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pagesintranslation's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Suicide and Child abuse
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Rating: 5/5 stars
Cal Hooper is a retired cop seeking a quiet life in Ireland when he gets drawn into a search for a missing teenager.
Tana French is one of my all-time favorite authors and the author I credit with both getting me back into reading as an adult and getting me into mysteries and thrillers. I first read THE SEARCHER when it was released in 2020 and I really enjoyed it then, but I reread it in February in preparation for the sequel (THE HUNTER) and I absolutely LOVED IT this time around. I am obsessed with these characters and the slow burn creepiness and tension of the plot.
French has such talent as a writer, and this shines through with incredible memorable lines and small moments of heart and humor throughout the book. This is both a taut and compelling mystery and an intricate character study of a man reevaluating his purpose and a community grappling with societal change and the tension between modernity and tradition. I highly recommend this one, especially on audio, and cannot wait to dive into THE HUNTER!
CW: Violence/injury/blood/death; physical abuse; mentions of animal cruelty/death.
Original review (October 2020):
Probably closer to 3.5 stars for the actual plot, but the characters were delightful and the book was thoroughly enjoyable all the way through!
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Death, and Murder
Minor: Police brutality
whirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Gun violence, Child abuse, Violence, Death, Animal cruelty, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia and Sexual violence
kyrajg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Murder and Gun violence
jodar's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
wyabook234's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcoholism
kshy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Violence, Blood, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Murder, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Cursing, Alcohol, Police brutality, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Stalking and Suicide
distractible's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Gun violence
The main character has moved to rural Ireland and is renovating a decrepit little house. He has recently gone through a painful divorce.sophmcgraw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, and Police brutality
seadeepy's review against another edition
- 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
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