Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
3.5 Stars. I enjoyed reading this book; however, there were elements of what I disliked about In the Woods in The Secret Place. I do think Tana French's books (although enjoyable) could use with an editor who isn't afraid of cutting out unnecessary sections.
Several reviews complained about the teen-speak, which while not something I enjoy and can admit was at times a little heavy handed does come closer to reality than many may realize. I think that French did a good job of showing the way that media has perverted teenagers everyday speech and instead of peppering her writing with "um" and "like" the sometimes annoying teen speech served its purpose. I hope that the books in the future deal with more adults because a one off of teenagers was more than enough for me, but I think that without some of the teen-speak the characters would have felt overly sophisticated. It is their inner worlds and thoughts that does show their complicated natures and this I enjoyed. I loved the juxtaposition with the girls and their environment, I just wish French had left it at that (see spoiler).
All in all, not my favorite in the series, but it had its moments.
Spoiler
For example, the magic aspect of the book really weakens this story, just as in my opinion the unsolved mystery in French's debut novel cheapened that experience as well. I think that the girls were intricate enough without giving them witchy, unexplained powers.Several reviews complained about the teen-speak, which while not something I enjoy and can admit was at times a little heavy handed does come closer to reality than many may realize. I think that French did a good job of showing the way that media has perverted teenagers everyday speech and instead of peppering her writing with "um" and "like" the sometimes annoying teen speech served its purpose. I hope that the books in the future deal with more adults because a one off of teenagers was more than enough for me, but I think that without some of the teen-speak the characters would have felt overly sophisticated. It is their inner worlds and thoughts that does show their complicated natures and this I enjoyed. I loved the juxtaposition with the girls and their environment, I just wish French had left it at that (see spoiler).
All in all, not my favorite in the series, but it had its moments.
I received this book from the Goodreads Giveaway.
This is the second book by Tana French that I have read. I wasn't sure how much I would like it, the other book I read was just okay. I liked this one a lot more. It focuses on the 2 detectives (trying to solve a murder) and 2 differing groups of teenage girls. The mystery was very good. There were a lot of twists and turns. It was great trying to figure out who was lying and who did what.
Some of the slang was getting overboard. Mostly when talking to the detectives I found it hard to believe they would talk to them the way they were when it was about a murdered friend/schoolmate. The switching back and forth between time periods for some reveals was just okay. There were times where it kind of pulled me out of the story personally.
If you like a good Mystery, pick up some Tana French. While the previous book I read put her work on my maybe I'll read more of the Dublin Murder Squad, this one bumps it up to I should read more of this Dublin Murder Squad.
This is the second book by Tana French that I have read. I wasn't sure how much I would like it, the other book I read was just okay. I liked this one a lot more. It focuses on the 2 detectives (trying to solve a murder) and 2 differing groups of teenage girls. The mystery was very good. There were a lot of twists and turns. It was great trying to figure out who was lying and who did what.
Some of the slang was getting overboard. Mostly when talking to the detectives I found it hard to believe they would talk to them the way they were when it was about a murdered friend/schoolmate.
Spoiler
and what was with the 'magic' stuff. It detracted from the story for me. The ghost stuff, that was okay and it added something at least.If you like a good Mystery, pick up some Tana French. While the previous book I read put her work on my maybe I'll read more of the Dublin Murder Squad, this one bumps it up to I should read more of this Dublin Murder Squad.
I’m a sucker for books set in boarding schools and a sucker for Tana French so what’s not to love?! I read this on my kindle and listened to the audiobook which I highly recommend. I liked it, though preferred some of the other Dublin murder squad books more.
Not as strong a mystery as Tana French's other books, and I also wanted more insight into Moran's character - usually my favorite part of her novels is getting in the head of the narrating detective, but the format of this novel (the investigation occurs on one long day) makes that difficult. Still, a fast and enjoyable read, and even being confident in the murderer's identity (as soon as you meet the eight teenage girls Moran and Conway are interviewing, it's pretty obvious) I was curious to find exactly how it had happened. French does a good job describing the intensity of friendships among girls that age, which keeps the book compelling as much if not more than the mystery itself.
Very, very good, just like the rest of Tana French's mysteries.
I enjoyed this book for its tight focus and dual narratives. It's been a while since I was a teenage girl, but French seems to nail that mystical part of childhood captured in movies like Now and Then or Stand By Me. The mean girls are as vapid and mean as the usual stereotypes, while the misfits have the most character development and complexity. There was a strange element of the supernatural that was explicit but then dropped, almost as a symbol of the relationship that bound the four main girls together. That aspect didn't work quite as well as I'd hoped, but the book was still an interesting, fun read.
