Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I read the later books and wanted to go back and see where it all started. Great plot! Really interesting characters!
If you like your books all tied up with a bow at the end, you won't like this book. If you like unreliable narrators, psychological tension and a moody atmospheric setting, you might like this one. I stayed up until after midnight to finish it, and I usually flake out by 10 pm!
Ugh...another highly rated book that I just didn't like. In fact, I made it only 30% and decided I wasn't engaged enough to continue reading. At 30%, I should have been invested in the disappearance/murders but I was simply putting in the time. I looked at my shelved books and realized there were other books I would rather try. I think a lot of my disinterest was associated to the author's style and the fact that she assumed the reader was familiar with Dublin and the Irish culture (which I am not--but I am willing to learn).
dark
mysterious
medium-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Jesus Mary and Joseph. I wasn’t sure she would land this plane but #tome this was the miracle on the Hudson. Thrillers can be so cheap and gratuitous sometimes and this was charged and tense but only rarely felt a little heavy handed (it was her debut so I feel like I can forgive her for it though). I haven’t read Donna Tartt in a while but French’s attention to her prose alongside her plotting felt Tarttish. This was a beautifully constructed story, from the writing to the setup to the execution and she had me in her thrall the whole way. I did have my private satisfaction near the end with my very loose theory paying off but it still felt fresh in how it came about.
I wish we could stay in this world with these vividly painted characters because you do get so close to them but I think that adds to how seriously this being more than a typical detective thriller feels. This isn’t the kickoff to a buddy cop action series but a specific and painful story within the detective infrastructure. I do have reservations about how nearly every detective story is a vessel for copaganda in some way so it’s impossible for me to kick that niggling distrust of its affect on your psyche, but this isn’t a cop hero story in the end (or throughout!) and it’s definitely not the procedural bits that are the standout here. French is comfortable in ambivalence and dissatisfaction and that is a tough pill to swallow!
I wish we could stay in this world with these vividly painted characters because you do get so close to them but I think that adds to how seriously this being more than a typical detective thriller feels. This isn’t the kickoff to a buddy cop action series but a specific and painful story within the detective infrastructure. I do have reservations about how nearly every detective story is a vessel for copaganda in some way so it’s impossible for me to kick that niggling distrust of its affect on your psyche, but this isn’t a cop hero story in the end (or throughout!) and it’s definitely not the procedural bits that are the standout here. French is comfortable in ambivalence and dissatisfaction and that is a tough pill to swallow!
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Mental illness, Suicide attempt
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pedophilia, Medical content, Alcohol
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Police brutality, Abortion, Suicide attempt