Cal , an American policeman retires and wants to start a new life in Ireland. He comes across a miscellany of characters and befriends Trey who believes his brother has gone missing. Will he put his past behind him , pick up his detective skills again in his new home area and solve the mystery
This is a slow burner and descriptive book by this author in a stand-alone novel.

Took a little while to get cosy with this book but after a few chapters i was hooked. Great plot and development with nice twists that no-one would ever see coming. A great cast of characters and beautifully descriptive when it comes to the environment. A little gore here and there and some violence. An excellent read though and i'd recommend it to any reader.

From Chicago PD to Ireland, from a tough divorce to a quiet single life, Cal Hooper thinks the village in Ireland is the perfect spot to unwind and enjoy retirement. Then a local boy from a disreputable family turns up and asks Cal to help look for his missing elder brother.

This was a little slow for me, though it was well written, it took rather a long time to get where it was going. I think the slow burn was in part deliberate - moving along at the pace of life in an Irish backwater but it just didn't work. I couldn't get involved with the main character either or the various villagers - not very pleasant types at all! Trey was well drawn and the only highlight in what was a bit of a dull read for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Tana French is one of my favourite authors so i was very happy to be approved for an e-arc for her new novel The Searcher on Netgalley. It did not disappoint. The Searcher follows Cal - an ex cop from Chicago who has recently moved to Ireland for a quieter life and a change of scenery. In comes Trey - a 13 year old who only wants to know why her brother disappeared and will fight for answers. This book is fantastic story as we follow the truths of what happened, Im not going to lie i did guess the ending but still i good plot nonetheless. I will read anything Tana releases as these books always keep you guessing,

I’ve been a huge fan of Tana French since I was first blown away by the first of her novels I read, Broken Harbour, the fourth in the Dublin Murder Squad series (I then went back and read all the books in that excellent series). Her descriptions of a largely abandoned new housing estate, victim of the property bust in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland, was powerful and haunting, forming a backdrop with as much presence and personality as any of the characters.

The Searcher is set in the Irish countryside, and once again the setting is a powerful part of the story. The main character is an American, Cal, retired from the Chicago police force to an old cottage in the Irish countryside. This provides a rich set-up for entertaining plays on all the old tourist-brochure stereotypes, to reveal some harsh realities of modern Ireland. Hoary old farmers who joke about apps and internet porn. Drug gangs operating from old thatched cottages in the hills. Pub sing-songs with an undercurrent of menace.

It’s intelligent and well written, and makes for a cracking good read. The dialogue is excellent, and the author clearly has a good ear for Irish idiom. It’s rare to see Irish dialogue so well written, even by Irish authors, never mind by an American. Not a false note (that I could detect, anyway, but then I’m a Dubliner, not from the country, so who am I to judge?).

The other main character is Trey, a half-wild kid from a poor family, who forms an unlikely bond with Cal. The deepening of their friendship, tentative and fragile, is beautifully described.

This is a wonderful novel that should appeal to a lot of readers. I’d call French a literary novelist, rather than a mystery writer, because she is clearly expert at her craft – there’s plenty of depth here to satisfy readers looking for ‘literature’. It would also be a good read for book groups. But it’s also very readable and accessible for anyone just looking for a well-written, engrossing thriller. I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t become a huge bestseller.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for giving me a free copy of this book. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.

Retired Chicago cop Cal Hooper moves to rural Ireland to escape the ghosts of his career and family, and live a quiet life fixing up the house he's purchased. After Trey, a local kid whose older brother has suspiciously disappears, seeks him out for help, Cal is pulled back into the crime-solving life.

This was a bit too slow of a burn for me. Tana French's descriptions of the atmospheric village of Ardnakelty, the surrounding mountains, and the inhabitants were beautiful, but the plot didn't have the same compelling drive as her Dublin Murder Squad books. French is a master of building suspense, and Cal's paranoia and suspicions about his neighbors translated well to the reader, but I didn't think it really ever paid off in 'The Searcher.'

There were several moving scenes surrounding Cal's friend/mentorship with Trey, and the strong thread of moral righteousness and responsibility was interesting, especially for a protagonist who is an American police officer all too familiar with the related tensions. I am glad I read it, but don't think I would recommend it with the same fervor as 'In the Woods.'

This is my first time reading this author’s work and whilst it was enjoyable enough, it was a bit too slow for me and not enough of a mystery story. I did like Cal, Trey and Lena and enjoyed the developing relationships between them but I just wanted a bit more action. 3.5 stars

Did I enjoy this book? Yes I did despite it being not at all what I expected. This is not a thriller, it is however a wonderful general fiction book. The fantastic descriptions of life in a small southern Irish village made me feel I was right there beside Cal. His developing friendship with Trey and his fledgling relationship with Lena are all described in wonderful detail and provide a backdrop to Cal’s new life after emigrating from the US. There is an element of mystery in there but it is by no means the main part of the book

I haven’t read any books by this author before and was really pleased to receive a preview copy for review. The author is very descriptive and for me I am afraid this reduced my enjoyment of the plot as pages and pages were devoted to the house renovation at the start. It is quite a long book but a bit too slow in the tension build up for me I afraid.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of a new author.

