Reviews with content warning for Death - Faithful Place

In 2020, I read five of Tana French's books back to back. This is the first of her novels that I have read since and reminded me exactly why I enjoyed her thrillers so much back then. French excels at creating psychological tension and three-dimensional characters. In addition to being an author, French is an actress and it shows. The cinematic quality of her mysteries makes me feel immersed in a detective show. It makes total sense that her novels have been adapted for television!

About Faithful Place in particular - while I liked it, I had a few issues with it. First, I just didn't particularly like the main character, Frank. He was an asshole throughout and didn't really have much of a redemption. Everyone in his life gave him a lot of grace but he just kept acting bullishly. Second, there were two mysterious deaths in this novel and I don't think that the second one was properly solved. At the novel's conclusion, it's implied to have been solved but there's never a true explanation. Generally, I don't mind ambiguity in books. However, when the first murder was so neatly solved and explained in detail, I would hope for the same insight into the second murder.

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mykenzi's review

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dark mysterious slow-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

4.5

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jeatherhane's review

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is not a feel-good story. It is a slow burning murder mystery full of heartache and pain. The authentically-drawn characters are what makes this story so engaging.

After reading The Likeness, I was doubtful that I would love another Tana French book as much, but I think I loved this one even more. Frank Mackey was a minor character in the previous book, and he is the central protagonist of this one. I love how the author develops different characters from previous books in the next installment of the series. I almost think it would work better to read the series in reverse, so that when a minor character appears, I will already have made a deep connection with them and appreciate it more.
This book is about 25% police procedural and 75% family drama. The story of the Mackeys and Frank's past with Rosie and his siblings had me spellbound. I listened to the audio and found myself driving around the city for hours so I could keep listening. There is a lot of family dysfunction and flawed characters, but the novel had me laughing out loud as well as crying. Tana French has a talent for creating characters that I love and feel a deep emotional investment in.

I'm looking forward to the next Dublin Murder Squad novel.

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