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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
Got me again. Another book I couldn't put down from Tana French.
I was trying to save these but I can't put them down. Yet another new main character with a connection in his past to a case in the present, all of them have different voices. Well drawn relationships and a sad crime.
Scorcher is so unlikable in such a charming awful way until I realize he's me writ larger and with screwy luck, and there on out (around 70%) it's just heartbreak.
The breakdowns - in the case, in the detectives on the case, in the setting - seem more brutal than in the other DMS books, but I last read Faithful Place in 2011, so that might be rose-colored. I do think Scorcher is genuinely the narrator I recognize the most.
Cautions: Murder (well, duh), suicides, experiences of insanity captured in terrifying detail. I cried my eyes out when I finished this.
The breakdowns - in the case, in the detectives on the case, in the setting - seem more brutal than in the other DMS books, but I last read Faithful Place in 2011, so that might be rose-colored. I do think Scorcher is genuinely the narrator I recognize the most.
Cautions: Murder (well, duh), suicides, experiences of insanity captured in terrifying detail. I cried my eyes out when I finished this.
**Slight Spoilers**
By far the weakest of the series. I was very wary when I saw Scorcher would be the lead, seeing as he came off as a moron in Faithful Place. However, Tana French was able to make him likeable right off the bat. The mystery was interesting, but everything with his sister and the end debacle with Richie put me off. Its like the author thinks someone must be ruined by the end of each book or she hasn't done her job or its not believable without it. Not the case. I felt the book was severely weakened by the end bits and the personal crap.
By far the weakest of the series. I was very wary when I saw Scorcher would be the lead, seeing as he came off as a moron in Faithful Place. However, Tana French was able to make him likeable right off the bat. The mystery was interesting, but everything with his sister and the end debacle with Richie put me off. Its like the author thinks someone must be ruined by the end of each book or she hasn't done her job or its not believable without it. Not the case. I felt the book was severely weakened by the end bits and the personal crap.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
Every novel in this series leaves something unsettled and messy - that's what I love about Tana French mysteries. There is a logic to almost everything, but through the final rationalizations, the ragged pieces become that much more obvious. This one was a bit too on-the-nose with explanations about why she structures her novels that way, but I still really enjoyed it. I'm excited that she's releasing another this year so I'll have two more to read.
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I love [b:In the Woods|237209|In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)|Tana French|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1283565569s/237209.jpg|3088141], French's first novel. That remains my favorite of the now four books French has published. I was sadly disappointed by [b:Faithful Place|7093952|Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #3)|Tana French|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1291165900s/7093952.jpg|7350661], and if you were too, you will be happy to hear that this was much better than that.
The ending, the last several pages especially, was lovely, almost poetic. That's what I liked most about [b:In the Woods|237209|In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)|Tana French|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1283565569s/237209.jpg|3088141] - the storyline is a mystery, but it reads like literary fiction. That was not the case here. Most of what is here is blow-by-blow narration of an investigation, all told from the perspective of the lead detective. When I say blow-by-blow I mean it; sometimes the narration is excessive and entire conversations are fleshed out that feel unnecessary. There are a couple good twists, though, and the story of the detective's relationship with his sister and mom was nice. This is just much more of a straightforward mystery novel than French's earlier work.
I like the atmosphere of French's books. They're very clearly set in Ireland, so all the characters speak accordingly and the setting is important to the plot.
Worth a read, though I definitely recommend reading [b:In the Woods|237209|In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)|Tana French|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1283565569s/237209.jpg|3088141] or [b:The Likeness|1914973|The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad, #2)|Tana French|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255897334s/1914973.jpg|6504351] first or instead.
The ending, the last several pages especially, was lovely, almost poetic. That's what I liked most about [b:In the Woods|237209|In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)|Tana French|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1283565569s/237209.jpg|3088141] - the storyline is a mystery, but it reads like literary fiction. That was not the case here. Most of what is here is blow-by-blow narration of an investigation, all told from the perspective of the lead detective. When I say blow-by-blow I mean it; sometimes the narration is excessive and entire conversations are fleshed out that feel unnecessary. There are a couple good twists, though, and the story of the detective's relationship with his sister and mom was nice. This is just much more of a straightforward mystery novel than French's earlier work.
I like the atmosphere of French's books. They're very clearly set in Ireland, so all the characters speak accordingly and the setting is important to the plot.
Worth a read, though I definitely recommend reading [b:In the Woods|237209|In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)|Tana French|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1283565569s/237209.jpg|3088141] or [b:The Likeness|1914973|The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad, #2)|Tana French|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255897334s/1914973.jpg|6504351] first or instead.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes