Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Searcher by Tana French

18 reviews

jodar's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

A well-written crime story. If it hadn’t bogged down in the middle part, I’d give it a higher rating.  In a way the crime isn’t central to the novel, and there’s not much suspense. Instead, the mystery is the means by which the characters are compelled to face dilemmas and hard truths. 

The MC is a bit stereotypical: a retired policeman looking to rehabilitate himself after an unhappy marriage in a new, apparently peaceful and remote part of the world. That said,  the MC is a likeable man who’s aware of his personal strengths and weaknesses. The relationship he develops, almost accidentally, with a young, distressed girl – central to the plot – is developed with care and insight. So too the MC’s internal struggles in reconciling his own code of conduct with his past family and work experiences, the new attitudes of his children’s generation and the repercussions of the crime he works to uncover. 

The description of the environment is attractively portrayed and sets up a sharp discordance with the brutality of what the MC eventually uncovers. Some of the seemingly cheerful, friendly inhabitants likewise are at variance with the reality the MC comes to understand.

Well worth reading provided you’re not looking for an action-packed, fast-moving crime thriller.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Grief, Animal death, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Mental illness

Minor: Xenophobia and Suicide

emilye's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Murder

Minor: Drug use and Suicide

aseel_reads's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I only continued with this book because it was an easy audiobook to listen to, otherwise, it became copganda about halfway through and then it had some really off putting actions by certain characters who never got punished and I don't like that 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Alcohol, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail

seadeepy's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Grief, Classism, and Animal death

Minor: Drug use, Suicide, and Domestic abuse

annniina98's review against another edition

2.0

Long, dragging, boring start, quite good middle, a huge let down as the revelation. I can see that some people would love to have this much set up, even in a thriller. But the ending was rushed, there is no way around it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Animal death, and Blood

Moderate: Drug abuse, Murder, Drug use, Physical abuse, Violence, Child abuse, and Grief

Minor: Rape

hmbrokaw's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I’m pissed off about the ending. Great writing, though. But definitely could have been condensed. However, I’m a sucker for vagabond youths.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Drug use and Violence

natashad's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Moderate: Xenophobia and Drug use

Minor: Homophobia

vcthom03's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Child abuse, and Violence

Minor: Drug use

stacy837's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Gun violence and Drug use

alrauna's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Death, and Violence

Minor: Police brutality and Gun violence