I don't think Tana French is capable of writing a book worth less than five stars. Saying that, this one blew The Searcher out of the water for me. Her characters and their motivations are, as always, excellent.

As always Tana French writes another compelling, smart, can’t pit down mystery that kept me up all night! One of my favorite authors for sure! Don’t miss The Hunter!

Is revenge worth the price? This is a question Trey must come to grips with as her wayward father returns with a scheme to get rich quick at the expense of the small town residents. Trey seeks revenge for her brothers death, but who is to blame and then who killed her father’s partner in crime. Trey is very surprised when she learns who the killer is and why. She risks her life to protect what is important to her.

This second in this series by Tana French is just as powerful as the first. She writes so well and the story of a retired Chicago cop who moves to a small town in Ireland is beautifully done. There is a lot of silence here -- between people giving each other emotional space, between family members pondering the future, between neighbors stewing about the past.

We met Cal, the cop, in the first book where he begins mentoring teenage Trey whose family is a train wreck. Her grifter dad had split and her older brother had disappeared. Trey is a young woman of few words but she doesn't miss much. Cal and his girlfriend Lena represent the only stability and structure in Trey's life. When Trey's con man daddy Johnny reappears, it sets in motion a disastrous chain of events.

The beauty of this book is the wonderful characterizations, sparsely yet completely drawn. Cal is a good man but he has no illusions, particularly about Johnny, who is just like every loser Cal encountered in his long law enforcement career. Trey has become like another daughter to Cal and he will do most anything to protect her. But, Trey is prickly. She doesn't particularly want to be sheltered and is feistily independent. And she has agendas of her own.

This is a book to read slowly to appreciate the pace and the language. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was another great one by Tana French. The story continues of the retired American detective and the local teenage Irish girl who is effectively his carpentry apprentice who he has started to think of as his own kid when her dad blows into town to shake things up. The American continues to learn how the locals handle things their own way and how he has a choice to make regarding being a part of that or going against the grain.

Simply based on the intricate plot, this is a five star book. But the characters, the humor, the descriptions are more than supporting characters. I loved the dialogue amongst the town people and sympathized with them over the unrelenting heat of summer with no rain. Even the dogs become minor characters in this character driven mystery.

Thanks to Viking and NetGalley for the ARC to read and review.

Set in rural Ireland, this novel describes what happens to a community that is seduced by the charm of a returning local man who promises riches for everyone. The daughter of this con artist, Trey, despises her father and most of the men in town, whom she believes are complicit in her brothers death, so she undertakes her own scheme.i felt that the intensity of her hatred could have been better explained. The dark side of a disfunctional family and community are offset by Trey's solid friendship with two adults who do actually support and protect her as much as they are able.

"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Searcher and "one of the greatest crime novelists writing today" (Vox), a spellbinding new novel set in the Irish countryside.

It's a blazing summer when two men arrive in a small village in the West of Ireland. One of them is coming home. Both of them are coming to get rich. One of them is coming to die.

Cal Hooper took early retirement from Chicago PD and moved to rural Ireland looking for peace. He's found it, more or less: he's built a relationship with a local woman, Lena, and he's gradually turning Trey Reddy from a half-feral teenager into a good kid going good places. But then Trey's long-absent father reappears, bringing along an English millionaire and a scheme to find gold in the townland, and suddenly everything the three of them have been building is under threat. Cal and Lena are both ready to do whatever it takes to protect Trey, but Trey doesn't want protecting. What she wants is revenge.

From the writer who is "in a class by herself," (The New York Times), a nuanced, atmospheric tale that explores what we'll do for our loved ones, what we'll do for revenge, and what we sacrifice when the two collide."

It's a good day where there's a new Tana French, which are too few and far between.

Much more a story about characters than a mystery, especially in the first half. And that’s all to its credit. This was a fantastic book - the sense of place, the rich detail of characters -none of whom were all one thing or another, and the well-plotted story all made this book well worth reading, even for people who don’t usually read mysteries. I would, however, recommend reading the first book in the series before this one.

Another classic from French! I loved the first in this series and the tone, mood, and atmosphere has all remained the same , if even more heightened. French is of a class all her own and I loved this one.

I am a huge Tana French fan, so I was very excited about this book. I was a little surprised to see that this was a follow up, since I assumed The Searcher to be another stand alone, however I liked how it grappled with the consequences of the events from the first book, and the theme of revenge. This one starts out kind of a slow burn similar to The Searcher. I actually was beginning to wonder if this would be the first Tana French book without a murder, but it does eventually pop up about half way through. The town intrigue, where much goes unsaid, kept me invested even through the slower start, and I didn’t end up guessing the twist at the end.

A Captivating Novel Full of Mystery and Intrigue

SUMMARY
Cal Hooper, a retired police officer from Chicago, moved to a small village in west Ireland to build furniture and enjoy a peaceful life. Cal unexpectedly developed a romantic relationship with a local woman named Lena and became a mentor to a troubled and angry teenager named Trey. Trey's family has been struggling since her brother's death and her father’s abandonment.

However, things take a turn when Trey's father, Johnny, suddenly returns to the village with an English millionaire friend seeking his family's roots in Ireland. Johnny and his friend believe there is gold in the village hills and everyone can profit from it. This news shakes up the entire town, and many are caught up in the excitement of the possibility of riches. But not Cal; he can spot a fraud mile away.

REVIEW
THE HUNTER is a captivating novel that is full of mystery and intrigue. Tana French’s writing and plotting are seamless. The story is creative, poignant, and masterful.

The characters, especially Trey and Cal, are unique and interesting. The actions of village residents, along with its beautiful verdant landscape, come to life on the pages. Despite the abundance of characters, it is easy to keep track of everyone.

