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.

In ‘ The Hunter’ by Tana French, Johnny Reddy returns to Ardnakelty, an Irish village that was once his home. He has a lot of tall tales and a lack of clarity about who he is trying to convince - the villagers, his associate Rushborough, his family, or himself. Is there gold in the mountains, waiting to make everyone’s fortunes, or is that a fairy story?

In ‘The Searcher’, French’s first novel in this series, American outsider Cal (an ex detective), helps teenager Trey discover what happened to her brother Brendon. With that story still very present in this novel, the focus is on how outsiders negotiate the sinister dynamics in the village, with men who have long memories and are a lot more aware of things than they seem on the surface. As Johnny Reddy’s daughter, Trey is pulled into his schemes, bringing Cal with her.

French is fantastic at creating realistic dialogue that replicates Irish cadences and in developing strong believable characters. The first half of this novel is a little bit slow, but the second half more than makes up for it. Ardnakelty is not somewhere I would want to move to in a hurry.

This is an excellent well written, character driven read set in Ireland and filled with descriptive passages which transport you right there! There is plenty of intrigue, suspense and twists to occupy the reader, as well as interesting and believable characters. For background information, I highly recommend reading The Searcher and discover more about Cal and Trey's journey and incredible friendship. An easy 5* read which I can highly recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

A slow-burn story reflecting the energy-sapping heat of summer in a usually slow-burn village and the lives of its inhabitants. It takes the arrival of two disruptive characters to shake this up and to bring some energy into the characters through greed, revenge and murder .

This is a very slow moving book about life in an Irish town. Cal, an ex-police officer befriends the young daughter, Trey, of a struggling family and together they repair furniture. When Trey’s father returns unexpectedly from London with a get rich scheme for the locals, neither Trey nor Cal are happy.

I really don’t like to give unfavourable reviews but I’m afraid this book did absolutely nothing for me. I didn’t like the setting, the characters, the language used, the plot … and it seemed to go on forever and ever. Sorry I can’t recommend it, but thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the early copy.

This is the second book by the author to feature the retired Chicago cop - Cal. Hooper. Two years ago Cal purchased a run down cottage in the village of Ardnakelty in Ireland. He is in a relationship with a widow Lena Dunne. They both care for the prickly teenager Trey Reddy.
Trey lives with her mother Sheila and three younger siblings. Trey knows that her elder brother Brendan was accidentally killed by some of the village men, and is buried somewhere on the mountain. Cal asked Trey to accept what happened and got proof in his wrist watch. Cal was worried that if Trey made it known to the authorities her family could suffer from the locals. Trey however has not forgotten nor forgiven.
Trey's father Johnny who has been absent from the family home for a few years, without any word, is back much to Sheila and Trey's dismay.
Johnny goes to the local pub and meets with the locals to let them know that he has invited an englishman who believes he has irish roots and relatives, to the village. Johnny suggests a scam involving gold to be found in the river and on land. Johnny also suggests a get rich scheme for the locals with moderate outlay.
The weather in Ireland this summer has been very hot, very unusual. It means that tempers can be short. When there is a murder and the Dublin police are investigating, Trey sees an opportunity and Cal and Lena are struggling to keep Tey from harm.
This is another good book from the author. Hopefully we'll read more about Cal and Lena. This is turning into a very good series. Very much recommended.

Loved this thrilling read. As always, the quality of writing is excellent and I was ;pulled into the slow burning plot. Loved the setting and dynamics between characters. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Simply stunning. I hadn't realised it was a follow on but the characterization was so amazing, I re-connected with Cal immediately. What I loved best about this was the dialogue of each character - so distinct and real - it made me feel like I was in the conversation with them. Brilliant writing, brilliant story-telling - I loved it all.

This is the second book in a series, set in a small village in Ireland and featuring retired American cop, Cal Hooper and teenager Trey Reddy.
There is a lot of backstory to this and if you haven’t read the previous novel it would be very difficult to work out what is going on in this one as most of the story is based on motivation, particularly Trey’s.
Trey and Cal are getting on well as he teaches her how to interpret the world and make the best of her situation- she is somewhat of an outcast in the town and comes from a very poor background. They both love restoring old furniture and spend many hours doing this.
One day Trey’s good for nothing father reappears after 4 years, not to return to his family but to con the locals out of money with a scheme about the discovery of gold on their land. When he is joined by an equally obnoxious colleague it becomes clear to Cal that the two are up to no good and he can see Trey being caught in the middle. However Trey has her own motivation and she sees an opportunity to punish the town for a perceived evil perpetrated against her and her family. Unfortunately matters spiral out of control with dire consequences for all concerned.
I’m not sure what I thought of this book- the first part was extremely slow with lots of characterisations and conversations. The second part moved very quickly.
I certainly liked the relationship between Cal and Trey and the burgeoning romance between Cal and Lena. Trey’s father, Johnny, however, is almost caricaturistically bad. Only out for what he can get, not caring for his family and easily telling stories and lies to all. Trey sees through him and plans to make him leave as soon as possible until she sees another opportunity for revenge.
The second part of the book is much faster moving as the plot reveals itself and the murder, when it occurs is surprising and also a catalyst for what has to happen in the end.
As I was reading “The Hunter” I was not sure how I felt about it but the plot gradually sucked me in and grew on me.
The village of Ardnakelty and its inhabitants are well described, the closeness of the community and the dislike of outsiders but also a perpetual feeling of menace conveyed by Cal’s neighbour, Mart in a roundabout way.
Trey grows in this book, she comes to realise the consequences of her actions both for herself and those she cares about. Cal realises he is willing to go to extreme lengths to protect those he loves, even going against his own moral code if necessary.
I would say that this book is definitely one of those that is worth persevering with despite its slow start. It left me contemplating what had happened and where the story might go next.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

it took me some time to realise that this is book 2 of the Cal Hooper/Dublin Murder Squad series and this led me to realise that the characters back stories must have been set out in the first book? No wonder i didn't enjoy it that much.

However, the dialogue between Cal, Trey and some of the other locals was exceptional. I also loved the fictional setting of Ardnakelty in the west coast of Ireland.

The story itself was slow to get going and, for me, I cannot quite give it 4 stars.

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin General UK for the chance to read and review.