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A review by jensreadinglife
The Searcher by Tana French
4.0
I love Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. I mean I LOOOOOOOOVE it! I know I'm not alone in this. Then last year she published a standalone book, The Witch Elm, and I found it to be slow going and very different from her other books. I understand what she was trying to do with the story but it didn't totally work for me. I still appreciated her writing and I will still read anything she puts out.
The Searcher is another standalone book but this one gave me a little bit more of the Tana French I've grown to know and love. Now with that, I do need to say that this book is definitely another slow burn. But what I feel it has that The Witch Elm did not, was a satisfying denouement and characters that I found myself invested in. Cal Hooper, the main character is likable and relatable and while flawed, his failings make him more rather than less endearing. I also really enjoyed the teenage Trey whom Cal befriends. And I really felt like French made the setting almost a character in and of itself. The remoteness of Cal's situation really helped when the action finally started picking up.
If you are a diehard Tana French fan, pick this one up. If you've never read her before, go and read the entire Dublin Murder Squad series first and then come back to this one. As for me, I really hope she goes back to her roots for her next book.
The Searcher is another standalone book but this one gave me a little bit more of the Tana French I've grown to know and love. Now with that, I do need to say that this book is definitely another slow burn. But what I feel it has that The Witch Elm did not, was a satisfying denouement and characters that I found myself invested in. Cal Hooper, the main character is likable and relatable and while flawed, his failings make him more rather than less endearing. I also really enjoyed the teenage Trey whom Cal befriends. And I really felt like French made the setting almost a character in and of itself. The remoteness of Cal's situation really helped when the action finally started picking up.
If you are a diehard Tana French fan, pick this one up. If you've never read her before, go and read the entire Dublin Murder Squad series first and then come back to this one. As for me, I really hope she goes back to her roots for her next book.