The book's theme revolves around revenge and the lengths we go to for our loved ones. The message of the book is profound and thought-provoking. You should read it!

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Penguin Viking Group
Published March 5, 2024
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

It is always a treat to see which minor character from prior books will be the lead in French's next book, so it was interesting to see that in The Hunter she has returned to feature Cal and Trey in another story in the wilds of Ireland. Unfortunately for me, I felt that there just wasn't much there to work with and it took forever for anything to happen. I liked the interaction with Trey and her mother in this book so I suppose having her father return did at least one thing for me. French can be an inspired writer who draws you in, but I never felt drawn into this one. Thank you to Viking and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion.

I read anything Tana French writes. She can write so many different stories, from any voice.

This is a sequel, and in this case I suggest reading book 1 (The Searcher) first. If it's been awhile since you read The Searcher, you may also want to take a glance at it just to remind yourself of major plot points.

The dialogue is very Irish, in a way that had me wanting to shout Feck for days afterward.

Calling this a slow burn thriller is really incorrect. To me it's literary fiction, a character study with some suspense and a little mystery thrown in.

Cal and Lena are just lovely. Somehow all the characters are relatable and the setting is impeccable.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I will purchase for my library.

The sequel to The Searcher sees the continuation of the relationships building between Cal, Lena and Trey, as well as the surrounding townspeople. When Trey's absent father Johnny comes back with a new money making scheme, all three find their lives upended. Trey has her sights set on revenge for what happened to her brother and Cal is just trying to keep Trey out of trouble and will protect her no matter what and Lena is determined to cover for both of them. Meanwhile the town gets sucked into Johnny's scheme and trouble ensues when someone ends up dead. Overall, a gripping mystery that's focused on the complex web of town relations and character motivations, as Cal, Lena and Trey try and make it out intact. This one is far more introspective than the previous book and is very character-driven, though the setting plays an important role.

TANA FRENCH DOES IT AGAIN.
The Searcher is the previous installment in this series, and I absolutely recommend reading that one before diving into this newest.
Tana writes with a prose that is not often well-represented in the mystery genre. It is literary, lyrical, and devastating. This one is going to soar up the best-seller charts and it should. This might be one of her best, yet.

As a Tana French superfan, I was thrilled but not surprised to be getting a book that I would say is unlike any of her previous works, even while being a sequel. If you liked Cal Hooper and the rich, intricate setting of The Searcher, this dives even deeper in a way that was a delight. (I was also really excited to also get slices of POV from Trey and Lena as well in this second outing.) But I am also continually delighted to see the ways French challenges herself--the murder doesn't even happen until about 60% of the way through this one, so for the first bit, I felt like I was navigating this story without a map. However, I was in extremely safe hands, and think I might even prefer this installment to The Searcher due to her exquisite character work here. I would recommend this book to readers looking for character-driven mysteries set in insular communities.

I really enjoyed The Searcher by Tana French so I was excited to read the sequel, The Hunter. It did not disappoint. We encounter Cal, Trey, and Lean - just to name a few but some new characters as well. Everything is moving along nicely in this little Irish village for Cal and Trey until Trey's father, Johnny returns home after being gone for several years. When con man Johnny returns to charm the local farmers he has known all his life into joining in his latest scheme, Cal and Trey are both drawn into the Fiasco for very different reasons. French does an excellent job with character development in the story and the plot lines draw you in from the very beginning. Moral codes, mob mentality, and revenge all come together to deliver an entertaining and intriguing tale. A must read!

I love the way that Tana French creates a real sense of location and space in her stories. With the Cal Hooper series, she paints a picture of a town that is simultaneously vast, rural and wild, but also claustrophobically small when it comes to its community. For Cal Hooper, retired Chicago cop, Ardnakelty has given him the space and quiet that he desires for his retirement, while also dropping him into an area where vigilante justice goes unquestioned and gossip and facts are interchangeable based on what suits the needs of the locals. This book is a tense, slow burn and its all the better for that. French doesn't rush her pacing, allowing a powder-keg situation to build, the outcome of which I didn't see coming (or at least not in the way it unfolded). I enjoyed seeing Hooper's relationships with his neighbors, girlfriend and surrogate child develop in various ways that tested his own personal ethical code of conduct, which keeps being pushed towards a darker grey zone. The conclusion was satisfying, and also left me eager for a third book so that I can see what happens when our protagonist becomes more of a local, and less of a 'blow-in' in terms of how he is treated, and how he views the situations unfolding around him.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book, which I was happy to read and review.

Bad boy, Johnny Reddy, returns to the small Irish village where he was born and raised and now has a family. He's been gone for a few years but he returns with a grift for the local landowners who can help him swindle an English Sassenach and "Plastic Paddy" tracing his roots in the old sod. Some of the townspeople do not look kindly towards Johnny, including Cal Hooper a retired American cop who is mentoring Johnny's 15 year old daughter, Trey. Cal knows he's an outsider, and is only tolerated by the villagers because he is FWB with a local widow woman who has lived there all of her life. Things get tense when Trey discovers the murdered body of the man who is to be hoodwinked, and sees this as an opportunity to avenge her own brother's death. When a detective is called in from Dublin, the villagers band together against the city slicker law enforcement agent-someone is going to take the fall for this crime, but will it be the real perp or an outsider who probably will get thrown to the wolves?
If you've read any novels by Tana French, you know that her murder mystery always takes second place to the character study. In The Hunter, the author gives us a peek into a small community of people who inherited their lands back multiple generations. They are insular and each villager is familiar with the other's strengths and foibles. The town's equalibrium depends on a delicate balance of known quantity and gradual change. When a theoretical grenade is thrown into this mix, anything can happen and does. Hold onto your shamrock!