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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Hot damn I love Tana French! Her books are consistently atmospheric and enthralling, and I find her inclusion of subtle magic absolutely delightful. The Secret Place is a fantastic example of this. The all-girls boarding school setting means that teenage gossip is woven in with murder clues, and sussing out which is which is not as straightforward as it seems. I can't wait to read more about Conway and Moran!
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s so hard to review this book. I’ve been reading the Dublin Murder Squad books in order, so this is number five for me. I can’t say that I’ve been pulled head over heels into any of them, aside from Frank Mackey’s story: Faithful Place. For some reason, his character really resonates with me. So I had almost given up on the painfully slow way in which The Secret Place unfolds when Mackey waltzed in, and I was glad I had stayed. I will say, other reviewers have complained about the teenagers’ dialogue, but anyone who’s watched a little Irish television, even something light like Derry Girls, should recognize the cadence right away.
Okay, so, actually, there were many things I disliked about this book. It was very meandering, and the teenage slang was very over the top. All "totally" and "totes amazeballs" and "OMG" and "hello?". That's not how we talk, come on. (Technically, shouldn't say 'we' since I'm 21, but I'm a teenager at heart). I guess it was mostly the shallow popular girls talking like that but I swear, even the most insufferable girls I've known talked more or less normal. Also, just because they were popular doesn't mean they all needed to be fake-blond and fake-tanned.
But they weren't the main group of girls, and the core four? Oh, I loved loved loved them. And I loved how the two detectives' budding friendship ran along the story of their friendship. I loved how Stephen was like a chameleon, too, playing each of the girls and being the kind of cop they wanted him to be, and how he was doing the same with Conway, but not exactly because he started caring and ksjehueagrhio
Anyway, I think the writing wasn't quite as good as in the other two Dublin Murder Squad books I've read, and I wasn't the biggest fan of how the action was just one day with a million flashbacks, but there's a reason why I have to give this book 5 stars. So, in the first half of the book, the 4 main girls are like, hey, let's make a pact and not care anymore, yeah? Screw boys. And then in the present time, with the detective narrating as he interrogates them, he notes that they all have this confidence to them. That the way they are is not for someone else, just for them. And that really hit me. Because I'm not saying screw boys, that's not really the point. What I mean is that it's so common to always imagine what others see you like -- like when you're at a party and having fun and then you catch your reflection and stop having fun because don't you look stupid? And what for? So this book made me want to be like those girls, go to a ball in jeans and have fun and not care, and it also made me feel like I've wasted my own school years on not being like that.
Also, friendship goals everywhere in this book <3
(But the supernatural elements were so unnecessary, though).
But they weren't the main group of girls, and the core four? Oh, I loved loved loved them. And I loved how the two detectives' budding friendship ran along the story of their friendship. I loved how Stephen was like a chameleon, too, playing each of the girls and being the kind of cop they wanted him to be, and how he was doing the same with Conway, but not exactly because he started caring and ksjehueagrhio
Anyway, I think the writing wasn't quite as good as in the other two Dublin Murder Squad books I've read, and I wasn't the biggest fan of how the action was just one day with a million flashbacks, but there's a reason why I have to give this book 5 stars. So, in the first half of the book, the 4 main girls are like, hey, let's make a pact and not care anymore, yeah? Screw boys. And then in the present time, with the detective narrating as he interrogates them, he notes that they all have this confidence to them. That the way they are is not for someone else, just for them. And that really hit me. Because I'm not saying screw boys, that's not really the point. What I mean is that it's so common to always imagine what others see you like -- like when you're at a party and having fun and then you catch your reflection and stop having fun because don't you look stupid? And what for? So this book made me want to be like those girls, go to a ball in jeans and have fun and not care, and it also made me feel like I've wasted my own school years on not being like that.
Also, friendship goals everywhere in this book <3
(But the supernatural elements were so unnecessary, though).
slow-paced
Anyone who has ever stumbled across my Goodreads page or had a conversation with me about books or read my past reviews knows that I am absolutely in love with Tana French's books. So, my saying I loved The Secret Place should not exactly come as a surprise. Still, I'm going to say it anyway: I really really loved this book.
When I found out that French was writing a novel with Stephen Moran as the main character, I was excited. I loved Stephen in Faithful Place, and after Frank and then Mick Kennedy as narrators in the previous two books, I needed a French book with a younger, newer, less grizzled and set-in-his-ways detective. When I found out that The Secret Place would also involve a teenaged Holly Mackey and introduce another female detective, I was really, really excited. The only thing that would make me happier would be an announcement that French is revisiting the In The Woods storyline (I may have some problems about how that one ended, don't get me started.)
