ajcousins 's review for:

The Secret Place by Tana French

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Tana French is one of the most extraordinary mystery novelists working today. Her books blow me away, and The Secret Place is no exception. French manages two timelines brilliantly, a present-day one that takes place over less than 24hrs as police revive a stalled murder investigation and a flashback timeline that builds with relentless intensity to the moment of the murder and its aftermath. Actually, the relentless intensity builds in both. :) This book has a tiny supernatural vibe that I'm not sure was needed, but it didn't bother me. Actually, part of that vibe also ended up reminding me of how very deeply Tana French was influenced by Donna Tartt's The Secret History. The inspiration here is not as deeply connected as it was in The Likeness, but it runs beneath the story and really echoed powerfully for me in the climax. Insightful, lyrical writing as always, tightly focused on the power and dangers of friendships, both for the teen girls who may have witnessed or committed or lied about their connection to a murder and also for two police officers working together for the first time and perhaps only temporarily. French is so good at identifying what drives people, their fears and joys and rages. Just a powerhouse of a storyteller.