burnt out, who has relocated to a small village in the west of Ireland, to a dilapidated cottage which he intends to fix up, as he rebuilds and mends his psyche. Cal is befriended by Trey Reddy, a local kid whose brother has disappeared, he begins to investigate, initially reluctantly; less so as it becomes clear that not everyone in the village wants Trey's brother found.

THE SEARCHER is a slow-burn, unhurried, character-driven story, full of the gorgeous, descriptive, evocative writing for which Tana French is known. After a phone call to his daughter, Cal feels 'a sense that somehow, inspire of having been on the phone all that time, they haven't had a conversation at all; the whole thing was made of air and tumbleweed.'. A character has 'the look of a woman who's had too much land on top of her, not in one great big avalanche but trickling down little by little over a lot of years.'

It is perhaps not accidental that the title of the novel is almost that of John Ford's 'The Searchers'. The feel of the novel is that of a western set in rural Ireland, particularly a scene in which Cal and another character keep watch through a restless night, anticipating some attack on the house. This is not the romanticised Ireland of The Quiet Man or, if it is, it is now blighted by unemployment and the drugs trade. There is a melancholy, a feeling of inevitability to the events of the novel. And it is very, very good.

I have liked all of Tana French's books. FAITHFUL PLACE is my favourite and THE SEARCHER, whose theme and tone echoes that earlier book, comes very, very close.

This is the 1st book I've read by Tana French and although I found it to be a slow burner I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I found the main characters well developed with lots of facets. The description of the Irish countryside was beautiful and made me want to visit it!
I think this book will make a wonderful TV series!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK and Viking for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

<i>5 stars</i>

Reading <i>The Searcher</i> has left me feeling poignant and introspective, which is definitely not how I thought I’d feel when I started this book – mystery books rarely end on such a note. I’m almost sorry that this book has come to an end, because a part of my mind feels like it still lives in the Irish countryside this book is set in – I’m sometimes watching the rain pour over the fields, clutching a cup of warm tea in my hands; sometimes walking along a dirt path on the mountainside, feeling the crisp breeze play across my face; sometimes coming back from the local pub, slightly drunk, feeling nature press into me as I make my way home.

Many reviews of this book compare this novel with Tana French’s <i>Dublin Murder Squad</i> series. I am not qualified to make such an analysis (since I have only just checked out the audio book from the library) – I can only review this book for what it was. As someone who has always meant to read French’s works, my first taste of her writing prowess has only left me hungry for more.

<i>The Searcher</i> focuses on Cal Hooper, a Chicago PD retiree and divorcee, who emigrates to a remote village in Ireland after having had enough of his old life. As he settles into his new, slow-paced life, Trey Reddy, a local kid, reaches out to him. His older brother has gone missing, and no one seems interested in finding him. Cal decides to poke around, and finds that this seemingly scenic Irish town has something sinister going on under its surface.

Right from the beginning, I was invested in French’s writing. Her vivid descriptions of Irish countryside, with the flocks of sheep, the green but mountainous terrain, the fog that rolled by often, a weather which is moody and changes every half an hour – they all took me back to the vacation I went on with my family last year, where we spent some time at a geographically similar place. I wasn’t home anymore. I was physically there in Ardnakelty village, experiencing everything that Cal Hooper did. In a way, I was reliving my vacation as well.

And for me, that highest level of escapism – there is no greater mark of brilliant storytelling than that. To lose complete grasp of what’s going on around you and be wrapped up in those words that you’re reading? That’s excellent writing.

While it did take a while for the pace to pick up (about 40% on my Kindle, I’d say), the slowness of the initial chapters managed to instil a sense of foreboding in me as I made my way through Cal’s narration. Once I’d gotten through those slow chapters, I couldn’t stop reading, and even when I did, it was much against my will. (Alas, like most other readers, I need to work to finance my reading habits.)

Cal, at times reminded me of Ove from <i>A Man Called Ove</i>, which only endeared his character to me all the more. Cal’s no-nonsense narration set the perfect tone for the mystery. The story had a very <i>Broadchurch</i>-like vibe to it, what with that restless quality which comes from something shady going on in a small town, and it only added to my enjoyment of this novel.

One thing I must note is the directness with which French touched upon racism. We always get the sense that Cal didn’t just quit his job and move across an ocean because of his divorce, and the manner in which French included racism, xenophobia and racial profiling in Cal’s backstory mirrored real life in a very tangible way.

Coming back to the story – there were plot twists I didn’t see coming. After all, what is a good mystery if there isn’t something that whacks you right in the face in that microsecond that you blink? While some things could be discerned, there were so many other things that I never foresaw, which made it an exciting read. I definitely never anticipated that this book would be interspersed with wry humour, which made me snigger into the cushion I was balancing my Kindle on while I highlighted those paras for future reads.

I also definitely never anticipated how wistful the ending would make me feel. The mystery does get resolved satisfactorily, but the way things were written made me wonder about human beings as a species, our ability and inability to be satisfied with our lot in life, the extent to which we’d go to protect what is ours, and made me think along the lines of existential and moral nihilism.

