Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another well-written by Tana French, I didn't like this one as much as some of her earlier books, but a good read nonetheless.

For those who read The Searcher, you’ll be pleased to know that Cal Hooper is back with a motley crew of neighbours and friends. Now in a relationship with local woman Lena – certainly someone who isn’t afraid to live life as she wishes – Cal has settled in to life in the west of Ireland village. He and teenage Trey restore furniture and while it’s not something every teen would be interested in, she enjoys the quiet time with her ally. That is until Trey’s father returns to town, with a new friend in town, and with even bigger ideas. Cal is willing to do whatever is necessary to protect Trey – but does she want to be protected? If you said the novel was set a century ago, I’d believe you. It has a timelessness that will appeal and the plot scurries along, taking pauses when it needs to. This is a very accomplished read and the skill lies in knowing when to have quieter moments in the story. I was absorbed by it.

The Hunter by Tana French is a direct sequel to her 2015 release , The Searcher and reunites the reader with former detective Cal Hooper and his unlikely teenage protegee Trey, a half wild teenager whose bond with Cal is the heart of the book. Three years have passed and Cal has settled into his new home in the West of Ireland, Trey has matured (a little) and is doing better at school and at home. When Trey's absent father returns unexpectedly to disrupt the lives of the family he left behind and play a fast one on several members of the local community Cal is determined not to let Trey get caught up in the fall out, no matter what it takes. Of course Trey is sure she can take care of herself, but soon finds herself out of her depth.
This is a slow burn character driven story, and I was delighted to spend more time with Cal and Trey having previously loved The Searcher. It was interesting to see the growth in both characters and to see how much more settled in Cal seemed in his new home. Once again I think the author did an exceptional job of capturing rural life and the eccentric characters that can be found in such areas the length and breadth of the country. While the pacing of the book may be slow, I enjoyed the way that that allowed the tension to build. So much of the story is hinted at through character conversations, a clever and engaging way of making sure the reader pays attention.
Tana French has once again crafted a captivating and compelling story, one that many readers will enjoy.
I read and ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I hadn't realised that this was a follow up to "The Searcher" and it took me a while to register that I recognised the characters! When I looked back at my review I'd been quite ambivalent about the first book, but I really loved this one.
Ms French has written a real slow-burner allowing the reader to get to know the characters, their relationships and the countryside they live in and love. The tension, and there is a lot, builds up gradually and therefore feels more believable and the actions of the characters more nuanced.
I would recommend reading "the searcher" first as it helps to understand the back story, particularly that of Brendan.
Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Books for an advance copy of this book

Thugh it's a stand-alone story, this takes us back to the small Irish community of Ardnakelty where retired US cop has made his home, and befriended Trey, a near feral teenager with great potential. Now just as he;s getting somewhere with her, her worthless father returns with a no-good scheme to rook the townsfolk. Both Cal and Trey get caught up in his machinations - but each has their own agenda. It could all end in tragedy, as the folks of Ardnakelty once again prove they won't tolerate outsiders interfering with their business, nor their own folk trying to betray them.
This was another superb story from Tana French. The familiar characters continue to grow and develop, while new ones are introduced, all wholly authentic. The rich atmosphere of an Irish community shines through in the description and dialogue, without ever making the folk look like country bumpkins. They stay sharp, and dangerous, and there tension on every page, along with dry humour and an unfolding story plotted with depth and precision.
French doesn;t need murder and mystery to make her stories irrestistible, but their introduction adds to the suspense and drama of a book that is already rich in both. I loved it.

4.5🌟 The Hunter is beautifully written, dark and brooding & deeply atmospheric. It starts out at a seeming slow pace, and then you find its hurtling towards a conclusion that you don’t see coming. Which is totally the kind of story I like….

