The Searcher – Tana French
I know that Tana French has an army of loyal fans but this is the first book I’ve read by her. It is however a stand-alone story so there was no need to read up on any of her other books before diving in.
Without getting into the details of the plot, this is essentially a story about small-town secrets, set in rural Ireland. What makes the book stand out for me within the genre is French’s ability to create a very believable setting with well-crafted characters. You really can see, hear and almost smell life in this Irish village. So visual is the book that it is crying out to be turned into a movie.
I would say it is fairly slow paced, but I mean that in a good way. French takes the time to really lure you into the world of her book. This is thoughtful story telling with believable and complex characters and an atmosphere thick with threats.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Having read other books by Tana French I was really looking forward to curling up with this stand alone novel. This a slow burn read unlike the Dublin Murders which have a faster pace. A lot of time is used to get to know the characters and the setting and surrounding area. Cal Hooper is an ex Chicago police officer, his marriage broke down and he decided to move to a remote fictitious village in Ireland where he has purchased an old farmhouse which he plans on doing up, looking for a complete change of lifestyle. He is starting to settle in the neighbours are gradually starting to welcome him. Especially Mart who he picks up cookies for, and occasionally joins in the local pub.

It’s not long before Cal realises someone is watching him, he gradually lures the person out, a young 13 year old kid known as Trey, but what does Trey want? Turns out he hears that Cal is ex police and he wants him to try and find his older brother Brendan who went missing a few months earlier. Trey is convinced something has happened and that Brendan wouldn’t have just left with no word. The family are well known by the villagers who seem to have little time or sympathy for them. But when cal starts making discreet enquiries he gets a couple of warnings from people to steer clear. But why?

This is a well plotted, well crafted story, with some good characters, some not so good. I enjoyed this despite it being a slower pace to what I usually go for. My attention was held and I needed to finish it to find out who was doing what and why. What had happened to Brendan? Who was involved? Nothing really big happens until around three quarters of the way through the book. But I did enjoy the interaction between characters, Mart trying to match make Cal with Lena. The atmosphere in the village is claustrophobic with everyone knowing somehow everything everyone is doing, seems no one can keep a secret.

Overall an enjoyable read.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Viking for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

3.5 stars

There are a handful of authors on my “No-Brainer” list. Their books are the ones I automatically reach for.…don’t need to see the cover, read the synopsis or check any reviews. Just gimme.

That doesn’t mean all of their books were 5 star reads. You always enjoy some more than others but something about their writing style and/or characters keeps me coming back. Ms. French is one of those authors & this book is no exception. All her books contain an element of crime but some are driven by suspense while others focus on the characters. This story is more about how the characters are affected by a crime than the crime itself.

Cal Hooper is a man who doesn’t mess around when he decides he needs a change. In short order he retired from the Chicago P.D., got divorced & bought a cottage in rural Ireland sight unseen. Yep, it’s a handyman special but he now has nothing but time. Let the renovations begin.

At first Cal’s solitude is only broken by visits from Mart, his elderly cookie-scarfing neighbour. But he soon senses another presence. It turns out to be 13 year old Trey Reddy, a shy kid who’s heard about this odd American. And he wants to hire him. Trey’s brother Brendan disappeared a while back & no one seems to care. Not the local cops, not even his worn out mother. Trey figures it’s because he’s a Reddy….a name synonymous with the Irish equivalent of trailer trash.

Cal came here to leave his old life behind. He’s lost his inner compass, that thing that made him trust his own judgement. In its place is self-doubt & uncertainty as to who he is now & where he belongs. You get the sense he & the old cottage have a lot in common. Both need someone to peel away layers, repair what’s broken & build them back up.

Cal chose his new home based on location. As an outsider in a rural area, he thought he’d have the physical & emotional space he needs. Now he’s buying cookies for a nosy neighbour while dodging the local matchmaker. Trey shows up most days to help with the renos. The kid’s quiet desperation finally gets to him & Cal agrees to look into Brendan’s disappearance. Oh man, be careful what you wish for.

So….a wee heads-up for all you French fans. Don’t go into this expecting a tense, suspenseful read akin to the Dublin Murder Squad books. It’s more like her last book, a slow burn type of story with fully realized characters & atmospheric prose. Yes, there is crime but it’s almost incidental. What you have is a beautifully written narrative that is completely character driven. It’s moody, descriptive & some scenes hurt my heart.

As I read I couldn’t help but think of “Shane”, the classic western. A solitary stranger arrives in town & is approached by a poor kid up against locals intent on maintaining the status quo. All the ingredients are there, delivered in Irish vernacular. Just don’t expect any white hats.