I️ usually love this series. I’m intrigued by her practice of choosing a different character from the previous book and making her/him the central character/ narrator for the next. I️ also appreciate this leads to each book being written in a different voice and sometimes even style. However, in this case, it fell a bit into YA territory. It was still a fun read but a let down from the others in the series
Tana French does it again. I'm not sure I can really think of another author who can write five unconnected books where I like all of them this much. [b:The Secret Place|23398965|The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad #5)|Tana French|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1538064734s/23398965.jpg|21598636] is another great addition to her catalogue, and she throws in a couple new elements (shorter time frame, bringing back old characters for a more substantial time, ) and a lot of those slight twists worked for me (one didn't), just enough of a change to keep me on my toes, while she kept doing exactly what she does so brilliantly. The characters are stupendous as always (I think she missed the mark occasionally on teenagers, but only occasionally), the mystery keeps me guessing, the detectives are fascinating in their own right, and the narration is charmingly Irish and very compelling. If you like mysteries and you haven't read French yet, I don't know what you're waiting for.
Holly Mackey returns (from my favorite French book, [b:Faithful Place|7093952|Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad #3)|Tana French|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1550500994s/7093952.jpg|7350661]), but this time she's older and she found a card left on a board for secrets, the Secret Place, at her fancy boarding school. It says that the writer, unidentified of course, knows who killed the boy from the close-by all boys school who died last year. So she takes it to a cold-case detective who she knows, sort of, who uses the clue as an excuse to buddy up with a murder detective, and try to solve this murder and improve his standing all at once.
Spoilers Discussion!
I have two negatives on this book. 1) 80% of the time French nailed teenagers. 20% of the time she did not, and 2) the magic.
So, when I was reading the book, I would've considered the magic to be much more concerning than the teenager thing, but now I'm not so sure. I got the magic when Holly or whoever said that in 30 years she'd truly think they'd dreamed the whole thing up. I get that French was trying to capture the magic of specific moments as teenagers, the power and first-time-ness, the feeling that you and your friends are special, the electricity of it all, if you will. In ten or twenty years, you start to think you must've imagined it all, but in the moment it could not feel realer. Okay. It seems a little more literary and a little less police-procedural than I came looking for, but okay. I'm a little less into the ghost, but okay, again. It's about paranoia and all that. It's not French's fault that teenagers aren't of this world.
I'm not totally sure I can get excuse when she leaned on stereotypes for her teenagers, or the other ways that I (as technically a teenager, though also technically an adult) find a little disparaging. I wish that Joanne had been given a little more humanity, and I wish that Chris hadn't fallen for the sex. Or, at least, that French hadn't shown it as only falling for Julia and her condom. Because when Moran is narrating then I know he's flawed and he sees things wrong and I can excuse when he's wrong as part of his own characterization. But every other chapter it's not Moran, it's some third person narrator, who I'm much more inclined to trust as an authority. And as someone who's spent a lot of time around teenage boys, I don't think that most of them would have said yes to Julia. Especially some guy like Chris, who theoretically could have sex with lots of other girls. They'd think about that Julia and Selena were best friends, etc etc. Julia had some compelling reasons, sure-- I'm going to tell her anyway so might as well actually go for it -- but I just don't buy it. Maybe I'm too obsessed with beauty like Moran, but I just don't see it. And I get that it's fun to make fun of Joanne and call her a bitch and whatever, and sure she probably is, but I just wanted a little more compassion. I'm sort of talking myself out of these critiques as I write, but that's what I was thinking as I read.
I do like that French managed to work in some really precious, tender, teenage moments. The Valentine's Day dance totally endeared those girls to me, and those boys. I wish that Finn and Julia would've gotten a second chance. I wish that Selena and Chris could've gotten a chance. Even as I leave the book thinking that what the girls had did have some beauty in it (besides the murder), they screwed it up from the very beginning with the vow.
Okay, in other news. I love that Moran didn't get a totally sad, messed-up ending. Things didn't work out perfectly, of course, but at least we ended with some hope there. And I really liked him and Conway together.
I loved seeing Holly again. I remember being charmed by her the first time around, and this time was no different. Very smart (I like that she was the one who put it up the first time) and very fun. And I liked that her dad came back to, and we got to have a little reunion and see two people who we've grown to love, for having been in both their heads, go up against each other. I'm glad they decided that they were on the same team. And, I'm glad that he got back with Olivia and that they're so happy now!!! Heartwarming.
