A review by elektra_eris
The Secret Place by Tana French

mysterious slow-paced

3.75

3.75⭐️

Tana French switches up her formula in this fifth installment of the Dublin Murder Squad series. The story is told in dual timelines: one following the detectives working an old unsolved case who revive the case after receiving new information and the other following the events leading up to the murder at a posh all girls boarding school.

 I defintely enjoyed the current timeline following the detectives more. It was a long and eventful day that mostly involved the two rookie detectives interviewing the girls and trying to piece together what really happened. I liked the dynamic between Moran and Conway a lot and am thrilled to see that Conway takes the main role in the next book with Moran as her partner 😊 

The past timeline was okay. It slowed down the pace of the nobel and the teenage girl dialogue was a little cringey (maybe worse hearing it narrated aloud through the audiobook 😬). There was also a weird supernatural element that felt out of place in this setting. I know French loves to add a bit of weird and unexplained shit to her books but this felt very ineffective and distracting to me.
 
One of the girls is Holly Mackey, daughter of a detective from a previous novel and a key witness in a case Moran helped with before. I liked her characterization and seeing her (and her dad!) again. 

My ratings for the DMS have been a bit all over the place but i will continue to read everything Tana French writes because her writing is so atmospheric and lovely despite its flaws.