Right from the start I was imagining Tom Selleck as Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone here - one of my favourite actors and characters of all time so no bad thing - and that likeness continued for the whole book. The characters kept me interested, Cal in particular of course, and the dialogue is terrific. I could well imagine the Irish backwater Jesse, oops I mean Cal, pitches up in after a burnt-out career in the police and a failed marriage. The plot, though, is so slow and not very thrilling that I was on the verge on losing interest on a few occasions. As a vehicle for exploring small-town life and broken families it worked well enough and the author has great insights to share, but I finished the book feeling relieved that it was over. A tad disappointing for me.

Having read the Dublin Murder books and thought they were quite good I wanted to read something different by this author and the blurb sounded good. However, it was incredibly slow going and didn't feel like an Irish community to me. Very heavily American. So many long descriptions about DIY. I didn't click with the characters who somehow felt as though they were in an alien environment; that they had been put in the wrong book.. Very odd so sadly not as enjoyable as I had hoped.

I'm a huge fan of Tana French and have been for years, the storyline for this one however didn't grip me as instantly as her previous novels have and I found it took a while to get into it. I like the way the author writes, her descriptive prose makes the setting come to life along with her characters, each and everyone intricately crafted and portrayed in the readers vision

When Ex-cop Cal retires from the Chicago PD he decides its time for not just a change of pace, but also a change of location and the run down cottage he buys in rural Ireland is about as far away as he can get from his previous existence.
The local community certainly has some characters and whilst some appear to readily accept him, others openly regard him with suspicion. It isn't long before Cal realises he's being watched and he becomes curious about the scruffy youngster he spies silently watching him as he tackles the house repairs. With one step forward and two steps back it takes Cal a while to draw thirteen year old Trey into his confidence and reveal his reason for being there. It was the friendship between these two that for me was the drawing force of this book.

Not a fast moving novel, but definitely a beautifully drawn journey through the Irish countryside as step by step Cal discovers that even small rural communities have things they'd prefer to hide.

Superb! Tana French is the doyenne of beautifully written, intricately plotted and ‘slow-burn to a crescendo’ books. While they are within the wider genre of crime, they clearly demonstrate that if there is a bridge between genre and literary fiction, it is paper thin.

The Searcher is everything I was hoping for and more (I have barely raised my head for 3 days). An atmospheric stand alone which introduces us to a diverse cast of characters glued together by two leads who I now feel like I know. Atmospheric (notably the landscape and the persistent cold/drizzle) and intriguing, it pulls you in and won’t let you go until you are finished. The plot isn’t the most original but it takes nothing away from the enjoyment. I would whole heartedly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House and Viking for and ARC in consideration of an honest review.

At first the book seemed very slow moving, but well worth persevering. The characters are very well drawn, and it would make a brilliant film. When the action took up it was a cracking book, although there were more slow sections of introspection later on. The descriptions of the Irish countryside were vivid too.

Tana French is one of my favourite authors and I will read anything she writes. This doesn't have the pace of the Dublin murder books; it's gentler, older, more considered, with plenty of weight. There's a quietly compelling plot, but most of the strength is in characterisation, atmosphere, a sense of place, and unshowily beautiful writing. I loved it.

I love Tana French a lot. Her Dublin Murder Squad books are my favourite crime books, and I am constantly handselling her books at my work (bookshop). Faithful Place and Broken Harbour are two of my favourite books ever,
That said, I was slightly disappointed with this book. And I'm not sure why. It just didn't grab me the way her others have. I didn't really care as much about the characters, and nothing much seemed to happen. Or it did happen but there was no real resolution, or so it felt to me.
A slightly less good Tana French book is still a great book and so I would recommend, but I can't help compare it to her others, and for me it falls short.

I enjoyed The Searcher very much. It perhaps doesn’t have quite the depth of some of Tana French’s finest books, but it’s still very good indeed.

It is the story of Cal, a retired, divorced, disillusioned Chicago cop who buys a derelict house near a small village in the West of Ireland to have some peace of mind. He begins to form a relationship with Trey, a local 13-year-old whose brother has disappeared; Cal reluctantly agrees to look into it and complexities and dark undercurrents begin to emerge.