And I love the four girls, and how they all went around protecting each other in little ways, which slowly built on top of each other. Obviously it's horrible, but I loved watching the part all four of them played in hindsight. Everyone knew everything at some point, but no one said anything and everyone was trying to work things behind the scenes, while everyone else was too. Fascinating, all four of them. And I never saw Rebecca coming, so there's that.
And that's all I have time for. Great mystery, mostly great characters, and great ending. I can't wait to read another Tana French (I only have two unread at this point… oh no!) the next time I have a day to spend literally only reading.
Fin!
Mysterious and fascinating with just enough new to keep me interested: 93%
Spoiler
some magic sort of?? A less depressing ending???Holly Mackey returns (from my favorite French book, [b:Faithful Place|7093952|Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad #3)|Tana French|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1550500994s/7093952.jpg|7350661]), but this time she's older and she found a card left on a board for secrets, the Secret Place, at her fancy boarding school. It says that the writer, unidentified of course, knows who killed the boy from the close-by all boys school who died last year. So she takes it to a cold-case detective who she knows, sort of, who uses the clue as an excuse to buddy up with a murder detective, and try to solve this murder and improve his standing all at once.
Spoilers Discussion!
I have two negatives on this book. 1) 80% of the time French nailed teenagers. 20% of the time she did not, and 2) the magic.
So, when I was reading the book, I would've considered the magic to be much more concerning than the teenager thing, but now I'm not so sure. I got the magic when Holly or whoever said that in 30 years she'd truly think they'd dreamed the whole thing up. I get that French was trying to capture the magic of specific moments as teenagers, the power and first-time-ness, the feeling that you and your friends are special, the electricity of it all, if you will. In ten or twenty years, you start to think you must've imagined it all, but in the moment it could not feel realer. Okay. It seems a little more literary and a little less police-procedural than I came looking for, but okay. I'm a little less into the ghost, but okay, again. It's about paranoia and all that. It's not French's fault that teenagers aren't of this world.
I'm not totally sure I can get excuse when she leaned on stereotypes for her teenagers, or the other ways that I (as technically a teenager, though also technically an adult) find a little disparaging. I wish that Joanne had been given a little more humanity, and I wish that Chris hadn't fallen for the sex. Or, at least, that French hadn't shown it as only falling for Julia and her condom. Because when Moran is narrating then I know he's flawed and he sees things wrong and I can excuse when he's wrong as part of his own characterization. But every other chapter it's not Moran, it's some third person narrator, who I'm much more inclined to trust as an authority. And as someone who's spent a lot of time around teenage boys, I don't think that most of them would have said yes to Julia. Especially some guy like Chris, who theoretically could have sex with lots of other girls. They'd think about that Julia and Selena were best friends, etc etc. Julia had some compelling reasons, sure-- I'm going to tell her anyway so might as well actually go for it -- but I just don't buy it. Maybe I'm too obsessed with beauty like Moran, but I just don't see it. And I get that it's fun to make fun of Joanne and call her a bitch and whatever, and sure she probably is, but I just wanted a little more compassion. I'm sort of talking myself out of these critiques as I write, but that's what I was thinking as I read.
I do like that French managed to work in some really precious, tender, teenage moments. The Valentine's Day dance totally endeared those girls to me, and those boys. I wish that Finn and Julia would've gotten a second chance. I wish that Selena and Chris could've gotten a chance. Even as I leave the book thinking that what the girls had did have some beauty in it (besides the murder), they screwed it up from the very beginning with the vow.
Okay, in other news. I love that Moran didn't get a totally sad, messed-up ending. Things didn't work out perfectly, of course, but at least we ended with some hope there. And I really liked him and Conway together.
I loved seeing Holly again. I remember being charmed by her the first time around, and this time was no different. Very smart (I like that she was the one who put it up the first time) and very fun. And I liked that her dad came back to, and we got to have a little reunion and see two people who we've grown to love, for having been in both their heads, go up against each other. I'm glad they decided that they were on the same team. And, I'm glad that he got back with Olivia and that they're so happy now!!! Heartwarming.
And I love the four girls, and how they all went around protecting each other in little ways, which slowly built on top of each other. Obviously it's horrible, but I loved watching the part all four of them played in hindsight. Everyone knew everything at some point, but no one said anything and everyone was trying to work things behind the scenes, while everyone else was too. Fascinating, all four of them. And I never saw Rebecca coming, so there's that.
And that's all I have time for. Great mystery, mostly great characters, and great ending. I can't wait to read another Tana French (I only have two unread at this point… oh no!) the next time I have a day to spend literally only reading.
Fin!
Mysterious and fascinating with just enough new to keep me interested: 93%