So maybe leave your preconceptions at the door. The depiction of setting & language is spot on & you’ll soon find yourself surrounded by misty rains & 40 shades of green. It’s a quiet, well written character study that deals with themes that will resonate no matter where you call home.

Cal is a Chicago cop disillusioned with the job and divorced he seeks the quiet life on the west coast of Ireland. A local kid asks him to investigate what happened to their missing brother and he is sucked into local feuds and intrigues. The treat of violence is never far away. Its a good plot and keeps you interested and turning the pages.

There is a dark undercurrent of cruelty and menace running through the book. The story is well told, in beautiful, descriptive prose.

I enjoyed the book, although I found it slow to start and I was disappointed to some extent in the ending. It cast an ugly light on some apparently harmless characters.

When Cal left America and his job in the police force to enjoy retirement in an small Irish village, he was glad to have left the hassle and the problems of his profession behind, but then unexpectedly trouble finds him again - in form of a little kid who desperately needs clarification on the whereabouts of their missing brother and strangely enough Cal seems to be the only one willing to look into it...

"The Searcher" is a standalone and is quite the opposite from Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad books (which I love!). Where the books from the series are fast-paced, thrilling and often brutal, French really takes her time with The Searcher. It's not until almost three quarters into the book that actually something happens and the plot really moves forward but never was I bored for a minute before that.
French paints the village and its complicated dynamics, its unwritten laws and rules that nobody tells you but you're expected to follow anyway, the land that turns harsh and haunting as autumn sets and especially the characters so vividly and with such love for detail.
I flew through the book, getting to know Trey and the other villagers, trying to look behind their masks and untangling the web of their relations at Cal's side and I loved every second of it. Tana French just knows what she is doing!

Thanks to Penguin General UK and NetGalley for the eBook!

An engaging book which drew me in slowly into the story and entangled me in the threads so I wanted to read on. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Liked the two main characters whose developing friendship plays a large part in this story. There were also some other interesting chat but a very muddled,mixed up storyline.

Cal Hooper is a recently retired Chicago cop who, divorced and desperate to start a new life in his late forties, has bought a run-down cottage in rural Ireland. He wants nothing more than to spend time renovating the property, and live a simple life involving long walks, rabbit stew and occasional trips to the pub. His friendly neighbour Mart has £20 on him to stay a full year, unlike most of the other 'blow-ins' who've arrived and departed the area over the years.

Trouble soon comes calling in the form of reticent 13-year-old Trey, who eventually asks for Cal's help in finding out what happened to Brendan, an older brother who suddenly disappeared a few months back. Cal soon finds that Chicago PD investigation techniques don't work in a village where everyone knows everyone else's business, and everything he says or does gets circulated along with the other gossip.

Although the plot is quite simple, the book comes alive due to the characters, the way they talk, and the beautiful landscape. The characters are carefully and intricately drawn and the landscape is a character in its own right. So much so that you can almost feel the wind on your face and smell the rain coming. The main thing that impressed me though was the depiction of spoken language. Cal clearly has lots of Americanisms in his speech, but everyone else has a strong Irish accent which is incredibly well portrayed and reflects the gentle Irish sense of humour so skilfully. As Cal thinks, "one of the reasons he picked Ireland was so he wouldn't have to learn a new language, but sometimes he feels like the joke is on him."

I'd highly recommend The Searcher if you're after an endearing read with a central mystery, and are willing to give it the time it deserves. Not one to be hurried.

A retired US police officer moves to a dilapidated college in rural Ireland for a more peaceful life. His tranquility doesn't last long before a local kid seeks him out to solve the disappearance of an older brother.

'The Searcher' is an atmospheric, character-driven, slower paced mystery.

This was my first Tana French book, and although I usually prefer fast paced reads, I will return to French's work again shortly.

Thank you, #NetGalley and Viking for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this rather unusual book from Tana French. I have been gripped by her detective series and her last book, The Wych Elm, but this one was totally different, though written in her trademark engaging style with an emphasis in interesting and believable characters. I liked the subtle blend of Irish setting with the American tone and expression, allowing both to create a sympathetic and rounded picture of an ex-cop's early retirement to an unfamiliar countryside. A fascinating and absorbing story and a real surprise to expectations.

This is a beautifully written and engaging book that I was sad to leave behind when I finished it. It is set in a rural part of Ireland and the descriptions of the landscapes, the weather and the wildlife are great to read for someone living in a busy, capital city.

The book tells the story of a retired US cop who moves to a small Irish village to try and get a chance of pace and to escape the pressures and dangers of big city life. At first it seems he has succeeded in 'getting away from it all' and the reader can enjoy his new sense of freedom along with him.

But it turns out that similar dangers to those he left behind exist everywhere.