Like all of Tana French’s books, this is a novel of place and character, driven by a suspenseful crime story. The story itself here is slow and measured in pace – which I liked very much. It fits in well with the pace of life of the community and the careful, steady work which Cal outs in on his house and which he begins to teach to Trey. I see some reviewers found this tedious, but I liked it very much, along with the excellent depiction of the life and characters of a small rural community. The characterisation and dialogue are, as always, brilliant. French also has important things to say about masculinity, fatherhood, moral behaviour and other things. There was enough tension to keep me hooked and the whole thing was a pleasure for me.

This may not be one of Tana French’s very best but it’s still extremely good and I can recommend it very warmly.

(My thanks to Penguin Books for an ARC via NetGalley.)

I was enthralled by this book and couldn’t put it down. The characters were so vibrant and real, and I felt like I was in those desolate Irish hills. I will be recommending this book to friends. Another Tana French hit, I didn’t expect anything less!

A relatively fast paced read that keeps you interested all the way through. Tana French builds very believable characters, piece by piece, dropping just what you need to know, just when you need to know it.

Not much of a whodunnit, but more of an essay on what life could be like in very insular towns and villages anywhere in the world, especially to an outsider, as Cal, the main character is.

Many thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for this ARC of one of my favourite authors.

As soon as I saw this book by Tana French available for review, I leapt at the chance. And how happy I was when the publisher accepted my request.

The actual read proved to be a mixed bag, and I've found myself wavering over quite what rating to give it. So, here goes ...

I loved the start of the story. The wonderful descriptions of small-town Ireland and the locals with all their quirks and customs--and secrets! I also adored the way Cal used simple DIY to entice young Trey to stop stalking and start talking. It was perfect.

Not so well done was the whole long, drawn-out middle bit. I found myself getting so impatient and fidgety. What? Not with a Tana French book, surely? Um, yep ... sorry about that. And, further confession, the same with the end. After the main confrontation was over, I felt the narrative meandered more than the infamous mountain bog in the book. Had I had a paperback in my hands, I might have thrown it at the wall in frustration once or twice ... but, my iPad ... well, you know.

For an ex-chicago cop, Cal bumbled around too much. He missed too many signs and clues. Despite what he'd have us believe, I don't reckon he had his neck hairs that well trained.

The end, though drawn out, was satisfying and well rounded. It answered all the questions and drew the couple of loose threads together. The writing style was lovely, as ever, and the narrative clean of errors.

So, in many ways, I can see this being a five-star read, but for me it fell flat somehow. So, four stars, then? Well, I wouldn't and didn't pull an all-nighter, so--again--nope. I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm going for a 3.5 star read, which I'll round up to a soft 4 for rating purposes. Basically, it sits between a 3 (where I didn't love it, didn't hate it) and a 4 (where I'd pull an all-nighter). I liked it more than it being just okay. I actually enjoyed the read for the most part. But, the thing is, it just didn't have that wow factor. For sure, it hasn't put me off this writer, but she's not on my automatic buy list right now, which she would have been before.

If you enjoy a cozy mystery rather than a fast-paced psychological thriller, then you will love this book. So, go and read it! But, if you prefer the latter, then you're likely to find it luke-warm.

All of that aside, this author has a way with words. The book contains some wonderful turns of phrase, and I felt like I'd been transported to rural Ireland. That takes skill. And if I wanted distraction from my daily cares, this read certainly gave me that. So, thank you.

***

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

The Searcher is slow burning read that packs a punch. Vivid descriptions of the characters surroundings really help the reader to get involved with the mystery in the plot as it unfolds.

Unlike other reviewers who found the early chapters boring, I loved the descriptions of the countryside and village life and the way that Cal was careful to keep his distance and not to give offence in a place that is so different from Chicago. I loved Noreen, the interfering match-making shopkeeper, and the characters in the pub were well-drawn.

It is at the point where he gets drawn into the mystery of a young man's disappearance that I lost patience. As an experienced police officer, I found it hard to believe how clumsily he set about his conversations with people he thought might have information, with no idea of whether his actions were likely to do harm or good.

Then further into the book he switches into action hero mode which really alienated me as it seemed so out of character. In the beginning he'd been likeable, sensitive and considerate. Whilst I did expect the pace and focus of the narrative to change, I didn't imagine that Cal would be capable of such nasty acts of aggression.

The three stars are for the beautiful depiction of rural Ireland which is worthy of five, but I cannot give more due to the unpleasant and unbelievable story development!

