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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Kinda slow paced. I think the entire half with the girls POVs could have been cut out and it would have been a lot more engaging. But very good, well-developed characters and a plot I had to keep reading, even when I was bored.
It dragged a bit in some places, but I still wanted to keep reading. I didn't really see how the supernatural aspect helped the story. It felt out of place and a little awkward.
Not quite up to the level of her other books (teenspeak, why so bad?), but, ugh, Tana French! How do you do the things you do?
I have been quietly and patiently been waiting to read this book for a while; I'm a huge fan of this series. The Secret Place is absolutely on par with the previous titles in Dublin Murder Squad, but it is also one that separates itself from the rest in the very set-up and progression of the story. It's told in alternating chapters of current day and the past, with the current happening over one long day, a new tool in this series. I was so invested in the characters, desperate for every action and emotion (my version of a reality t.v. obsession). It just makes me want to read all five books again.
I have never before enjoyed murder mysteries- they always follow a very specific journey, with black and white characterization and predictable outcomes. Tana French writes like she's never read any of those terrible mysteries I have. Her narrators AND secondary characters have full lives, full range of emotion, secrets, flaws. And the ending is NEVER what you expect, without being a gun in the drawer. This is the kind of book that gives you a 'book hangover'.
I have never before enjoyed murder mysteries- they always follow a very specific journey, with black and white characterization and predictable outcomes. Tana French writes like she's never read any of those terrible mysteries I have. Her narrators AND secondary characters have full lives, full range of emotion, secrets, flaws. And the ending is NEVER what you expect, without being a gun in the drawer. This is the kind of book that gives you a 'book hangover'.
Thanks to Penguin Books, I received an early release copy of this book to review. Tana French is at the top her game in this book. The murder of a teenage boy takes place at a girl's boarding school. The book switches back and forth between the time leading up to the murder and the current time (the year after the murder) when the case is re-investigated. This book can be easily read as a stand alone. I love the setting and the interesting look at the dynamics of a very close group of teenage girls.
Tana French's books are perfect for a cold fall evening. I spent a lot of a rainy day reading the book, followed by two two hour flights, and finally finished it on yet another rainy day. There was something about the weather and the time spent at St. Kilda's that pulled me along, at times wanting to know who the killer is, while also wanting to deny that betrayal was at the root of Chris Harper's death. While I think the Likeness will still be my favorite TF book, the mystical nature of The Secret Place pulls you along towards a conclusion that was satisfying and gratefully not as elusive as some of the other Dublin Murder Squad books.
I love me some Tana French, but I have to say this one dragged a bit for me. It was unique from her other offerings in that it incorporates flashbacks into the scenes with the detectives in real-time trying to solve the crime, which was clever. But it still could have stood to be about 100 pages shorter, I think (this is a brick). It was no The Likeness (still my favorite Tana French book, in my top five favorite detective books, and probably my top 25 favorite books of all time - WOAH), but worth the read.
The Secret Place is a murder mystery, set in the grounds of a girls boarding school. It's told through alternating chapters between the present day police investigation (set over 24hours) and flashbacks to the year the murder took place.
This book was so hard to put down. The mystery over why the murder took place was really engaging and the unravelling of the thread through the present day chapters is told very well.
My favourite thing about the book is the slow burning reveal of what happened, which is told with beautiful descriptive language that is a joy to read. (Although as much as I love the sarcasm of teenage girls, which is done well, some of the slang in the conversations does grate. I can't believe any teenagers really talk like that, especially the supposedly intelligent girls that this book focuses on)
All in all, a perfectly paced thriller that I hugely enjoyed, but with some elements surrounding the teenage girls that I think may put some murder mystery fans off.
Thank you to goodreads first reads for sending me my copy. I will be looking out for more Tana French books, based on this novel.
This book was so hard to put down. The mystery over why the murder took place was really engaging and the unravelling of the thread through the present day chapters is told very well.
My favourite thing about the book is the slow burning reveal of what happened, which is told with beautiful descriptive language that is a joy to read. (Although as much as I love the sarcasm of teenage girls, which is done well, some of the slang in the conversations does grate. I can't believe any teenagers really talk like that, especially the supposedly intelligent girls that this book focuses on)
All in all, a perfectly paced thriller that I hugely enjoyed, but with some elements surrounding the teenage girls that I think may put some murder mystery fans off.
Thank you to goodreads first reads for sending me my copy. I will be looking out for more Tana French books, based on this novel.
Tana French is one of the most extraordinary mystery novelists working today. Her books blow me away, and The Secret Place is no exception. French manages two timelines brilliantly, a present-day one that takes place over less than 24hrs as police revive a stalled murder investigation and a flashback timeline that builds with relentless intensity to the moment of the murder and its aftermath. Actually, the relentless intensity builds in both. :) This book has a tiny supernatural vibe that I'm not sure was needed, but it didn't bother me. Actually, part of that vibe also ended up reminding me of how very deeply Tana French was influenced by Donna Tartt's The Secret History. The inspiration here is not as deeply connected as it was in The Likeness, but it runs beneath the story and really echoed powerfully for me in the climax. Insightful, lyrical writing as always, tightly focused on the power and dangers of friendships, both for the teen girls who may have witnessed or committed or lied about their connection to a murder and also for two police officers working together for the first time and perhaps only temporarily. French is so good at identifying what drives people, their fears and joys and rages. Just a powerhouse of a storyteller.