Cal, the former cop, is a great character. We find out gradually about the breakdown of his marriage and, along with him, start to figure out the reasons for its ending. French paints a picture of a man who has somehow lost his way and isn't sure how it happened.

Cal regularly reminisces about being with his daughter when she was young, and it's clear that he misses her now that they have less of a connection.

Cal sets about doing up his dilapidated new home, but is distracted from his soothing, relatively stress-free work when a young kid called Trey starts visiting him and pulls him into investigating the mystery of a missing brother.

Both these characters are very well written and there's a great twist in the character of Trey. French is also excellent at conjuring up a feeling of what it's like to be a newcomer in a small town. There are several eerie points where Cal can't be sure whether he trusts his new friends and acquaintances.

His investigation ends up bringing him up against many of the townsfolk for one reason or another. The book is great at creating a creepy, unsettling atmosphere and making the reader identify with Cal's uncertainty about who he can trust.

The story doesn't drag at all, and there are enough side plots and minor characters to hold the reader's interest. French gets across horribly how people can be pushed into carrying out brutal acts because they believe it's the least bad option. The dilemmas that people find themselves in help to create characters that aren't black and white.

It's a great read with a relatively simple plot that nonetheless creates all kinds of complications for so many people along the way. I would highly recommend it.

I have been a fan of Tana French since I first read ‘Into the Woods’ and so was thrilled that she had written another. Although this isn’t part of the Dublin Murder Squad series, it just highlights the brilliance of Tana French’s writing.
There is a lyrical, dream-like quality to the writing. The setting becomes a character itself as we discover the town of Ardnakelty and the strangeness of the mountains , which are sinister in a fairy tale way.
I absolutely loved this book – the rooks calling, the bitch and her puppies, the minute detail of the desk repairs. Such beautify writing, I shed a tear in places at the despair experienced by the teenager who asks for Cal’s help.
An absolute triumph.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin General UK for a review copy.

4-5 stars

Cal Hooper, ex Chicago PD, relocated to the rural west of Ireland after retirement and the break up of his marriage. He’s fixing up a wreck of a house he bought for a song, now he knows why it was so cheap! He is befriended by his neighbour Mart Larvin who makes this outsider welcome. He feels he is being watched which transpires to be Trey Reddy, a teenager who eventually asks him to find missing brother Brendan.

I think this book proves you don’t have to throw everything but the kitchen sink into a plot for it to be good. If you want to read an all action thriller then this isn’t for you but if you want a beautifully written, fascinating slow burner that encapsulates rural Ireland and depicts its lovely people then it is. The pace matches the rural surroundings where the pace of life is slower. I really enjoyed being immersed in the storytelling with its rich characters, great craic and building moments of suspense and tension while Cal catches on to what is going on. I love the images of the rooks laughing at him as he tries to make sense of a different world and not disrupt it too much. It’s very funny in places and I laughed out loud at some of Mart’s thoughts! He is a fantastic character as are all his mates in the bar.

This is Tana French’s take on a western and I can see the many analogies clearly in the narrative. For example, Cal is a settler in a new land, he’s almost building his home almost from scratch, there’s a bar/saloon, poteen for moonshine and some of the villagers are like cowboys looking for trouble and certainly finding it!! However, there are definitely 21st Century issues afoot here. There’s acceptance of the truth even though it may not be conventional- maybe another western analogy? I like the way it finishes symbolically with a sense of renewal, with rifts and damage repaired which is very clever.

Overall this is an almost lyrical read, it’s captivating and an atmospheric depiction of rural Ireland which took me right back there. Some of the descriptions are superb and the characterisation is excellent.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for a much appreciated ARC for an honest review

Tana French's latest slow burn of a standalone novel is rather different fare from her usual, set in a fictional West Ireland small town, Ardnakelty, a place where the reality bears little resemblance to the idyllic rural community where nothing much happens. American Cal Hooper is a burned out and disillusioned man, retiring from Chicago PD after seeing too many of the problematic issues that readers will be familiar with, given the contemporary focus on American policing and the continuing protests in the United States. With a daughter, but divorced from his wife, he decides to shift in another direction, to try and forge a life that brings him some measure of peace and which involves him moving to Ireland, buying a run down home that will require him to spend considerable time engaged in its renovations.

Cal appreciates the natural environment, and we are given in depth details of his work doing up his home, conversing with a neighbour, Mart, holding back from jumping into too hasty social interactions with people, preferring to observe instead. However, he finds himself drawn back into utilising his investigating skills, when a 13 year old youngster from a poor background, Trey, watches him closely, aware of his background in policing. Trey wants Cal to find out what happened to his brother, Brendan, who disappeared a little while ago, and the local police have shown little interest in looking into this. A tenacious and determined Cal searches for the truth, not put off in the slightest by the obstacles that litter his path.

