As with her popular Dublin Murder series, Tana French's new novel is set in Ireland, but instead of also being a suspenseful thriller, this stand alone is a more gentle, slow simmering, character driven mystery.

Cal Hooper is an ex Chicago cop who decided on making a new start in a small Irish village after his marriage ended just as he put in for early retirement. It's not clear why he chose Ireland rather than a rural area in the US where he could keep in touch better with the daughter he misses, but hungering for solitude and quiet he nevertheless purchased a run down cottage in Ireland and planned on spending his time fixing it up and getting to know the locals in the village pub. However, when a young teenager called Trey turns up at his place asking for help to find his missing brother Brendan, his cop instincts kick in and against his better judgement he agrees to help. Cal senses is wrong with the community but the taciturn locals are not talking to him making it hard for him to figure out what happened to Brendan.

The novel does move a very slow pace and takes quite a while to give us any hints of what Brendan may have been involved in. The characters are well crafted, that of Cal the burnt out cop looking to heal his soul and the thirteen year Trey, living with her impoverished single mother and yearning for Brendan, the only person who ever cared for her. As Cal gets to know Trey they develop a very strong bond as she is clearly smart and eager to learn from him. Then there are the bunch of local sheep farmers and oddbods to be found in the pub including Cal's neighbour Mart who has struck up a friendship with him and always seems to be one step ahead of him. The description of the village and a way of life that is in danger of dying out as the young leave for college and city jobs was also poignant and I also enjoyed the description of the rural landscape and the ruggedness of the mountains and bogs surrounding the village. However, the slow pace of the novel and lack of action driven narrative may not appeal to those are expecting a more suspenseful and action packed thriller from this author.

This book tested me. I don't mind a slow burn if it makes sense but this was a drag. This had pages and pages of sanding a desk. So many of those types of scenes that could have been cut as they didn't bring much to the story for me.
Cal "interviewing" the townspeople wasn't realistic for me. Unless every single person in the town was a gossip he shouldn't have been able to get that much information from people the first time he met them.
This book left me tired. Each chapter felt so much longer than they probably were.
By the last 30% I was skim reading just to get it finished. I was past caring about what happened to the person.

Um, well, this is without doubt a book written by a storyteller of great skill. The landscape and characters come to life and you inhabit Ireland and fall for its quirky characters and Irish humour and lilt. However it was the actual storyline that sadly disappointed me - it didn't, to me, seem believable ... in huge contrast to the well written prose that made the setting utterly believable. I hope that makes sense.

This was a good story, but it was a very slow-burn, to the point that I was getting antsy for something to happen!
The interesting characters kept it going, but with not much happening until about three quarters through the book, I was hoping for a bit more of a climax that never came.

I really like Tana French as an author but this one was not for me.

The pace is very very slow. In fact, nothing much happens in the whole story except retired USA cop Cal Hooper settling into his cottage in Ireland, doing it up and getting to know his neighbours. The neighbours are a tight knit bunch and when a young boy comes asking for Cal's help to find his missing brother, Cal decides to get involved.

This sounds like it's the beginning of a great plot. Actually, it's pretty much the only plot because it never develops into more. We meander along and I kept looking at what percentage I was in the book and at 60% nothing much has happened. I'd say this book is a mystery. And a slow one at that.

I would probably have given this three stars if the ending had been good. Unfortunately, the ending is disappointing and made me wonder why I'd spent my time reading this book.

The quality of the writing is fantastic -- this was the only bright part of the novel.

This is my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of the book.

Rather like the Wych Elm, you have to trust Tana French to lead you on a slow journey into a character and back to the world. A retired Chicago police officer who has run away to Ireland, Cal Hooper offers poignant company, and his growing relationship with the natives of his adopted town forms the spine of the story. The novel feels less like a crime fiction than a Western - the loner, the tough beauty of the landscape, the quest. Its mood stayed with me long after closing the pages.

The Searcher by Tana French is a fabulous read and one of her very best novels, in my opinion. The plot is intricately woven throughout the book, while at the same time the characters continue to develop and surprise the reader. The way Cal and Trey get to know each other is so moving without being sentimental.

I particularly enjoyed how the remote setting is so well described and I could almost hear the Irish accent and dialect. I’m sure it’d be a very successful audio book. I thoroughly recommend it.

My thanks to Netgalley and Viking, part of Penguin Random House Publishers for the advance copy.

