Loved this! So good, so exciting, so gripping and great story. Can't wait to read more by this author - absolutely brilliant.

Peace and quiet. That’s all he wants. The opposite of his life before. Before Ireland. Before the cottage. Before the kid. But, despite the physical miles between himself and his former life, the mental distance is no more than a step. For Cal, it’s not quite so simple as flipping a switch. His police instincts are still there, hovering just below the surface. So, when a young kid with a mystery shows up at his crumbling cottage, he can’t help but get involved. As it turns out, it doesn’t matter how much you try to deny your instincts. When you’ve spent your life searching for answers and trying to right the wrongs of others, it’s just about impossible to ignore a mystery brewing in your new hometown. So much for peace and quiet. He needs answers.

I thoroughly enjoyed Tana French’s latest novel, The Searcher. It may not have carried the same type of thrill that is ever-present in her Dublin Murder Squad series, but I don’t think that’s any reason to ignore this spine-tingling standalone story. I was completely invested in both the story and the characters, and found that Cal’s curmudgeon-like qualities made him loveably real. I loved the little Irish village in which Cal decided to begin the second half of his life, and found comfort in the ways in which his village mirrored my own in Wales. The green hills and relentless rain, the fields and farmland, the quirky characters. It’s warm and welcoming, but there is an edge. There is no such thing as a secret when you live in a village as small as Cal’s. So you’d best not have anything to hide.

Thank you to Netgalley and Viking Press for a copy of this wonderful novel in exchange for an honest review!

Enjoyed this book and the two main characters were very likeable, though the plot was very weak and the story did not build well. The descriptions of the scenery and thought, feelings were good and those with a good imagination would appreciate this

The story follows retired detective Cal Hoopers move to a small town in Ireland . The locals are distrustful and unwilling to welcome Cal into their close knit community. Cal moves into the dilapidated building he outbidded locals for. He is approached by Trey who needs help finding his missing brother. This excludes Cal further from the locals. Although I didn’t emphasise the detectives I loved solving the mystery!

Tana french is a wonderful author I devour her books. Supporting Irish writers, dark and dramatic with characters that you want to see how their lives go or might have gone depending on the story......

A Tana French book not set in Dublin, but in the countryside. An ex Chicago cop moves to a remote Irish village and buys a doer upper to live the simple life. A slight bit cliched perhaps from this author, and a predictable storyline where a local boy needs his help with finding out what happened to his missing brother.

I enjoyed it, as with all her books. But I did think it was predictable in the end.

This was my first Tana French book and unfortunately it just wasn't for me. calling this book a slow burn is an understatement, I kept reading for so long and nothing was actually happening. I grew tired of reading about shopping lists and desk repairs so I decided to DNF this one. Hoping this book finds its intended audience and they love it.

Having read previous publications by this author, I had a fair idea of what to expect from her and wasn't disappointed in the slightest.
In reality this is a simple story (I don't mean that in any disrespectful way whatsoever) but Ms French has a nack of providing a very descriptive narrative that I feel draws me in to the story and makes me vividly imagine and feel part of the scene she describes.
I'll leave the plot to others as always wary of inadvertently giving away part of the story line in my reviews.
Thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading Tana French's next publication

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Viking for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first introduction to Tana French, and I'll be back for sure! I can't quite put my finger on it, but although this didn't 100% work for me, the writing is so completely compelling that it draws you back in anyway.

This is a beautifully atmospheric book, and I can be totally sold on any book that leaves me with a strong sense of place, almost regardless of the events that are happening in it, so this was a huge plus for me. The author paints a vivid picture and well-developed characters that, between them, carry a few other misgivings here.

Set in rural Ireland the isolation factor is strong here too, and that sense of cold dread that creeps up on you in the dark corners on a rainy day... and I just LOVE that!

I would warn readers against going in thinking this is a thriller, as for me I think this is slow-paced enough to verge on the side of mystery, rather than a thriller. Which personally is a bonus as traditional mysteries are my preference!

Where this didn't quite reach its potential for me is in the plot device at its core; it takes a good while for this novel to get going, and as such it's difficult to fully invest in what's happening or be gripped by the unfolding events, but if you can get past that and simply enjoy the outstanding writing then this is a solid read for sure.

3.5 beautifully atmospheric stars

This was just ok, I'm not sure I get why people are raving about it.
It is well written and a good enough story but nothing remarkable or special, in my opinion.

tana french is one of my all time favourite crime writers and this was the first i've read that doesn't revolve around the dublin murder squad

it follows cal, an ex chicago cop, who has moved to rural ireland for some peace and quiet. there he is accosted by a local kid who asks for help to find their missing brother. from there cal meets the various people around the town, gets on better with others, and attempts to poke his nose into this small town's past

it's a long meandering book that is so so atmospheric and languid in both its character study and its subject matter. i felt like i was in the rain drenched mountains and the isolation of cal's house really seeped through

it just felt so so long and it took so long for anything to happen. on one hand i quite liked that, on the other i was just too impatient and bored to find out what happened. i enjoyed the ending, the brief climax, the alliances made, and the future that's promised

i hope tana french returns to the dublin murder squad one day

I received an ARC of this book via netgalley In return for an honest review. I am afraid I have little positive to say about this book which like e In the Woods drowns in an unnecessary depth of detail that adds nothing to building of narrative or scene setting. I could care less how about the detail of his desk repair and less about his grocery shopping at Noreens. Apart from Cal and Trey none of the characters are given any real body. This is my last Tara French I could watch paint dry faster and with more enthusiasm

This was a book that I Really enjoyed this read and I would recommend to others easily, I will be looking out for other titles by this author.

