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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Confession: I did not like In the Woods, or rather, I vehemently objected to the ending and thus I was not keen to read another book by this author. Especially when many reviews I read were in agreement that the latter part of the book dragged. I just finished it and can say that I don't believe I have ever cried at the end of a mystery novel before now. Of course, many novels have brought me to tears but none of them in this genre My nerves were on edge the entire time I read it. I was afraid of so many things and distrusted everybody. Even the rock solid Mother Earth Geri has flaws that raise trust issues. I am not yet sure who I was crying for at the end. Every one of us? And not yet sure if the final scene really has the amount of hope I would like to infuse it with or if that is just a slight of hand my heart played for me to save me from the dark.
October 2016: I can't believe I wrote that review in January of 2012. Re read it.
October 2016: I can't believe I wrote that review in January of 2012. Re read it.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If I could give this book six stars, I would. Just when I thought I couldn't love [a:Tana French|138825|Tana French|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1535655031p2/138825.jpg] any more, I read Broken Harbor. I have to admit, I wasn't too excited about this one at first, considering its slow start and the fact that Frank Mackey from [b:Faithful Place|9675287|Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #3)|Tana French|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|7350661] has a pretty low opinion of Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy, the narrator of this book (also why didn't I find out that "Mick" is short for Michael until page 300?!). I loved the peek we got of Stephen Moran in [b:Faithful Place|9675287|Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #3)|Tana French|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|7350661], and I kind of was just trying to get through this book so I could get more of Moran's story in [b:The Secret Place|20821043|The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #5)|Tana French|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1538064620l/20821043._SY75_.jpg|21598636] and [b:The Trespasser|29430013|The Trespasser (Dublin Murder Squad #6)|Tana French|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1462998307l/29430013._SY75_.jpg|48321130]. But I ended up loving Detective Kennedy (Scorcher? Scorch? Mick? Mikey? Michael?) and his "partner," rookie Detective Richie (which is somehow short for Richard??) Curran, and the mystery. I wasn't too surprised at who the murderers were in [b:The Likeness|17775623|The Likeness|Tana French|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|6504351] and [b:Faithful Place|9675287|Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #3)|Tana French|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|7350661], but I honestly had no idea who the murderer was in Broken Harbor until it was revealed! When I picked up this book, I was beginning to think that French hit her best with the first book in the Dublin Murder Squad series, [b:In the Woods|3057240|In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)|Tana French|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|3088141]. This is definitely not the case.
French has said that each of her books focuses on a larger conflict of ideas beyond what's happening in the story. For Detective Kennedy, that conflict comes with bending the rules, seeing things in grayscale instead of black-and-white, and coming to terms with the fact that he might not be "Detective Perfect." Like Scorcher, I love rules, so for me this conflict really hit home, especially because it's something I question in many cop TV shows where the detectives are much more willing to break and bend the rules than Detective Kennedy is (I'm looking at you, NCIS). For me, French's stories are always so much more about the internal state of the detectives and how that influences how they do their job than about the mysteries themselves (although I love seeing some of those solved, too!). In that sense, Broken Harbor really hit the nail on the head. My first reaction upon reading the book was to sit there and think about it for about an hour. My second was to read through the thread on Goodreads for another hour. My third was I want to read this book again. I'm sure I will, but just not today. I really hope this one stands up to a re-read.
Also, re the other characters in the novel: I loved Dina and Richie. I think Scorcher's spiral and the way he eventually ends up reacting to Dina was very well done. Also: RICHIE. Richie and Scorcher's relationship was a treat to read. I really missed the police procedural aspect in French's last two novels, and this return to partners and Dublin Castle was really really nice until, of course, it wasn't. French has the unique ability to get me to react to the supporting characters as the main character does, and Richie grew on me as he grew on Kennedy as the book progressed. I really would have loved to see more of him in another novel, but I don't think he appears in [b:The Secret Place|20821043|The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #5)|Tana French|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1538064620l/20821043._SY75_.jpg|21598636] or [b:The Trespasser|29430013|The Trespasser (Dublin Murder Squad #6)|Tana French|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1462998307l/29430013._SY75_.jpg|48321130].
French's books are rarely happy. You have been warned.
