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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
This was a slow book to get into. Part of the story seemed almost hard to grasp and the ideas that the main characters came up with were rather random. It finally came together near the end, but it took a while.
I enjoyed this book more than the last one in this series by Tana French. At least the plot held up this time, but the main character has such a huge chip on her shoulder she is impossible to sympathize with. Good police procedural.
3.5 stars.
This was a much more enjoyable installment in the DMS series than the previous two. Steven and Antoinette worked so well together and the amount of snark and witty comments there were made the entire thing a fun read.
However, this is was SO. SLOW. AND. PLODDING. Which typically I wouldn't mind--I do like myself a good slow novel every once in awhile and I'm all for more accurate depictions of police and detective work in fiction, and this met both criteria--it was too heavy on the telling vs. showing and the case quickly became one I didn't care too much about. Every interview seemed unnecessarily long and half the time was only revealing things that had already been confirmed, whether by obvious suspicions or previous evidence. Nothing was really surprising when revealed/confirmed. And, as with I think all of the previous DMS books, the ending was anticlimactic as heck and made the entire thing feel pointless. Which I suppose is accurate, but when it doesn't even end with a cliffhanger or surprising decision it just makes it feel like a wasted two weeks of reading.
The characterizations were the strongest part for me, as they have been in prior installments. Conway can come across as paranoid and whiney, yes, but I also don't blame her for being paranoid in the situation she's in--plus, it adds a very valid and believable flaw to her character. The entire side plot with her father, though, seemed pointless and only vaguely tied to the case. The case triggered memories and issues for her, but these issues.
Overall, I really enjoyed this, but also found it too tedious to really enjoy properly.
(Cross posted on my blog.)
This was a much more enjoyable installment in the DMS series than the previous two. Steven and Antoinette worked so well together and the amount of snark and witty comments there were made the entire thing a fun read.
However, this is was SO. SLOW. AND. PLODDING. Which typically I wouldn't mind--I do like myself a good slow novel every once in awhile and I'm all for more accurate depictions of police and detective work in fiction, and this met both criteria--it was too heavy on the telling vs. showing and the case quickly became one I didn't care too much about. Every interview seemed unnecessarily long and half the time was only revealing things that had already been confirmed, whether by obvious suspicions or previous evidence. Nothing was really surprising when revealed/confirmed. And, as with I think all of the previous DMS books, the ending was anticlimactic as heck and made the entire thing feel pointless. Which I suppose is accurate, but when it doesn't even end with a cliffhanger or surprising decision
Spoiler
Maybe if Conway had decided to quit the force, that would have been more surprising than deciding to stay on.The characterizations were the strongest part for me, as they have been in prior installments. Conway can come across as paranoid and whiney, yes, but I also don't blame her for being paranoid in the situation she's in--plus, it adds a very valid and believable flaw to her character. The entire side plot with her father, though, seemed pointless and only vaguely tied to the case. The case triggered memories and issues for her, but these issues
Spoiler
never actually ended up being relevant to the case at handOverall, I really enjoyed this, but also found it too tedious to really enjoy properly.
(Cross posted on my blog.)
I love Tana French’s books. Once I start I honestly can’t put them down which makes them perfect for airplanes. All of her characters are wonderfully complicated people and getting into their heads...it sucks you in.
She is really good at writing people who are flawed, her characters can be brittle, volatile traumatized, confused, detached, emotional, in other words they feel like people.
She also really gives you a sense of Dublin, her characters span a number of social and economic divisions and you get a sense of the many different people who make up the city.
If you like a good, complicated mystery novel, I honestly can not recommend her enough.
She is really good at writing people who are flawed, her characters can be brittle, volatile traumatized, confused, detached, emotional, in other words they feel like people.
She also really gives you a sense of Dublin, her characters span a number of social and economic divisions and you get a sense of the many different people who make up the city.
If you like a good, complicated mystery novel, I honestly can not recommend her enough.
I'm a fan of this author, but The Trespasser doesn't measure up to her other novels, I don't think. It takes a long time to move through, and Conway's tough-girl character is overdone to the point of stereotype. That said, I do like French's exploration of the psychology of what it's like to be a woman in a male-dominated work environment.
This is a good series that could be a bit shorter, but overall is a solid mystery series. As with other non-American series, I enjoy "hearing" the slang and linguistic differences that make this more enjoyable.
If you need a solid mystery series, this is a good one.
If you need a solid mystery series, this is a good one.
this was really excellent. Tana French never loses her edge. I thought the mystery in this one was really compelling, and I LOVED getting to see Antoinette POV.
The first half of this dragged so badly I set it down and read another book. I decided to give it a second chance and it does pick up a little and get interesting but it's still a slow read.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Listened. Well-read but overly long. This one is about Antoinette Conway in her early days with the murder squad. She and her partner Steve Moran investigate the murder/manslaughter of Aislinn Murray, and Conway is constantly thinking that the members of her squad are out to get her. Maybe they are, maybe not. Too much angst for me, but a good story well told nonetheless.