Ardnakelty & Ireland are experiencing a hot, dry summer is afflicting. People are struggling, everyone seems close to breaking point... Then Johnny Reddy (Trey’s father) comes strolling back into town. He has big plans and a business partner who’s going to make it all happen, and this gives the townsfolk glimpses of hope. Cal is protective of Trey and wary and distrusting of Johnny. He’s not sure what Johnny’s mixed up in or why he’s back in town, his cop instincts are strong and he smells a con in the air. Johnny’s reappearance causes a shift in Cal and Trey’s relationship. Cal wants to protect Trey from her father. Trey doesn’t want protection, what she wants is revenge. It’s clear from the moment Johnny Reddy sets foot in this town that the peace in Ardnakelty has been disturbed…

Cal Hooper has now been in the village for over two years and things seem to have settled down. He and Lena are rubbing along nicely and he and Trey's carpentry skills are in demand.
When Trey's father suddenly returns to the village with a moneymaking scheme, Cal's trouble antenna are at full twitch.
I enjoyed reading this, not just for the story, but also for the feeling that I was part of the plot, so engrossing is the tale.

Tana French is such a clever writer. This is an intricate, atmospheric, complex, slow-burn novel with a wonderful sense of place. Quietly compelling, it slowly draws you in and then rachets up the tension. As ever from Tana French, a hugely satisfying read.

I loved this book. The author revisits the village of Ardnakelty in rural western Ireland, during a prolonged and very unusual heatwave. We take up the story of ex- detective from USA, Cal, and the teenager Trey that he has befriended, some two years on. Trey is as prickly and unpredictable as ever, Cal is more settled and integrated into his life in the village. All is thrown into jeopardy by Johnny, Trey’s feckless father, who reappears into the lives of his family and villagers, accompanied by a ‘posh’ Englishman, who is far from what he seems.
Thus follows the very slow burn story of a mad money- making scheme, followed by a murder, and the arrival of the police from Dublin, headed by a very dogged, determined detective.
The characters are very nuanced, and typified by impenetrable conversations that Cal has with Mart, the leader of the male members of the village who frequent the pub. There are some very amusing exchanges amongst the villagers, but as the story goes on, the conversations become more dense, with a sinister underlying tone of menace. I feel that the exchanges between Cal and Mart are a tad overdone at times, and go on too long. So much is implied, but never spoken outright.
The tensions and conflicts that are bubbling away just below the surface of village life, feel ready to spill over at any moment, with who knows what result. The characterisation is impeccable, and the writing captivating.
The author is a great storyteller, and the descriptions of the countryside are so evocative. The unrest and heightened tension due to the oppressive heat are so well conveyed, and the last few chapters were unputdownable for this reader.
The tension builds deliciously. I really enjoyed this book,
I would advise reading The Searcher first, if possible, to get the maximum enjoyment from this novel, I recommend both books.
I will now look for her Dublin detective series, which is highly rated too. It’s great to find a new series by an excellent author.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

I loved The Searcher which first introduced us to Cal, Lena and Trey and though you don’t need to read it first, it is well worth doing so to give you a sense of the people of Ardnakelty, a small rural community in the West of Ireland.

Cal Hooper is a veteran cop, retired after 25 bruising years in the Chicago Police Department where he saw first-hand everything that was wrong with contemporary policing. He’s had his fill of brutality from his colleagues and of seeing kids on the streets who don’t believe him when he says Black Lives Matter. Cal’s been through a hard divorce and though he loves his daughter wholeheartedly, has taken himself out of the country and bought a tumbledown cottage in Ardnakelty, a small rural community in the West of Ireland. There he has made friends with a local urchin named Trey.

Cal and Trey are slowly ambling along; not just pals but co-workers. Cal has taught Trey the basics of carpentry and more and together they work on furniture restoration, earning Trey money her family desperately needs.

Trey likes Lena, Cal’s girlfriend and together the three like and trust each other, but respect that each needs their own space and privacy.

Trey still wants to find her brother, Brendan and she is certain that one day, she will. In the meantime, she is content. But all that changes when her father comes home. Johnny Reddy has been away from home for years and it’s safe to say that no-one but Trey’s younger siblings have missed him. A man who is always in the midst of some scam or other, he looks out for no-one but himself and his return to Ardnakelty brings nothing but trouble.

The beauty of Tana French’s narrative arc here lies not so much in the fine plotting, which is of course, excellent, but in the way she shows us through the characters what lies unspoken. Hints and nuance, speaking in parables, is how the men get their message across. It’s subtle, but it’s also ugly.