All of the above said, I had huge expectations for this book. I excitedly pre-ordered a signed hardcover copy, and couldn't wait for it to arrive so I could get started reading. For the most part, The Secret Place lived up to every expectation I had. Stephen is my absolute favorite French narrator of all time, and Conway is a tough female lead, something that I have missed in much of French's writing. The inclusion of Holly and Frank Mackey, both of whom are among my favorite French characters, only served to make me even happier. Even though I guessed the "whodunit" answer right from the get-go, the case itself was still as intriguing and heartbreaking as I have come to expect from a Tana French book, and I loved the shades of gray that she painted each character in: no one ever comes across as perfect in a French novel, and I love that.
It is worth noting that The Secret Place is, in many ways, a departure from French's typical style. For instance, this is the first of her novels to include alternating flashback chapters, told from a point of view other than the main narrator. Additionally, the entirety of the "present day" story is told in the course of a single day, something that I have never seen in a French novel before, and something which initially caught me very much off-guard. Lastly, The Secret Place included strong paranormal/supernatural imagery. Another review I saw labeled this out-of-character for a French book, and, although I disagree with the notion that none of French's previous novels have included supernatural elements, it is true that The Secret Place goes a bit further into supernatural themes than any of French's novels have gone before.
While the changes in style noted above took a bit of time for me to adjust to, I ended up liking them because of the way they worked in the context of the story. Furthermore, I am always impressed when a writer shows the ability and the willingness to change things up stylistically, so I have nothing but praise for French in this matter. That said, if you are a reader who prefers the status quo and who has already read and enjoyed French's previous novels, you will likely be a bit disappointed in The Secret Place.
If you haven't already read any Tana French novels, I will say, firmly, and unequivocally, that you should. She is, without doubt, one of my very favorite authors. When it comes down to it, my biggest complaint about The Secret Place was that it ended: and now I have to wait until French writes another novel for me to enjoy.
When I found out that French was writing a novel with Stephen Moran as the main character, I was excited. I loved Stephen in Faithful Place, and after Frank and then Mick Kennedy as narrators in the previous two books, I needed a French book with a younger, newer, less grizzled and set-in-his-ways detective. When I found out that The Secret Place would also involve a teenaged Holly Mackey and introduce another female detective, I was really, really excited. The only thing that would make me happier would be an announcement that French is revisiting the In The Woods storyline (I may have some problems about how that one ended, don't get me started.)
All of the above said, I had huge expectations for this book. I excitedly pre-ordered a signed hardcover copy, and couldn't wait for it to arrive so I could get started reading. For the most part, The Secret Place lived up to every expectation I had. Stephen is my absolute favorite French narrator of all time, and Conway is a tough female lead, something that I have missed in much of French's writing. The inclusion of Holly and Frank Mackey, both of whom are among my favorite French characters, only served to make me even happier. Even though I guessed the "whodunit" answer right from the get-go, the case itself was still as intriguing and heartbreaking as I have come to expect from a Tana French book, and I loved the shades of gray that she painted each character in: no one ever comes across as perfect in a French novel, and I love that.
It is worth noting that The Secret Place is, in many ways, a departure from French's typical style. For instance, this is the first of her novels to include alternating flashback chapters, told from a point of view other than the main narrator. Additionally, the entirety of the "present day" story is told in the course of a single day, something that I have never seen in a French novel before, and something which initially caught me very much off-guard. Lastly, The Secret Place included strong paranormal/supernatural imagery. Another review I saw labeled this out-of-character for a French book, and, although I disagree with the notion that none of French's previous novels have included supernatural elements, it is true that The Secret Place goes a bit further into supernatural themes than any of French's novels have gone before.
While the changes in style noted above took a bit of time for me to adjust to, I ended up liking them because of the way they worked in the context of the story. Furthermore, I am always impressed when a writer shows the ability and the willingness to change things up stylistically, so I have nothing but praise for French in this matter. That said, if you are a reader who prefers the status quo and who has already read and enjoyed French's previous novels, you will likely be a bit disappointed in The Secret Place.
If you haven't already read any Tana French novels, I will say, firmly, and unequivocally, that you should. She is, without doubt, one of my very favorite authors. When it comes down to it, my biggest complaint about The Secret Place was that it ended: and now I have to wait until French writes another novel for me to enjoy.
I love Tana French. It took me forever to read this, but it was okay. I loved savoring her writing, although I was anxious to find out what happened, and I wasn't disappointed. One of her best, after In The Woods, in my opinion.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Read a pre-pub edition and want someone else to read it so we can talk about it.
I was between 3 and 4 stars on this. Parts of the premise seemed too absurd to take seriously but I still really enjoyed reading it and was hooked until the end.