"Our greatest living mystery writer" - really? I had never heard of this author and was not particularly impressed. I was puzzled as to why Cal chose this particular community to run away to. Instead of the quiet life he wanted, he immediately gets caught up in a local missing person mystery. The plot moves very slowly and involves a lot of DIY. I could not buy into the stereotypical Irish small town/village stereotype she offers, and did not engage with the characters.

I’ve read this new novel from Tana – whose work I love – be described as ‘unpredictable’ and I agree wholeheartedly. It’s both like a Tana French classic and a mix between a Western (despite being based in Ireland it felt like I was reading something from back in the day, in a good way) and a good old fashioned mystery. Cal Hooper is a retired Chicago police officer and has left the United States for a life in a remote Irish village. His goal? To bring his house, pitched a decent distance from any neighbour, up to standard. Life is slow and quiet, which suits him, until a teenager asks for his help in locating a missing sibling. All too soon Cal is drawn into the mystery and realises that a small town can hold just as many secrets as a city. It’s beautifully drawn, you get a real sense of the days dragging by and how easy it would be to slip into a slower way of life. Provided you don’t stick your nose into anyone else’s business.

Oh how I enjoyed this book! I loved it. Tana French writes so well you hardly notice that she isn't telling you the story instead (I get bored with writers whose 'art' gets in the way of a good story). A retired Chicago policeman retires to Ireland for peace and quiet but when a young person comes lurking around just about forcing him to help him for a missing sibling he has no choice but to see it through to the end. Lots of twists and turns and a lovely characterisation of small town rural life. I read it in a day - a long night and short sleep but worth it.

This book certainly paints a picture of Irish village life and the countryside. It also gives us some handyman hints. It even tells us that though a village may be remote it is still not immune from the dangers that we associate with cities but it is not what I would call a page turner. There is a mystery to be solved ( although that takes a while to be disclosed) but Cal, a Chicago Police officer who retired to Ireland certainly takes his time about it.

Ok so I LOVE this author ,I have read all the awesome Tana frenches work and recognise the witch elm was a marmite novel for some ,however I thoroughly enjoyed it and relished getting to know the very unlikable lead which made me turn the pages .its pace was yes slower but it still was a dark character study and a mystery at its heart.
This I knew going in would be slow I read other reviews that struggled and I found I really enjoyed the beginning ,seeing the house take shape and loving the relationship of trey and cal . The characters of Trey and our new lead cal a retired detective finding himself pulled into a mystery were lovely and Tana always invests in the relationships in her novels
For me though this was really a drama ,there’s a mystery yes but it’s not all that gripping ,there’s no real ups and downs ,a steady steady pace and a small town crime and yes the writing is beautiful and yes u are drawn to the characters who she can lift off the page into your imagination but sadly I found I was dare I say this ....bored .
It pains me to say that I actually skimmed the end ,yes that’s right ,of a Tana French novel ,wow wow betide me I did .
It’s a well written tale but nothing more and nothing less and feels like she’s really pulling away from the psychological elements she was famous for
Fine to have a departure but a lot will come to this thinking ok it’s not the Dublin murder series but will be still gripping as the witch elm was in its own right so be warned
Three stars as the writing elevates it and how well she can still evoke the clear images in your mind from page to imagination is wow.
just there really wasn’t that much here to marvel at bar that, which is still good but it’s not great so it’s an average three star ...and is an average small town mystery that u don’t care about that much .i almost want to ask and shall if something is going on with the author .privately or as a writer wanting to shift her genre or/and rebelling against what she is knows for .wanting to write with out pressure just to write for the pleasure of telling a story ....I get that or if it’s personal but publishers need to sell it differently .still celebrate the writer but admit the departure
Thank you as always netgalley and publishers I will still await her next with anticipation but a little wariness .if Tana wants to depart from the psychological thriller we don’t mind but please do advertise it as a gentle mystery drama as people may be seeking more her old style

Tired Chicago cop moves to rural Ireland after tiring of his job, getting divorced and needing a new start.
He buys a run-down house to renovate and live in. Soon after moving in, he feels he is being watched - he finds the prowler is a child, around 12 years old. The child, Trey, has heard who he is and wants his help to find his missing elder brother. He reluctantly agrees to help.
Lots of twists and turns, locals, drug syndicates and intrigue makes this a compelling read.

Excellent book. Really well developed characters and very believable plot. Just wanted to keep reading to discover exactly what was going to happen next. Highly recommended.