Under French’s wonderful descriptions of the Irish rural landscape and the mask of the laconic locals who seem to be all affability, lies a series of unpalatable truths which have their roots in the political and economic landscape of the harsh rural economy of Ireland.

There’s more going on below the surface and for every friendly gesture, there’s a delicate hint of something else as well. That sense of a small town atmosphere turning from quaint to something altogether more claustrophobic and unsettling is part of what makes this book so fascinating.

The sun is beating down and everyone is tired and hot, hoping rain will come and save their crops. Told in multiple voices this is a story about how Johnny Reddy brings exploitation to his village and seeks to work a scam on those he grew up with. Johnny’s return creates waves and gets some of the locals excited; it also creates an opportunity for Trey. An opportunity she takes, never really thinking through the consequences.

Verdict: Tana French’s novel is superbly written. You come for the slow burn, for the dialogue that is so well written that it brims with subtlety and nuance and the silences that speak volumes. This is a book about betrayal and revenge but also about loyalty and friendship. Don’t come just for the crime; come for the atmosphere, the characterisation, the immersive countryside and its characters and the beautiful portrayal of what it means to be an outsider in a small rural community.

A beautifully atmospheric book that portrays western Ireland so well that I feel as if I know the place. Following on from the previous novel, The Searcher, this story follows a retired American police officer, a local woman and romantic interest, and a teenaged girl who is mentored by the American.

Life is plodding along in the small rural Irish farming community and the eccentric characters are vividly portrayed. Then two men arrive and everything changes. One is an Englishman with claims of Irish heritage and the other is the teenger's previously absent father. They present the locals with a money making scheme in the form of digging up ancient gold. Some are suspicious of the plan, others trusting while others change their minds. The locals are full of conspiracy theories, too.

This book has a great sense of place and it makes an enjoyable read, although really it is a tad too long in terms of plot but I enjoy reading the brilliant writing of the author to make it an official complaint. The characters are intricate and wonderful and their relationships with their dogs is totally heartwarming. The melodious manner of the Irish dialect is portrayed well without spoiling the flow of the story or making it difficult to understand. A sign of a great writer.

A story about belonging and how vengeance can disrupt lives without being the resolution. A beautifully evocative tale, full of suspense and wonderfully intricate characters written by a brilliant author. Recommended.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin General UK for an advance copy of The Hunter, the second novel to feature retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper and teenager Trey Reddy set in the fictional village of Ardnakelty in the West of Ireland.

Trey’s father, Johnny, returns to the village with a rich Englishman, who is eager to find the gold his Irish grandmother told him about. This stirs up trouble and Cal, a surrogate father to Trey is determined to protect her at all costs.

I enjoyed The Hunter, which is a long, slow meander through the politics of village life with a murder thrown in for good measure. I don’t even know how to describe the novel as there is a lot going on beneath the surface and it can be a bit too elliptical at times, leaving the reader to guess at the nuances.

Events start with the talk of gold. Cal smells a con, especially when Johnny doesn’t want him involved, but it gets complicated for him Trey wants to get involved. It seems that everyone has their own agenda and nobody is talking, notably Trey. Then there is the murder, well after the half way mark, and that brings out lies, threats, agendas and the Guards.

This is mostly a novel about Trey and her agenda, complicated by Carl’s desire to protect her and a village ready to protect itself. For this reason it would be helpful for any reader to have read the previous novel, The Seeker, first as that contains the seeds of her agenda. There is no doubt that she is an odd character and is so determined on her course that it’s difficult to warm to her. Of course much of the misunderstanding could have been avoided if she and Cal had talked, but he is strangely diffident about that. Secondary to her agenda is the way life is managed in Ardnakelty. The main priority is protection of the long term residents, but how that is achieved changes constantly with how people go along with the current thinking. It is fascinating to read, but rather nebulous (or I’m just too thick to grasp it).

The Hunter is a good read that I can recommend.

I loved this just as much as The Searcher. This feels like the stripped back deeply observant and emotional prose of someone like Strout, only throw in a crime.