Somehow this book disappointed a little. Set in Ireland, with an interesting mix of characters so seemed a good premise but
it never really grabbed me as I it was a very slow burner and did not really become anything more than mundane.
In all honesty it was rambling and lacked focus.
The lead Cal appeared to be a little clichéd, ex cop moves to Ireland to find himself. I didn't feel particularly concerned one way or the other.
Overall, I was disappointed with The Searcher. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Beautiful surroundings brought to life from the pen of an articulated writer who knows what the reader wants. Mystery, suspense and murder happen anywhere and in this case its the wilds of Ireland. An ex cop wants a quiet life but that is never going to happen when a youth turns up who he takes under his wing. A youth with a secret and a missing brother, they want the truth whatever the cost and unfortunately the cost could be a high one. Full of tension that builds slowly till it tumbles out of the pages and into your lap as you read the book. Haunting, taut and captivating the book delivers a tale of death, destruction yet also of regret and sorrow.

A slow burn with an ending that makes it all worth it!!

My first Tana French and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more! An ex cop moves to a small village in Ireland and gets unwittingly wrapped up in the search for a missing teenager. The mounting tension that slowly rises throughout the book really immerses you fully into the world French creates, this is helped along by the writing of the dialogue of the locals with all the right twangs in the right places.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin UK for the ARC

This was my first ever Tana French novel. I found a well written book with believable characters. Set in Ireland, Cal Hooper, ex cop from Chicago PD, retires and moves to Ireland to live in a small rundown farmhouse, which Cal is renovating. Cal was asked by a local resident to investigate a missing teenager, reluctantly at first, but eventually accepted. The tall American was well liked and accepted by the small community. The chapters were long and descriptive. I am not a fan of long chapters. The banter from the local Irish community was very funny in parts.

I would recommend this book to Tana French fans but, for me to slow and descriptive.

I would give a 3 star rating but only because this novel was not for me.

I WISH TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK

I like a crime or mystery novel every now again, especially an intelligent one like this, but there were quite a few times that I wasn’t convinced. The protagonist, an American police officer who has retired to rural Ireland, gets unwittingly involved in looking for a missing person in the tight-knit village, so far so good, but I didn’t quite get French’s leap to having his passing acquaintance Lena involved too. Small moments like this, where my belief is stretched, tend to ruin the reading experience for me. Something I did appreciate, French being, like her protagonist, an American immigrant in the Republic of Ireland, the limited use of dialect which can be wearying when reading something set in a place with a known accent. There was just enough - the odd “yoke” and “eejit” - to get a flavour of the setting. Overall, I’d definitely try another Tana French novel in future.

Tana French is a great writer, love her mysteries. This was was no different. I loved the literary quality to it, the atmosphere was amazing. The mystery was satisfying, the characters were well developed.
If only she could cut out the bits that don't add to the story and make it more boring and slower than it needs to be. It was the same with her other stand alone. Overall, a good read though.

Thanks a lot to the publisher and NG for this copy.

I’ve not read anything by Tana French before, and after reading this book, The Searcher, I’ll definitely be looking at more of her books.
This story really grabbed me; the retired cop from Chicago moving to a small community in Ireland with a house he intends to fix up, expecting peace and a complete change in lifestyle but instead finding himself caught up emotionally and physically in something way out of his control when a local child comes to him for help.

I loved this book. The characters were great and well rounded and the story line was really different to the usual ones you find. I highly recommend it.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It’s well paced with some great characters and enough twists and turns to keep you hooked to the very last page! I found my self very invested with the lives and events of the book and the relationship between Cal and Trey and then the two’s relationship with Lena. The book shows some insight in to close knit communities and the outsider living amongst them.
There are plenty of surprises throughout the book to keep you turning the pages Tana French is brilliant at putting things in you hadn’t even thought about therefore leaving me shocked at several points in the book! All in all a great read!

Excellent. The clash of cultures and sense of an outsider moving to a tight knit community was cleverly described. The main characters were well sketched out and the plot involving a missing young man was well developed. Recommended

This is the first Tana French I have read, but it certainly won’t be the last. I got this as a ARC from netgalley, so didn’t really know what to expect, but the characters and the area are so well written, I could hear them talking in my head and see the countryside around the main characters. It is a very good story told extremely well, I would recommended this to anyone who likes a good story.

My first Tana French read. This was a really atmospheric book, very descriptive. I wouldn’t call it a thriller definitely more of a mystery read. There was a strong focus on character building, family, relationships, and community. I did enjoy it however it was a slow read with minimal suspense. If I could I would give this 3.5🌟 however I have rounded this up to 4.

I was completely drawn in to this novel with its superb characterisation and rich descriptive language. Desperate to find out more of the back story of its flawed narrator Cal, ex US detective, and how he found himself in rural Ireland. His relationship with the neglected teenager Trey was so well drawn and we see It develop through his eyes as they try to discover what happened to brother Brendan. Cal’s acceptance by the close knit local community is key to the plot as is his relationship with his elderly neighbour Mart forged in biscuits and with Lena and her pups who provides a female perspective. Violence is used with impact where necessary.