The Searcher by Tana French

 

Cal Hooper, a retired Chicago cop, is hoping for a quiet life. He's bought a ramshackle farmhouse on the outskirts of a small Irish town. His plans are to refurbish the property. All his plans are thrown into disarray when twelve-year-old Trey Reddy asks for his help.

The Searcher by Tana French was my book group's read for September. It's been quite a while since I've read anything by this author, so I had no expectations other than having enjoyed what I read years ago.

I found the first half of the story very slow; setting the scene, introducing the characters, and giving us a feel for the inhabitants and lifestyle of the small rural community took some time. I was beginning to wonder if any crime worthy of Cal's investigation was going to take place. The pace did pick up in the second half of the book.

Cal is a wonderful character. After twenty years as a police officer on the streets of Chicago, he's honed his skills; he doesn't rush things, either investigating or restoring things. He's well aware that rushing can cause more problems, particularly in a tight-knit community. Cal is extremely skilled at getting information. I loved the way he'd make seemingly idle conversation, eventually manipulating the flow, until he would get the other person talking freely about the topic Cal was interested in. He's also not afraid to play at being a 'dumb American' if that serves his cause.

The crime itself came across as a relatively sedate one, with devastating consequences. We discover how tight-knit communities will go to any lengths to protect themselves, and sometimes those lengths can seem questionable.

By the conclusion, I was intrigued enough to want to know if Cal will continue living in the rural community and how the events in this book will affect his interactions with some of the other characters. I'll certainly be picking up book 2 in the series to find out what happens next.

Author Details

Tana French is the Sunday Times and New York Times-bestselling author of In the Woods, The Likeness, Faithful Place, Broken Harbour, The Secret Place, The Trespasser and The Wych Elm. Her books have won awards including the Edgar, Anthony, Barry and Macavity awards, the LA Times Book Prize for Best Mystery/Thriller and the Irish Book Award for Best Crime Fiction. She grew up in Ireland, Italy, the US and Malawi, and trained as an actor at Trinity College Dublin. She lives in Dublin with her family.