This is not my favourite Tana French novel, but I still enjoyed the character driven mystery, particularly the strong evolving bond between Cal and Trey as they work together. The narrative brings out the nature of small town living, including the claustrophobic feel of it, providing the backgrounds of a range of different characters. The slow moving storytelling means this will require patience from some readers to get the most from it. A complex tale of mystery, secrets, friendships, morality and ethics, relationships, of being a man, justice and the natural environment. Many thanks to Penguin UK for an ARC.

A poignant story of an ex Chicago cop retiring to a remote part of Ireland where the cut and thrust of front line policing will be replaced by the tranquility of a life without deadlines or danger. Still recovering from a traumatic divorce a life of isolation and no responsibilities for anything or anyone is high on his agenda . An unexpected meeting, a cry for help, and unwillingness to turn his back on a troubled child leads him into a search for a missing person that his life experiences announces loud and clear that this path he intends to take spells trouble, danger and ultimately bad news for all involved. The reader is drawn into a pace of life and standard of living from what for many is a bygone age. Needs are simple, wants are only those required to survive and the community is dependent on each other for support and survival. To buck the system is to have any support removed. A story unlike anything read previously with a slow build up that allows the scenery, the sound and smells, and the culture to wrap a sensory perception around every page . We the reader suddenly care, agonising over every action and result fearing for the worst, hoping for the best. A conclusion delivered by our protagonist who has lived long enough to understand life is never simple or easy but is still to be lived and endured. An immensely enjoyable incredibly unusual book that weaved and spread It’s magic as a mystery slowly unfolded and several diverse characters found a means of living in peace and harmony. Many thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Although this didn’t grip me as much as The Wych Elm, I was intrigued by the story. However, it isn’t the plot so much as the incredible scene setting and lifelike characters that make The Searcher a worthwhile read

Cal has retired from the Chicago police force and has moved to a rundown cottage in a small village in Ireland. He is beginning to settle in, getting to know the neighbours and is working on his house. A young teenager, whose older brother has disappeared, comes to him for his help. Through his investigation Cal gets to know more about his environment and the secrets that exist around him.
As usual Tana French has written a great, engaging story involving some excellent characters. I especially enjoyed the relationships between Cal and Trey and the one between Cal and Mart, his next door neighbour. It examines and portrays very well the workings of a small village and the relationships therein.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Cal Hooper has just moved to remote Ireland in search or a new life. Recently retired from the police force, as well as recently divorced he had to get away. Whilst working on his land, he senses someone is watching him, soon enough he catches 13 year old local boy Trey following him. Treys brother is missing and needs Cals help to find him. Without Cals help Trey may never know what happened to his brother.
This is a slow paced mystery perfectly written for the patient readers who appreciate well written books. A strong four stars for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin group/ Viking for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

That was what I would call a ‘quiet’ thriller. That does not mean cosy. It means something that can move you in a quiet and thoughtful way. The book is not fast paced but it was riveting nonetheless. Tana French’s writing is so lyrical, in this, more than any of her other books I’ve read, she brought Ireland to life for me. I felt as if I were there. And the lilting Irish speech was so wonderful to ‘hear’ (even though I read it, I heard it in my mind). I also felt the claustrophobia that Cal finally felt after moving from a large city to the small Irish Village of Ardnakelty.

Calvin John Hooper (Cal) retired from the Chicago Police Department after 25 years and a nasty divorce. He moved to small town Ireland for a complete change and a quiet life restoring the run down cottage he had bought on a few acres. He has interesting chats with his neighbour Mart, who tries to fix him up with a local widow, and enjoys a few evenings in the local watering hole. But while working on his cottage he gets the sense that he is being watched and finally the watcher reveals themselves - a teenager named Trey, skittish and fearful, clearly from a disadvantaged home and not very talkative makes his acquaintance. Cal puts Trey to work and doesn’t push things. After two weeks he is rewarded with the reason Trey is there. The brother, 19 year old Brendan has been missing for 6 months and Trey is desperate to know what happened to him.

Cal agrees to look into it - reluctantly and after a a great deal of deliberation. But his search, digging as it must under what goes on in the village, uncovers some ugly truths that he perhaps wishes were never unearthed. There is no unknowing what he learns and Cal must think long and hard about what he is going to do with this info. If you must have adrenalin in your books you probably won’t like this one. But if you like the odd quiet but deep and personal journey with beautiful writing and vividly drawn characters with warts and all you will love this latest offering by Tana French. Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Tana French for my copy. My opinions are my own.