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mirandadarrow 's review for:
The Trespasser
by Tana French
Just because Antoinette is paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get her. We first met this novel’s protagonist, Antoinette Conway, in Tana French’s most recent book, The Secret Place where she and her now partner Stephen Moran, were investigating a murder at an all-girls school. Most of the action in that book happened in the course of one day “on location” at the school, but this novel’s action takes place over a number of days, and largely in and around the Murder Squad’s office in Dublin Castle. In that setting, we see the subtle and not as subtle sexism and acts of sabotage that Antoinette has been facing during her tenure in the Murder Squad. People are taking parts of her witness statements, hampering her cases and causing tons of unnecessary re-work. People are making snide remarks, peeing in her locker, and she can’t ever leave her coffee on her desk for fear of what will end up in it. This is awful, and yet, completely believable.
In this setting, this environment where the only person Conway can trust is her partner Moran, all of the action is coming from Conway’s perspective. That is exhausting. It is truly a lot of work to be so suspicious of so many people all the time. That is a full time job, in addition to, you know, solving murders. It is so well done, Antoinette is a real person. And as a bonus, reading from Conway’s perspective is so funny, as she has a sense of humor in her own head, even if she doesn’t let it show. Her internal monologue had me smiling along, but maybe I can identify with her more than prior protagonists in this series.
Then there is the paranoia. Is the senior detective, Breslin, who has also been put on this case because he’s “good with witnesses” trying to help them along for their own good? Or does he have his own agenda? Are they being steered towards the boyfriend because he’s guilty? Or because something else is going on? Why did they get assigned this case in the first place – at the very end of their shift, when they should actually have been heading out for a pint? I can’t say much more without getting into spoiler territory, so you’ll have to read it. Yes, go get a copy, and read it. What are you waiting for? Or listen to it, as the audiobook is quite good.
I’ve enjoyed all of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad mysteries, but this one is my favorite. I’ve read most of them in audiobook, including this one, and although the books are all great, they are long. Sometimes my mind wanders and I need to go back and catch up. That didn’t happen once in this book, even though the book is almost 500 pages and the audiobook 21 hours. I’m actually re-listening to the last chapter now, just for more details. It’s that good.
In this setting, this environment where the only person Conway can trust is her partner Moran, all of the action is coming from Conway’s perspective. That is exhausting. It is truly a lot of work to be so suspicious of so many people all the time. That is a full time job, in addition to, you know, solving murders. It is so well done, Antoinette is a real person. And as a bonus, reading from Conway’s perspective is so funny, as she has a sense of humor in her own head, even if she doesn’t let it show. Her internal monologue had me smiling along, but maybe I can identify with her more than prior protagonists in this series.
Then there is the paranoia. Is the senior detective, Breslin, who has also been put on this case because he’s “good with witnesses” trying to help them along for their own good? Or does he have his own agenda? Are they being steered towards the boyfriend because he’s guilty? Or because something else is going on? Why did they get assigned this case in the first place – at the very end of their shift, when they should actually have been heading out for a pint? I can’t say much more without getting into spoiler territory, so you’ll have to read it. Yes, go get a copy, and read it. What are you waiting for? Or listen to it, as the audiobook is quite good.
I’ve enjoyed all of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad mysteries, but this one is my favorite. I’ve read most of them in audiobook, including this one, and although the books are all great, they are long. Sometimes my mind wanders and I need to go back and catch up. That didn’t happen once in this book, even though the book is almost 500 pages and the audiobook 21 hours. I’m actually re-listening to the last chapter now, just for more details. It’s that good.