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.

The Hunter by Tana French

Another brilliant book by this author . As always full of complex , interesting ( and also sometimes , flawed ) characters . Throw in a plot that chucks up lots of twists and turns and you are onto a winner .
The book is a kind of follow on from a previous title , it it could be read as a standalone title.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I hadn’t realised this was a follow on from The Searcher which luckily I’d read. This can be read stand alone but makes much more sense if you’ve read the first book. A great story with a good ending for the characters involved.

I want to start by saying that if you haven’t read The Searcher yet, you should read it first or the characters and story might just make no sense to you.

Having already invested in Cal, Trey, Lena and co, I was happy to sink slowly into the story and allow the slow pace to settle over me. Like waiting for a decent pint of Guinness, the wait is part of the pleasure. However, I can imagine that for some this could be simply too frustrating.

This time the plot centres around the return of Jonny, Sheila’s wastrel husband, who inevitably brings trouble in his wake.

This is a slow burner but worth it for the beautifully realised characters and the quality of the writing.

With thanks to NetGalley, Tana French and the publisher, Penguin Random House for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Hunter by Tana French
Published by Penguin UK
Publication Date 7/3/24

This is a follow up to The Searcher and I found I had to go back to that to remind myself of the backstory so that I could work out Treys motivation in this one. Having said that, I was fully invested in the characters of Trey, Cal and Lena and intrigued at how it would all come together. A great denouement which I definitely hadn’t worked out, I really enjoyed this book.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I enjoyed The Hunter, I didn’t realise before reading it that it was a follow on from her last book. Although you can read it as a standalone, I highly recommend you read the previous one first.
The book is very atmospheric; you can feel the isolation and undercurrent of danger in living in a place like that, where the people police situations themselves.
You know it’s a good book when you are invested in a happy ending for people who have broken the law!

The Hunter revisits the characters from The Searcher. Again, beautifully written and atmospheric. It is like catching up with people you already feel you know so well. Tana French never fails to draw a full picture of her characters which engages the reader completely.
Trey's Dad returns to the village bringing with him a shady character. Cal is immediately protective of Trey as their relationship has developed so well. Trey is as feisty as ever and still wants revenge for the disappearance of her brother.
Again there is a mystery in this book but is almost incidental to the relationship between the men of the village, Trey and her family, Trey's father and Cal's fierce protection of Trey.
Again a book that I like to read slowly and absorb every word and feel disappointment when it is finished.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Tana French/Penguin General UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A sequel of sorts, The Hunter (2024) by Tana French sees the return of Cal Hooper, a former detective in Chicago, who now lives in Ireland. Cal is settled and in a relationship with Lena as he keeps an eye out for his young friend Trey. Yet their lives are about to be upturned when two men come to the village wanting to find gold in the nearby hills. One of those men is Trey’s father setting off a series of events that leads to false hopes, revenge and a murder investigation. Trey uses the opportunity to get back at the men who took her brother, but unintended consequences could hurt those she holds dearest and causes friction with Cal who only wants to protect her. A psychologically subtle story of Irish village whispers and rumours to ensure the locals protect each other against the fallout of a murder. A slow meandering tale that is a sophisticated discourse of how far individuals and the community will go to protect the ones they love. An enjoyable, if not typically a usual Tana French crime mystery book, with a five-star read rating. With thanks to Penguin General UK and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

A boiling hot summer in a remote Irish village. The crops are failing, the cattle haven't got enough food and everyone is tired and sweaty. It is at this very moment, when everyone is vulnerable because of the ferocious heat that one local guy comes back from London with promises of gold on their land. A handful of farmers are attracted by the tall tales; some out of boredom, some out of necessity. For Cal, it is because he wants to know how he will need to protect his young friend Trey from her returning father.
The talk amongst the townspeople is slippery and communication with half words is difficult for Cal to be interpreted correctly at best of times, but in the sweltering heat, the lack of clarity builds up to dangerous assumptions. And when a murder happens, the moment comes to show allegiances and to bury any grudges to protect your loved ones.
Just as in the previous book 'The Searcher', the mystery is merely a baseplate on which the characters are build. The book is all about Cal, Trey and Lena, small time crooks and their scams, and shifty townspeople. But the main character is the small village itself and the flow of talks, how a few words here and there can make or brake a reputation and how fragile and futile the truth really is.
The story focuses more on the village, and the surrounding nature and the perpetual rhythms of long warm days, in that regard it certainly reminded me of Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor.
It is an exceptionally good slow burn, with insights in human nature, where all of the characters are intriguing and the mystery -although not the focus- is very well spun.

A very heartfelt thank you to NetGalley, Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton & Viking and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A second episode of Cal, retired Chicago cop, and Trey, his teenage protegee and apprentice carpenter.. Trey's feckless father returns to the village with a posh Englishman who has tales of his Irish Granny knowing there was gold in the mountain streams. The local farmers think he's going to make their fortunes - until it all starts to come apart and the posho is found dead. The village becomes a dark place of gossip and intrigue, and a real threat that someone will have to be sacrificed to get the police off their backs.. Its quite a good plot and well told except that it seems to be written largely for an American audience, with exaggerated Oirishness and kneejerk anti Britishness.

This is another very atmospheric visit to Ireland and the second featuring retired Chicago police officer, Cal, and wildling teenager, Trey, in what I am hoping will be a series.
The author describes settings so well that you can feel the chill and the water vapour in the mist. She also makes the reader feel the suspense as it slowly builds throughout the book. It felt as though this was a book of two halves. I started off loving it, right out the gate. But the story took a smidgeon too long to get going and the ratio of dialogue to action felt unbalanced for the first half. There were subtle revelations dropped throughout the dialogue, but there was just too much of it.
However when the story really got going the second half of the book was brilliant and I couldn't put it down. It more than made up for the slow start. I'm very invested in Cal and Trey and look forward to the next book.