Cal, Trey and Lena are still the same wonderful characters we met before but two years on things have gotten more comfortable. Until a familiar face shows up in town and brings trouble for our favourites.

The intricacies of small town politics, of belonging to a place versus buying land, of gossip and revenge all show themselves large as life in this story that is well plotted and moving.

The prose is once again vibrant and the dialogue is second to none - if this were to be adapted a screenwriter would have an easier time of it than usual.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the Cal Hooper series, and it was another fantastic read!

Life is good for Cal. He relocated to a small village in the west of Ireland two years ago, and the locals are beginning to accept him. He is in a stable relationship with Lena, and his friendship with the 15-year-old Trey has significantly helped her come out of her shell. Life is good, but then Trey's father, Johnny Reddy, who has been absent for four years, unexpectedly reappears—and with him, a great deal of trouble.

Johnny is a cunning individual who has always had a few schemes in mind.
He is accompanied by a sophisticated English gentleman seeking gold in their valley. However, what are their true intentions?

Suddenly, the peaceful existence Cal was enjoying is shattered. How will this impact Trey and her relationships with Cal and her parents?

Similar to the first book in the series, this is a gradual narrative, so do not anticipate a quick read. The writing is highly descriptive and evocative, and the characters are well-developed.

Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first time reading a book from the author but I am delighted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more books from the writer in the future

Cal Hooper had moved from Chicago to a quiet life in western Ireland. He has befriended a young girl called Trey and has encouraged her with her education and especially in restoration of furniture.
Then Trey's father returns with a mad plan to make money by finding gold in the area.
Cal is determined to protect Trey but its not her that needs protecting because she wants payback.

An unexpected standalone from a favourite author. Although I miss the Dublin Squad, this visit to rural Ireland, a small village in a mountain setting, was very atmospheric. More of a portrait of a community rather than a traditional crime thriller, it features some strong and quirky characters, and is rich in local speech patterns. Reminded me a little of The Banshee of Inisherin.

Really enjoyed this gripping read. Tana French is a fantastic writer and she doesn’t disappoint here. I loved the cynical detective Cal, and the descriptions of the community within which he lived in the Irish countryside. A great read with some brilliant characters. A brilliant thriller

Her dad and Rushborough are the only weapons she has, or is ever likely to get, against this townland. They're locked and loaded, ready to her hand. She didn't go looking for them; something laid them in front of her ... [loc. 2389]
Second in the Cal Hooper series, this is set about two years after The Searcher. It's a long hot summer, drought laying waste to the Irish countryside. Cal is now in a relationship with Lena, though she refuses to let him make her responsible for his moods. Trey is still mourning her lost brother Brendan -- and still determined to avenge him, regardless of not knowing who caused his death. She wanders the mountain looking for Brendan's unmarked grave. Then Trey's father Johnny returns unexpectedly from England, with a fellow in tow who claims Irish blood and may even be related to some of the folk of Ardnakelty. And this fellow, Rushborough, believes that there's gold in the mountains...

The Hunter is told from several different viewpoints, of whom I think I liked Trey the best. Cal has more or less been accepted by his neighbours, but he's still struggling to negotiate the unspoken rules and unbreakable laws of the place. "Lack of clarity is this place's go-to, a kind of allpurpose multitool comprising both offensive and defensive weapons as well as broad-spectrum precautionary measures." [loc. 4334]. Neither Trey nor Cal has much reason to welcome Johnny, even before it becomes clear that Johnny is not being wholly honest about the reasons for his return.

I liked this more than The Searcher (though still not as much as the Dublin murder mysteries) especially as there's an underlying note of mystery, of the inexplicable. The emotions, the motivations, the everyday conflicts and the underlying bonds of Ardnakelty are splendidly portrayed, and there's a strong sense of a community layered with epic tales, no matter how small the canvas. This book should be read by anyone contemplating relocation to a quiet rural village. It's made me wonder how much I never understood about the place where I grew up...

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK publication date is 7th March 2024.

Wasn't so keen on this one. I have only read one of the Dublin books but this felt very very different. A bit strange with the gold rush storyline. Think it went over my head as I think I must have missed the point. I skimmed most of it in the end.