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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Actually I probably shouldn't rate this book at all since I did not finish it. I was confused from the beginning and was never fully able to follow this story.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I actually picked up The Trespasser while on my honeymoon after exchanging it for [b:The Readymade Thief|33358209|The Readymade Thief|Augustus Rose|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1484156655s/33358209.jpg|53559076]. This is not a book I would have selected on my own, as I've never particularly gravitated towards crime or police procedural novels and I've never read any Tana French before. That said, I really enjoyed this book and blew through it quickly.
French's protagonist Detective Conway's voice is wry, biting and smart. Her working relationship with her partner Detective Moran, both relative newbies on the Dublin Murder Squad, serves as the backbone to this murder mystery, giving the reader an insight into both of their tender spots. The pacing of this novel is excellent, and the murder mystery at the heart of the novel is compelling enough, with enough layers to be peeled back to keep me intrigued. As this book progressed towards its finale, I found that I cared just as much about the protagonist's personal struggles with her place on the squad just as much as figuring out "who did it" - a testament to French's wonderful character work.
Highly recommend this novel to fans of the genre and beyond. Grateful to have discovered French and I look forward to digging into more of her work.
French's protagonist Detective Conway's voice is wry, biting and smart. Her working relationship with her partner Detective Moran, both relative newbies on the Dublin Murder Squad, serves as the backbone to this murder mystery, giving the reader an insight into both of their tender spots. The pacing of this novel is excellent, and the murder mystery at the heart of the novel is compelling enough, with enough layers to be peeled back to keep me intrigued. As this book progressed towards its finale, I found that I cared just as much about the protagonist's personal struggles with her place on the squad just as much as figuring out "who did it" - a testament to French's wonderful character work.
Highly recommend this novel to fans of the genre and beyond. Grateful to have discovered French and I look forward to digging into more of her work.
I really enjoyed Antoinette and Steve's partnership this book and the mystery of Aislinn's life and death, but the resolution to the murder fell flat for me at the end, which was more than a little disappointing to me considering this is the last Murder Squad book. Previous books in the series really gripped me and shook me to the core when I turned the last page, but this one did nothing of the sort.
I liked it, but, dang, it was long! I found myself just wanting the darn thing over with. A little too Brody and negative, too.
I’ve heard a lot of good about Tana French’s mysteries, so when I found a copy of The Trespasser in the Friends of the Library sale in October, I decided I could splurge the fifty cents on the book to see if I would join the ranks of her followers.
In The Trespasser, Antoinette Conway is a detective on the murder squad, but as a newer transfer from missing persons, she’s getting a lot of flack from the other members of the squad. The only person she seems to get along with is her partner, Stephan Moran. Antoinette is rough around the edges, and she’s ready to prove that she’s good at her job. When a murder case is finally presented to her and Moran, she’s determined to find the murderer- even when the case proves to be more complex than the rest of her squad thinks.
The body of Aislinn Murray was found resting on the corner of her fireplace hearth, with markings that looked like she was punched and landed there. The apartment was set with food in the oven, the dining table set for a cozy dinner for two. Antoinette and Stephan expect it to be a cut and dry domestic dispute, but then Antoinette realizes she’s met this girl before, back when she was still in missing persons. Upon examining the scene, they find that there’s very little evidence of anyone beside Aislinn in the apartment- but there had to have been someone else because the oven had been turned off after Aislinn was dead. As the case starts to get interesting, other members on the murder squad start to interfere. Antoinette keeps a close eye, certain to not let them underestimate her- especially when she finds out that their main suspect is not the murderer.
Eventually, all is revealed, but it’s a super slow burn before the end fireworks. I really enjoyed French’s diction (and the way she incorporated Irish words), as the writing itself felt very elaborate. However, I didn’t care for Antoinette as a main character, and how she was constantly stewing over how everyone was against her. I felt she was just very negative, though she was otherwise very sharp and intelligent. This also made it difficult to focus on the murder case. I was surprised by the reveal of who did it, but only until that point, I was pretty bored with the whole thing and certainly struggled with the slow pace. I thought about DNF’ing it many times, but then something would get me to keep reading just to find out how everything wraps up.