I was really excited to read this book as I've loved Tana French's Dublin murder squad series.

Unfortunately, I didn't get on with this one at all. Calling the book 'a thriller' does it a huge disservice, as it's one of the slowest books I've ever read. Perhaps if it was marketed as a slow burn or a sinister drama, my expectations wouldn't have been so high. I found it quite disheartening that I was 50% through the book and nothing of any note had occurred. I was left wondering how much more of this banality I would have to endure.

Once I finally got to the end, it felt like a relief. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, I didn't feel any empathy towards them and actually found myself resenting them for taking up so much of my time.

I'd definitely consider reading this if you like slow moving, highly descriptive stories, but I'm sad to say this one wasn't for me.

"The Searcher" is a slow burn novel set in a rural Irish countryside and my first book by the author.

We follow Cal, an ex Chicago policeman, who, in a search of a quiet and peaceful life, decided to move to a remote village in Ireland. But he is proven wrong when one day a strange teenager shows up in his garden.

As I mentioned above it was my first book by Tana French and I instantly fell in love with the writing style. The author did a fantastic job describing the characters and painting a great portrait of a closed community and relationships between villagers. The characters are very well crafted in my opinion and three dimensional which is a great plus.

Unfortunately where the book failed me is the plot and and a slow pace. I would not necessary called "The Searcher" a thriller, it is more of a character driven contemporary fiction with a mystery in its centre. And perhaps it's here where my disappointment started as I was expecting a murder mystery instead. Nothing much happens in the first 80% of the book and I was hopping the ending will rescue my review but unfortunately I was left disappointed.

Overall it's a great solid read and if you are looking for a character driven novel I would recommend "The Searcher". I will be definitely checking author's previous work as the writing was fantastic.

Tana French is a fantastic writer! This book had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. It twists along like a serpent, and left me feeling edgy and nervous- in a good way!

Cal Hooper starts his new life in rural Ireland, after spending 20+ years on the Chicago PD. But obviously there is criminal activity in even the smallest village. Therefore, Cal is soon busy trying to find out what happened to a 19 year old boy half a year ago. And since he has no CSI team and no piece of evidence, he has to solve this puzzle solely with (unreliable) statements and his own wit.

Tana French takes her time to tell her story, which makes it slow especially in the beginning. But the author wants to paint a complete picture, and this includes detailling minor characters or an evening in the pub. And it pays off - I could perfectly visualize all these people and their surroundings.
I was just as curious as Trey and Cal what happened to Brendan, although I could not see for a long time how Cal would be able to solve this case - with the few information he got. But that made the last quarter of the book so much more exciting.

This was a very detailed story and it was easy to become immersed in the storyline. There were some surprises along the way which kept the tension high. Some very entertaining characters and the spirit of Ireland came through. A thoroughly enjoyable story from beginning to end.

What I imagine could be liked by some readers as a slow burn thriller, I found this book tolerable, but lacking in the page turning compulsion that I would hope for from a French novel. It wasn't so much the slow pace or brevity of events which helped to tumble the story towards a conclusion - it was the lack of compelling character or plot development within the storytelling that left me wanting something more from The Searcher.
Initially, the premise intrigued me, and hence I was excited to read the newest offering from this author, with thanks to NetGalley. There is definite texture in the written prose - we've no doubt Tana French is skilled as a writer particularly. Problematically, approximately 300 pages in, in terms of the narrative structure, I was still waiting for something significant to happen...
The story, founded on the notion of an outsider, ex- Chicagoan detective Cal Hooper, and the premise of his buying of a long abandoned shack in rural Ireland. There's a missing child, complexities of family dynamics, subsequent family drama and from this the eventual suspense is introduced. It becomes the mystery thriller with a reluctant authority figure at the heart of it. What is sold as the thriller genre, I actually found to be a much more about the developing relationship between Cal and the young Trey. Which, arguably, is heart warming; is very well drawn and believable. And perhaps if this had been better insinuated as a drama over a thriller at heart, the expectations of readers would be directed more to the observations of human nature at the heart of the tale. Sadly, for me reading, there was the overriding frustration at the long waits between the events linked to the central mystery, meaning I felt unsure or unable to fully appreciate the relationship which evolves between the two.
Well-written, textured prose and undoubtedly some depth in the characters central to the plot. Unfortunately, the promise and drive of a thriller didn't quite win out for me...

#netgalley #thesearcher

I found this book to be rather predictable in parts. It was a slow burn and I nearly gave up at one point. However, I am glad I persevered as the characters began to come to life.