You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.07k reviews for:
The Searcher: The mesmerising new mystery from the Sunday Times bestselling author
Tana French
3.72 AVERAGE
4.07k reviews for:
The Searcher: The mesmerising new mystery from the Sunday Times bestselling author
Tana French
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A pretty slow burn that lulls you into security with its documentation of small-town routines. Pieces fall into place just regularly enough to keep the plot moving. The characters are flawed and interesting, and allow to the mystery to unravel in a way that feels organic and true to life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Grief
Minor: Suicide, Murder
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
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
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed the writing and the vibe of this book. It was slow but that was part of the charm (mostly). I missed the characters when it was over.
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Re-read June 27, 2025
I saw the sequel to this available in the library and decided to get both books, doing a re-read on this one to remind me of events. I still really liked it, and I'd say my thoughts are more or less the same as the first time around. I do want to make some corrections to my original review.
My comment about him being a Southern boy. I was paying better attention this time and the narrative put him originally from North Carolina. I've never been there, so I still can't really judge the authenticity of his portrayal, but I can at least confirm he did have some Southern roots. Which, I admit, made me like him a little more.
My comment about his family life. It did end up being important since he basically got to have a do-over with Trey. A very similar scenario occurred between Alyssa and Trey. Both of them were injured, and in both scenarios he wanted to hunt down the person who hurt them. He went after the guy with Alyssa, and with Trey he didn't right away. It was actually a little weird how the two events mirrored each other. I get that this was on purpose, but still odd. And he didn't really reflect on it later.
That's actually a new criticism. He seems to be aware of how dangerous the stuff he's doing is, but he's also dumb enough to invite an innocent bystander over while he's in the middle of said dangerous stuff. He was also dumb enough to think Trey wouldn't keep stirring up trouble just because he pulled a third-act break-up on her. He also seemed really dumb for not piecing together Mart's involvement sooner. That man was so obvious he was almost flashing a neon sign in Cal's face.
I still enjoyed it a lot, and while I still think the pace can feel slow, it's necessary for Cal and Trey to build a relationship before the plot gets going. I just wish the author didn't have to be so gory and violent when describing the hurt/killed animals, or Trey's injuries. It's always worse reading about kids and animals being hurt.
Original review August 15, 2022
I'll be honest: this one was a little tough for me to get through at first. There was a moment when I even considered putting it on the DNF pile. But I took a little break from it, came back, and found the last half of the book really good. It made me glad I stuck with the book.
I think the main problem for me was that the character was American and living in this small Irish town. To be fair, I know very little about Ireland, but it just seemed weird to me that people in this small town would open up to a foreigner so easily. I also think I missed where Cal was actually from, because he was a cop in Chicago but called himself a Southern boy and was talking about growing up with grits. I grew up in Kentucky, which is right on the Mason-Dixon line, so I guess conceivably Illinois could still be Southern, but it just felt a bit of a stretch. I know it's a relatively minor detail, but it just bugged me a little.
The story itself is a little slower-paced than some of her other books. I sort of wish there was more about the cultural dissonance between Cal and his new home. He seemed to settle in a little too quickly for an American man who lived twenty-five years in Chicago. I did like how he played some mental chess whenever he went out to question someone; I thought that was pretty neat. He was kind of an idiot about Mart, though. His family problems did flesh out his character but I'm not sure how it aided the story in any way. Other than referencing his wife and daughter now and then, it barely contributed to anything. He could've been a childless bachelor and it wouldn't have made that much of a difference in the narrative.
What I liked about it was Cal and Trey's relationship. I like how they grew on each other and how he tried to teach her things. She reminded me a lot of Eleven from "Stranger Things". I like how over the course of the novel, the two grew to understand each other and there was a level of trust built between them. I like that he always respected her choices and treated her like she was mature. He did lie to her, but it was to protect her; he didn't baby her at all. And I really appreciated how the ending was done. It's a unique direction to just let things go and move on.
So yeah, this book is slow going, but I'm really glad that I decided to keep at it. The last half was well worth it.
I saw the sequel to this available in the library and decided to get both books, doing a re-read on this one to remind me of events. I still really liked it, and I'd say my thoughts are more or less the same as the first time around. I do want to make some corrections to my original review.
My comment about him being a Southern boy. I was paying better attention this time and the narrative put him originally from North Carolina. I've never been there, so I still can't really judge the authenticity of his portrayal, but I can at least confirm he did have some Southern roots. Which, I admit, made me like him a little more.
My comment about his family life. It did end up being important since he basically got to have a do-over with Trey. A very similar scenario occurred between Alyssa and Trey. Both of them were injured, and in both scenarios he wanted to hunt down the person who hurt them. He went after the guy with Alyssa, and with Trey he didn't right away. It was actually a little weird how the two events mirrored each other. I get that this was on purpose, but still odd. And he didn't really reflect on it later.
That's actually a new criticism. He seems to be aware of how dangerous the stuff he's doing is, but he's also dumb enough to invite an innocent bystander over while he's in the middle of said dangerous stuff. He was also dumb enough to think Trey wouldn't keep stirring up trouble just because he pulled a third-act break-up on her. He also seemed really dumb for not piecing together Mart's involvement sooner. That man was so obvious he was almost flashing a neon sign in Cal's face.
I still enjoyed it a lot, and while I still think the pace can feel slow, it's necessary for Cal and Trey to build a relationship before the plot gets going. I just wish the author didn't have to be so gory and violent when describing the hurt/killed animals, or Trey's injuries. It's always worse reading about kids and animals being hurt.
Original review August 15, 2022
I'll be honest: this one was a little tough for me to get through at first. There was a moment when I even considered putting it on the DNF pile. But I took a little break from it, came back, and found the last half of the book really good. It made me glad I stuck with the book.
I think the main problem for me was that the character was American and living in this small Irish town. To be fair, I know very little about Ireland, but it just seemed weird to me that people in this small town would open up to a foreigner so easily. I also think I missed where Cal was actually from, because he was a cop in Chicago but called himself a Southern boy and was talking about growing up with grits. I grew up in Kentucky, which is right on the Mason-Dixon line, so I guess conceivably Illinois could still be Southern, but it just felt a bit of a stretch. I know it's a relatively minor detail, but it just bugged me a little.
The story itself is a little slower-paced than some of her other books. I sort of wish there was more about the cultural dissonance between Cal and his new home. He seemed to settle in a little too quickly for an American man who lived twenty-five years in Chicago. I did like how he played some mental chess whenever he went out to question someone; I thought that was pretty neat. He was kind of an idiot about Mart, though. His family problems did flesh out his character but I'm not sure how it aided the story in any way. Other than referencing his wife and daughter now and then, it barely contributed to anything. He could've been a childless bachelor and it wouldn't have made that much of a difference in the narrative.
What I liked about it was Cal and Trey's relationship. I like how they grew on each other and how he tried to teach her things. She reminded me a lot of Eleven from "Stranger Things". I like how over the course of the novel, the two grew to understand each other and there was a level of trust built between them. I like that he always respected her choices and treated her like she was mature. He did lie to her, but it was to protect her; he didn't baby her at all. And I really appreciated how the ending was done. It's a unique direction to just let things go and move on.
So yeah, this book is slow going, but I'm really glad that I decided to keep at it. The last half was well worth it.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I ended up really enjoying this one. The mystery itself is pretty easy to guess, but the characters were lovely and I fell for the main trio. Will definitely be continuing the series.