Overall, I think I’ll give French another chance, but that I wouldn’t recommend The Trespasser unless you’re into the super slow murder mysteries with a tough as nails female lead.
In The Trespasser, Antoinette Conway is a detective on the murder squad, but as a newer transfer from missing persons, she’s getting a lot of flack from the other members of the squad. The only person she seems to get along with is her partner, Stephan Moran. Antoinette is rough around the edges, and she’s ready to prove that she’s good at her job. When a murder case is finally presented to her and Moran, she’s determined to find the murderer- even when the case proves to be more complex than the rest of her squad thinks.
The body of Aislinn Murray was found resting on the corner of her fireplace hearth, with markings that looked like she was punched and landed there. The apartment was set with food in the oven, the dining table set for a cozy dinner for two. Antoinette and Stephan expect it to be a cut and dry domestic dispute, but then Antoinette realizes she’s met this girl before, back when she was still in missing persons. Upon examining the scene, they find that there’s very little evidence of anyone beside Aislinn in the apartment- but there had to have been someone else because the oven had been turned off after Aislinn was dead. As the case starts to get interesting, other members on the murder squad start to interfere. Antoinette keeps a close eye, certain to not let them underestimate her- especially when she finds out that their main suspect is not the murderer.
Eventually, all is revealed, but it’s a super slow burn before the end fireworks. I really enjoyed French’s diction (and the way she incorporated Irish words), as the writing itself felt very elaborate. However, I didn’t care for Antoinette as a main character, and how she was constantly stewing over how everyone was against her. I felt she was just very negative, though she was otherwise very sharp and intelligent. This also made it difficult to focus on the murder case. I was surprised by the reveal of who did it, but only until that point, I was pretty bored with the whole thing and certainly struggled with the slow pace. I thought about DNF’ing it many times, but then something would get me to keep reading just to find out how everything wraps up.
Overall, I think I’ll give French another chance, but that I wouldn’t recommend The Trespasser unless you’re into the super slow murder mysteries with a tough as nails female lead.
5 for the genre -love her characters - I can see every scene on the big screen
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm ashamed (but not really) to admit that I read this whole book in a little over twenty four hours. Parts of The Secret Place felt boring to me, but I physically could not put this book down.
I love Antoinette (though she makes me miss Cassie) and Stephen, and I hope they'll stick around for another book. I still have to read Broken Harbor, but I think this one has to be my favorite of the series.
I love Antoinette (though she makes me miss Cassie) and Stephen, and I hope they'll stick around for another book. I still have to read Broken Harbor, but I think this one has to be my favorite of the series.
challenging
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Trespasser is an intricately plotted murder mystery told by an unreliable narrator. Antoinette and her partner, Steve, are called to investigate the murder of a young woman. They usually get domestic violence cases, and this one appears to be the same - until it doesn't. The two work through theories involving gangs and old missing person cases while butting heads with another detective who's been assigned to 'mentor' them.
Antoinette, who tells the story and is the only woman on the murder squad, is paranoid and abused by her colleagues. She doesn't trust anyone because of the constant vitriol and pranks that she endures, except maybe Steve, but even that partnership becomes strained as they work the case. It makes her hard to like, especially as the book progresses, but the ending is well worth it.
Tana French does a beautiful job with this series. I admit I don't always get the Irish slang - some I know and some I can pick up from context - which can make reading some of the dialogue challenging, but I still enjoyed the story immensely.
Antoinette, who tells the story and is the only woman on the murder squad, is paranoid and abused by her colleagues. She doesn't trust anyone because of the constant vitriol and pranks that she endures, except maybe Steve, but even that partnership becomes strained as they work the case. It makes her hard to like, especially as the book progresses, but the ending is well worth it.
Tana French does a beautiful job with this series. I admit I don't always get the Irish slang - some I know and some I can pick up from context - which can make reading some of the dialogue challenging, but I still enjoyed the story immensely.