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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
3.5 stars for me. I get so hooked in by French's writing. This story felt a little hysterical throughout the beginning and also at other points--which wore on me although it was fitting (at the heart of the mystery is a group of teen girls and their passionate pondering of life and love and everything else). There's a magical element that is essential, but fades from the story, and much of the final portion of the story is taken up with a few nitty gritty points rather than large-scale discoveries. But I love French's voice.
It took a while to get into the cadence of her writing and the coldness of the characters. I found parts of the ending came out of left field.
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I really should have left more space between reading In the Woods/The Likeness and the rest of the Dublin Murder Squad—none of the subsequent books have grabbed me quite as hard. I enjoyed this one about the same as Broken Harbor, which is to say, not as much as the first two and not even as much as Faithful Place. The trouble lies in the narrators: Scorcher Kennedy and Steven Moran are simply not as developed or complex as the others—not even Rob Ryan, who at least was in an interesting state of denial/supression/projection. The most interesting things about these two dudes are the women around them, Scorcher's sister and Steven's would-be partner, Antoinette Conway. I hope for this reason that I'll enjoy The Trespasser more, which flips the primacy of Moran and Conway.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
When Detective Stephen Moran is brought a card with a picture of the dead boy whose death baffled the Dublin Murder Squad and the caption I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM, he takes the chance to get into the Murder Squad. Along with the tough detective Antoinette Conway, he's plunged into one of the most twisted and complicated worlds of all: that of teenage girls.
The Secret Place was a beautifully crafted, incredibly thoughtful, and suspenseful mystery that actually made me cry. French captures the world of teenage girls with incisive details and imagery that's both lovely and grotesque. Every page of this book was simply so thoughtful, so carefully developed and crafted--it's a five-course meal to other mysteries' cotton candy.
Perhaps the best thing is how fully fleshed out every character feels. They leap off the page, with dreams and hopes and fears of their own spilling out of their mouths, and even the minor characters are memorable. The twists are surprising and desperate as your need to find out what happens next may be, the urge to sit back and enjoy every page is even stronger. Highly recommended.
The Secret Place was a beautifully crafted, incredibly thoughtful, and suspenseful mystery that actually made me cry. French captures the world of teenage girls with incisive details and imagery that's both lovely and grotesque. Every page of this book was simply so thoughtful, so carefully developed and crafted--it's a five-course meal to other mysteries' cotton candy.
Perhaps the best thing is how fully fleshed out every character feels. They leap off the page, with dreams and hopes and fears of their own spilling out of their mouths, and even the minor characters are memorable. The twists are surprising and desperate as your need to find out what happens next may be, the urge to sit back and enjoy every page is even stronger. Highly recommended.
I’ve been on a Tana French kick this whole year, and for anyone thinking of picking one up I’d say to start here! So sad, so sweet, so good. She played again with what I’m seeing are her favorite themes of extremely tight platonic friendship, modernity, class, pagan wild places, betrayal and memory, and it was just totally great. I’m noticing I like her books that have female main characters more.
This is another book in The Dublin Murder Squad series. This time the story centers around Holly Mackey and Detective Stephen Moran. There was a murder at Holly's school the year before and new evidence has been found. The heart of this story belongs to the love of a group of girls who love as only an adolescent can. Their friendship is strong and true until boys come into the picture and threaten to break their circle. Good character study.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes