Tana French is well known for her Dublin Murder Squad series, having received many distinguished awards for the thrillers loved by so many. THE SEARCHER is a stand alone that sets a different tone for this thriller.

The main character, Cal Hooper, is a retired Chicago policeman. Lately, he has weathered many drastic changes and has decided to leave Chicago for a rural life in Ireland. He has moved into a cabin where he plans to spend his time fixing it up and enjoying his idea of paradise. As Cal meets his neighbors and becomes familiar with the town and businesses, he's sure this decision was the right one for him. But a 13yr old boy will convince Cal to help him search for his missing 19yr old brother. After all, he can always work on his cabin later.

The story starts slow, building the community and developing the characters. French lays out a firm foundation of Cal Hooper's skills and spreads the community's secrets among the residents who would never tell those secrets to an outside. With each chapter, French moves Cal closer to the truth until he's standing in the middle of place that looks nothing like paradise. The tension builds more like a rope that is dragging Cal away from finding the missing teen and closer to seeing his future disappear. The reveal is a complex surprise that I never guessed.

Rural Ireland, suspicious neighbours, atmospheric setting and a story told slowly to allow you to be drawn in and to understand the lives and motives of the characters. Take your time as you read this, enjoy the slow buildup as there is a payoff at the end. The characters linger long after the book is done. Tana French never disappoints.

This book didn't work for me. I never connected with Cal. The plot moved slowly and I got bored. By the end of the book I didn't think it was worth the time I put into it.

Tana French does it again. This book is such a great read. It leads you down a path that you become completely engrossed in the plot line.

"The Searcher" by Tana French is about Cal Hooper (a retired police officer) who has recently been through a painful divorce. Cal is seeking solitude and healing. He purchases a little cabin to restore in rural Ireland. He soon meets Trey a 13-year-old teenager who begs him to help find Trey's missing brother Brendan. Brendan is 19 years old and disappeared without a trace on March 21st from Ardnakelty. Hesitantly, Cal begins searching for clues, but soon encounters resistance from the locals of the nearby village.

Although the book revolves around solving Brendan's disapperance, it becomes so much more. The emotionally gripping story between Cal (a tough police officer) and Trey (an abused teenager) reaches out and grips the readers. It's a fantastic read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for my free e-book "The Searcher" by Tana French published November 2,2021

My review is published on NetGalley, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

The storytelling and writing style are what keeps me coming back to Tana French’s novels. I have read them all, and this one is one of my favorites. Her characters are so well developed and her descriptions put you in the Irish countryside with Cal, the ex-cop who finds himself reluctantly investigating a missing young man. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I was late to the Tana French party, but I worked my way through most of her books during lockdown and am a fan. The Searcher is a bit of a departure, but a welcome one. As expected, the characters are well-developed and feel like friends by the end (at least, some of them do!). One of the things I love about French’s books is the weird twist somewhere in the story, and it’s here for sure.

French carefully develops a sensitive and somewhat endearing relationship here between Cal and Trey, juxtaposed against Cal’s relationship with his own child, now an adult. The tough, Chicago cop finds himself in a situation where all his cop training is put to use, but this time within the fragile world of Trey Reddy where he really cares about the outcome on Trey’s behalf.

French also nails the small-town-closes-ranks trope but writes the “bad guys” in a way that is matter-of-fact but also a bit…sentimental. Think Clint Eastwood saying “Get off my lawn!” then beating the crap out of a bunch of kids.

Tana French is, in my opinion, one of the best crime fiction novelists writing today. Fans will enjoy this one, but it will appeal to new readers as well.

Tana French is one of my favorite authors, and I can't recommend her high enough!!! If you haven't read her, run to the nearest bookstore and buy ALL of her books. This one starts slow, but it picks up and is UNPUTDOWNABLE!!! The thrilling writing and plot kept me turning the pages!

Another very satisfying mystery by author Tana French, SEARCHER brings us a retired American police officer trying to find himself in Ireland after much personal upheaval. The small village he chooses for his sojourn is filled with memorable characters and the countryside is brimming with travelog-level appeal. A youngster approaches him for help findIng an older brother and our hero just can’t help getting involved. While the ‘police work’ angle is fairly straight forward the self-reflection he embarks upon is rewarding. This is a stand alone book and enchanting. I received my copy from the publisher through Netgalley.