If I’m being honest, my mind still ponders those deeper questions, even as I write this review. Just as I feel like I’m permanently stuck in the Irish countryside, I also keep thinking about the human condition.

This novel is a very powerful piece of work in many ways, and I truly feel blessed that I had an opportunity to read an ARC. Thank you, Penguin General UK and NetGalley. I never thought a mystery/thriller would leave me feeling the way I am; I absolutely loved this book.

Tana French is a name I hear all the time, I know so many people that absolutely adore the Dublin Murder Squad series. After failing to get into the tv adaptation I’ve never been tempted to read anything by her, not even The Witch Elm and I live quite locally to the wych elm which I assume that book is based on - until now! I was sent my copy of The Searcher to review by Viking and netgalley.

The Searcher is about Cal Hooper, a retired policeman from Chicago, who has bought a house to restore in a remote village in Ireland. One day a local boy comes looking for his help after his brother went missing six months ago. Cal quickly finds that people aren’t always what they seem in this picturesque village and trouble comes calling at his door.

I found the pacing of this so odd. I did enjoy the slow burn initially getting to know Cal but it soon started feeling like it was drawn out for no real reason. The tension wasn’t building and there was no sense of danger until near the end of the book.

This book has so many high ratings yet it didn’t hit the same, I guess this just wasn’t for me. I’d really like to see what other people think now it’s out in hardback in the UK.

The beginning of this book was good iv thought who wouldn't love the idea of fixing up an old cottage in Ireland i did finish the book but did find it boring at times sorry

What can I say about this book? - it is beautifully written, so atmospheric. Tana French never fails to draw a full picture of her characters which engages the reader completely. There are no 'typical' caricatures - just rounded people who we learn all about - their past, their thoughts, their feelings, their aspirations for themselves and others. Although there is a mystery this book is very character driven. Cal and Trey develop a complicated but close relationship. It is one of those books that I like to read slowly and absorb every word and feel disappointment when it is finished.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Tana French/Penguin General UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Revealing too much about this fantastic new work from Tana French – arguably one of our greatest living mystery writers – will give away the thrill of staring, open mouthed, as its languid, drawn-out, razor-sharp plot unravels, exquisitely. Suffice to say that protagonist Cal Hooper, newly retired from the Chicago PD, recovering from a grim divorce and hoping for a quiet life renovating a project house in a remote Irish village, does not quite get what he hopes for. The characters he encounters are truly believable, and the slow, almost meditative pace of the beginning of the novel is perfectly fitting for its stunning setting in the Irish countryside – yet all this beauty and hope is masterfully dotted by French with the occasional, unsettling prickle of doubt and uncertainty, as if you’ve seen something sinister scuttle across the edge of your vision, and shake your head to brush it off. But as Hooper ends up wondering: what is real anyway – and did he really want a quiet life? This book challenges conventions and reveals ill-meant truths, well-meaning lies: friends who turn out to be less than promised and strangers who become closer than family – adding up to make this, like all books from French, into an absolutely perfect winter read.

EXCERPT: He's halfway through his second pint before he tunes into the argument going on down the bar. It catches his ear because it sounds unusual. Mostly the arguments in here are the well-worn kind that can be made to stretch for years or decades, resurfacing periodically when there's nothing fresh to discuss. They involve farming methods, the relative uselessness of local and national politicians, whether the wall on the western side of the Strokestown road should be replaced by fencing, and whether Tommy Moynihan's fancy conservatory is a nice touch of modern glamour or an example of jumped-up notions. Everyone already knows everyone's stance on the issues - except Mart's, since he tends to switch sides regularly to keep things interesting - and is eager for Cal's input to mix the conversation up a little.

This argument has a different ring to it, louder and messier, like it's one they haven't practiced. 'There's no dog could do that,' the guy at the end of the bar is saying stubbornly. He's little and round, with a little round head perched on top, and he tends to wind up on the wrong end of jokes; generally he seems okay with this, but this time he's turning red in the face with vehemence and outrage. 'Did you even look at them cuts? It wasn't teeth that done that.'

ABOUT: THE SEARCHER - Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a remote Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force, and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens.

But then a local kid comes looking for his help. His brother has gone missing, and no one, least of all the police, seems to care. Cal wants nothing to do with any kind of investigation, but somehow he can't make himself walk away.

Soon Cal will discover that even in the most idyllic small town, secrets lie hidden, people aren't always what they seem, and trouble can come calling at his door.

MY THOUGHTS:For some unknown reason, I haven't read anything by Tana French for several years. But I am glad I decided to resume our relationship with The Searcher, very much a character driven mystery.

Her characters are 'characters': from Cal, fresh out of Chicago who came looking for a small place, a small town in a small country, settling on Ireland because at least he wouldn't have to learn a new language; to Noreen who runs the shop in the brief double line of buildings that counts as Ardnakelty village, and who won't order the cookies Mart likes because of a complicated saga that took place in the 1980s and involved her uncles and Mart's father and grazing rights.