Spoiler
Also the mink thing REALLY got to me. I've come to love how unresolved French leaves some of her mysteries (and I've come to terms with the fact that we'll probably never know what happened to Rob, Peter, and Jamie in [b:In the Woods|3057240|In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)|Tana French|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|3088141]), but I spent an hour or so reading through Goodreads reviews after I finished trying to figure out whether there was ever an animal there in the first place!!French has said that each of her books focuses on a larger conflict of ideas beyond what's happening in the story. For Detective Kennedy, that conflict comes with bending the rules, seeing things in grayscale instead of black-and-white, and coming to terms with the fact that he might not be "Detective Perfect." Like Scorcher, I love rules, so for me this conflict really hit home, especially because it's something I question in many cop TV shows where the detectives are much more willing to break and bend the rules than Detective Kennedy is (I'm looking at you, NCIS). For me, French's stories are always so much more about the internal state of the detectives and how that influences how they do their job than about the mysteries themselves (although I love seeing some of those solved, too!). In that sense, Broken Harbor really hit the nail on the head. My first reaction upon reading the book was to sit there and think about it for about an hour. My second was to read through the
Spoiler
mink plot lineAlso, re the other characters in the novel: I loved Dina and Richie. I think Scorcher's spiral and the way he eventually ends up reacting to Dina was very well done. Also: RICHIE.
Spoiler
Why does French have to ruin every satisfying partner relationship in her books?? This was going SO WELL until Richie decided to play judge, jury, and executioner with Jennifer Spain's life.French's books are rarely happy. You have been warned.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was definitely the creepiest of the Dublin Murder Squad. From whatever was in the attic to the ending and the killer, this book would definitely give you nightmares. You never know what is going on with the people and things around you.
Scorcher was a great lead and I loved his partnership with Richie. They really did feel like the stuff detective partnerships are always meant to be. I get that sounds weird because this is a fictional book. However, that's the beauty of Tana's writing. You feel like these are real people going through the same troubles and insecurities that we do.
Feeling so thankful I stumbled on this series
Scorcher was a great lead and I loved his partnership with Richie. They really did feel like the stuff detective partnerships are always meant to be. I get that sounds weird because this is a fictional book. However, that's the beauty of Tana's writing. You feel like these are real people going through the same troubles and insecurities that we do.
Feeling so thankful I stumbled on this series
I can't remember reading a better detective novel.
Yes, this is a detective novel. A murder mystery. But it is also a deeply moving evocation of the crushing effect of the property bust in Dublin. It recounts the desperately sad disintegration of a family. But beyond them are the constantly-present ghosts of the other hopeless, destroyed families. Ghosts that float and whisper through the windswept, near-empty, unfinished estate.
Like this review? Why not check out my book review site: BelEdit Book Reviews?
Yes, this is a detective novel. A murder mystery. But it is also a deeply moving evocation of the crushing effect of the property bust in Dublin. It recounts the desperately sad disintegration of a family. But beyond them are the constantly-present ghosts of the other hopeless, destroyed families. Ghosts that float and whisper through the windswept, near-empty, unfinished estate.
Like this review? Why not check out my book review site: BelEdit Book Reviews?
(Apologies to my sister, who is also reading the series and has to put up with my 'WHAT PART ARE YOU AT NOW???' texts.) #4 is from the POV of Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy (Frank's foil; pompous and a stickler for the rules, where Frank is rough around the edges). I feel like people who complain about the vague aspects of the series, like the disappearance of Rob's friends, how easily Cassie took Lexie's place, Dina's mental state, or the animal in Pat Spain's walls, isn't grasping that this series rests gently on Celtic lore— particularly that of fairies. It's meant to be inexplicable and a hint supernatural, juxtaposed against the very grounded police procedural. Just like Ireland itself, this series is steeped in history (which, yes, includes lore and mythology) and slammed by reality, such as the financial crash that fills so many of these books. Think about it; the squad works in a castle. And yes, there are perfectly sound reasons for that choice, but it wasn't an accident. It's history and whimsy and solid, hard stone. Even Faithful Place had a slight fairytale feel ("There once were three brothers...") Anyway, this book was fucking phenomenal and is being slam-dunked into my "best of 2021" list. I especially appreciated the clever nod to Moby Dick, foreshadowing Pat Spain and his animal.
What I love about these Dublin Murder Squad books is the richness of the settings and the complicated lives of the characters. I know that when I pick up one of these books, I need to have a lot of time to settle in and read because I am not going to want to quit once I get started.
This was another great Tana French novel, I would probably rank it second on the list. (Here's my rundown: The Likeness; Broken Harbor; In the Woods; Faithful Place) I had great empathy for the main character and loved how French knows just how to twist the plot at just the right moment.