Having read several Tana French novels, I'd say that "The Searcher" is as satisfying at "The Wych Elm". It's nice to read another stand alone novel of French's. Lovely descriptions of Irish village life, which the protagonist Cal Hooper craves. However, it is when he is approached by one of the locals to solve their brother's disappearance that things get interesting, and you find out that "quiet" village life isn't as it seems.

Definitely a slow-burner rather than a page-turner. It made me full and satisfied.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. I’ve read all of Tana French’s previous books and this is as excellent as her others.
The main character is Cal Hooper, an American police officer who has recently moved to a quiet village in Ireland, hoping for a peaceful life. He is approached by a teenager from the village, who, after plucking up the courage, asks Cal for help to find their missing brother.
There are plenty of twists and turns in this well plotted and beautifully told story, I loved it.

Ex-Chicago Cop Cal Hooper moves to Ireland. I love Ireland and Chicago, and I really liked this book. Tana French is a great author.

I feel there's a good story in here somewhere but it's lost in a detailed house renovation. Sorry.
I know these reviews have to be more than 100 characters long but I'm not inspired enough to know what else to write I'm afraid. Not for me.

Guys, it has taken me years to get on the Tana French bandwagon. Now that I am on it, I will hold on for dear life because she can write a great thriller! I'm looking forward to all that has passed and all that is yet to come.

Judging by the mixed reviews the best is yet to come for me, especially her Dublin Murder Squad series has been received with a lot of praise. For what it's worth, I'm a newbie to her writing and I really enjoyed The Searcher.

Sure, the most common remark from negative reviews is the pacing and the fact that it's slow to start. I found that to be the case as well, but I didn't mind it. It takes time to build a character from the ground up, especially if the setting is small.

The story is set in a small town in Ireland. The kind of place where everyone knows everyone and one day our protagonist walks in and he's the talk of the town. Cal is an ex-police office from Chicago of all places and he's looking for peace and quiet after a painful divorce. The novel starts with a lot of talk about home renovations, because that's what Cal is focused on when the story kicks off.

However, he doesn't have time to complete it before a local child, Trey, finds him and appeals to him for help. His brother has disappeared and he's hoping Cal can find him. Cal reluctantly agrees, because he feels a restless itch. The fact that something iffy seems to be going on in this small community is impossible for him to ignore.

What I loved most about this novel is that Cal's situation felt really realistic. He's a retired policeman from another country, he doesn't have the means to do investigations the way he did them back in the States. How he deals with this is the strength of the story and the reason why I think the slow build up is OK. I found myself completely absorbed into the story and its setting in rural Ireland. I really wanted to find out what happened to Trey's brother.

I give this book 4.5 stars and I can't wait to read more books by Tana French.

Really enjoyed this book especially the style of writing. The description of places in Ireland and the various characters made the story come alive for me and almost made me feel like I was actually there as I could picture it so clearly. A great read and a good distraction to escape for a while from the challenging times we find ourselves in.

Absolutely brill read. Enjoyed the story about cal and trey especially Mart at the pub.

It was weird how lena and cal become friends but I really wanted to read on to find out what happened to them.

To say this story slowly builds is an understatement. For anyone who is looking for a fast paced, page turning thriller....this is not it. Instead this is deep analysis of the character of American former cop who settles in an abandoned cottage in a small village in Ireland and becomes involved in a search he was not prepared for. His relationship and assessment of every character he meets is fully explored and the reader is also immersed in his experience of life in this small village. Tana French is an extremely talented writer but I did struggle with the pace of this novel - I feel you need to be in a very clear headspace to give yourself over fully to Cal’s slow and steady life (until circumstances start to get out of his control) and I had to take a break and come back to it later once I was in this headspace. This is a very accomplished, interesting story and I feel fans of Tana French will not be disappointed but I did struggle with the slow pace of the first half of the story.

Cal Hooper is a police officer in Chicago, he is divorced from Donna and has one grown daughter who is living her own life with boyfriend Ben. Cal decides to hand in his papers and leave Chicago. He wants a different life, he chooses to buy a very run down farm in Ireland. It’s in a small village with one shop and a pub. The quiet life Cal wants. One day, whilst fixing some furniture he is visited by a kid named Trey, this will change Cal’s life as he get involved in the darker side of the village. I loved this book, it is so beautifully written I can see the pub, shop and all the characters that live there.

I love mysteries but this one wasn't my cup of tea. This story line was soooo slow burn for me. The writing is great, but this book gave my nerves a work out.
Just 3 stars.

This was my first Tana French book and I just loved it it had everything you would want in a brilliant read and more!!
So this is described as a mystery thriller but it’s so much more than that I fell in love with the whole concept of the story from beginning to end. Set in a small town Ireland retired detective Cal Hooper has moved from Chicago and bought a run down cottage to renovate and also to escape from his past. Being an outsider it’s hard for Cal to fit in but with his easy nature he does and what a magnificent set of characters we meet as Cal little by little is accepted and makes friends. This is a read that’s hard to describe as at its heart there is a mystery but for me it was about so many other things I loved the slow pace of the book as the story progressed I felt involved in what was happening and I cared so much about these characters especially Cal and Trey.
A wonderful and beautifully written novel and one that I shall miss, a book that took my breath away and took to another place and it’s certainly one I won’t forget.
Many many thanks to Tana French for giving me so much pleasure in reading this.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Penguin UK, Viking for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.