The townsfolk are insular, almost feudal. They will look out for and protect one another, even punish one another, but are slow to accept change or new people into their midst. The 'bush telegraph' is alive and well in Ardnakelty. At one point, Cal concedes that 'a guy can't pick his nose around here without the whole town telling him to wash his hands.' The pub, Sean Og's, is the social centre of village life, along with Noreen's store, where you will be served a healthy slice of gossip along with your grocery order. Unless, of course, you're on the outer, in which case all you will get is misdirection and obfuscation at best; at worst, stony silence and a withering stare. Or, a warning.

The beauty of The Searcher lies in its characters, who come very much alive with French's skilful depiction. There are many laugh out loud moments, but also moments of deep emotional complexity. This was a slow read, in the context that I took my time and lingered over passages, enjoying the depth of the characters and the complexity of their thought processes.

This is not a thriller. The Searcher is an atmospheric mystery underpinned with a lurking menace. It is a portrait of a small village determined to protect itself. It is an immensely satisfying read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.4

#TheSearcher #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Tana French, born 1973 in Burlington, Vermont, is an American-Irish writer and theatrical actress. She is a longstanding resident of Dublin, Ireland. Her debut novel In the Woods, a psychological mystery, won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards for best first novel. She lives in Dublin with her family.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Penguin General UK via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Searcher by Tana French for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

Cal Hooper, a retired Chicago Police Detective has decided to relocate to West Ireland after his marriage breaks down in the hopes of finally leading a calm peaceful existence with no crimes to solve. But fate has other plans for him when Trey, a thirteen year old local boy enters his life.
I have had a love hate relationship with Tana French’s books. She either makes me love a book or leaves me completely frustrated but wither way I know I am in for a ride.
The Searcher starts out slow with nothing much happening for about 10-15% of the book. It’s extreme slow burn with a simple seeming, meandering mystery.
I am happy I stuck with it for a while because it definitely hooks you in the more you read. More than a mystery, it’s a character study and a look into the life in an isolated small town with a close knit local community and its many many secrets. The way French explores the small town community dynamics is fascinating. It was this element more than the mystery that kept me rooted.
Both Cal and Trey salqyirms their way into your hearts without even you noticing and leaves a lasting impression.
Overall I am happy to say this is a French book I loved and this is the reason I will keep picking up her books because there’s no saying what I might find next.
Definitely recommended for people who are looking for a slow burn mystery with more emphasis on the characters than the plot. Not recommended for people looking for a fast paced thriller

This was way too slow for me. I'm beginning to realise I'm not a fan of 'slow-burners' as I just get bored and lose interest. I was skim reading waiting for it to get to the missing man, but I got to 11% and still nothing. For it to be the entire premise and the reason for the title, I shouldn't have to wait that long to read about it! I've heard great reviews about this book and the author, so think it's just not one for me.

This is a slow and meandering mystery, which features Cal Hooper, a retired Chicago Police Detective. After finding his job too stressful, especially after his marriage broke down; Cal has made a move not just to leave the police, but to leave the country, and has relocated to West Ireland. Now he spends his day fixing up his remote house, chatting to his neighbour, occasionally heading to the local pub and enjoying not being responsible for the minor misdemeanors that may happen in the area.

However, although Cal enjoys his feeling of irresponsibility, life is about to become a little more complicated when a local boy starts to drop by. Trey is thirteen and comes from a local family who are viewed as troublesome by the locals. At first, Trey doesn't state why exactly he has started to linger around the property, but it soon becomes obvious that he is aware Cal was in the police and he thinks that he can help him trace his missing brother. Although Cal is not keen to get involved, he reluctantly agrees to help and tries to uncover what happened.

This is not a typical mystery and is far more about the characters than anything else. I liked the writing and enjoyed getting to know the people of Ardnakelty. Just be aware that, although this has a good sense of place and character, it is not a book to be hurried and you just need to relax and enjoy getting to know the people and their backgrounds. I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, for review.

I really love Tana French’s compelling writing and love her plots!
Albeit this book was a little bit slower than what I’m normally used to it was a really interesting story.

The characters are really interesting and complex And I really loved Trey specifically!

The plot develops and some little clues are given during the read which makes it really interesting to try and put the whole puzzle together. There are lots of twists and even though I kind of figured out what would happen I still enjoyed the book.

It was not my favourite book by Ms French but I still enjoyed it. Overall, although starting slow and only gaining momentum closer to the end. The Searcher is still quite interesting. I love Tana French so am looking forward for her next book.


I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Uk for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

If you are looking for a dark, claustrophobic, slow paced story than the new novel by Tana French is one for you. I am still fairly new to Tana French’s novels, but I really enjoyed The Wych Elm, so I was really looking forward to this new novel. The beginning was a bit slow for me, but after the first one hundred pages, I finally got into the rhythm and I was gripped by the story. The more I read, the more I couldn’t put it down, eager to see how the story – and the characters – would develop. The rural small village of Ardenkelty in Ireland, the remote house in need of renovation, the protagonist, a former Chicago cop looking for a fresh start, far away from his ex wife and his old life, a mysterious disappearance, all these elements create another thrilling, intense, and unique novel from a fantastic author.