The Searcher
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3.6 • 71 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
Brought to you by Penguin.
Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a remote Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force, and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens.
But then a local kid comes looking for his help. His brother has gone missing, and no one, least of all the police, seems to care. Cal wants nothing to do with any kind of investigation, but somehow he can't make himself walk away.
Soon Cal will discover that even in the most idyllic small town, secrets lie hidden, people aren't always what they seem, and trouble can come calling at his door.
Our greatest living mystery writer weaves a masterful tale of breath-taking beauty and suspense, asking what we sacrifice in our search for truth and justice, and the dangers of finding what we seek.
WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING ABOUT TANA FRENCH
'One of the most compulsive psychological mysteries since Donna Tartt's The Secret History' THE TIMES
'An engrossing, unpredictable, beautifully written mystery' SOPHIE HANNAH
'To say Tana French is one of the great thriller writers is really too limiting. Rather she's simply this: a truly great writer' GILLIAN FLYNN
'French offers a masterclass in unreliability' SUNDAY TIMES
'I'm a big fan of Tana French' IAN RANKIN
'The Wych Elm should cement French's place in the first rank of great literary novelists' OBSERVER
'This book confirms Tana French as [crime fiction's] biggest contemporary star' GUARDIAN
'Terrific - terrifying, amazing, and the prose is incandescent' STEPHEN KING
'Another one of her rich psychological thrillers that will work its way under your skin' LUCY MANGAN, STYLIST
'This mystery about family, memory and the cracks in both will haunt you for a long, long time' ERIN KELLY
© Tana French 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020
Customer Reviews
An engrossing standalone mystery
The Searcher is quite different from Tana French's more action-packed Dublin Murder Squad series. It's more of a slow-burn psychological drama/mystery, and is at least as much character- as plot-based. I really enjoyed reading it.
Retired Chicago detective Calvin (Cal) Hooper has bought a run-down rural property near the (fictional) village of Ardnakelty in western Eire (Ireland), and is in the process of restoring it to a habitable state. He has begun to make acquaintance with several of the local farmers, and often enjoys a drink at the local public house. Ever the detective, Cal realises that someone's hanging around his property and covertly observing him, and one day he manages to flush out local 13-year-old, Trey Reddy, and slowly begins to gain the child's trust. It transpires that Trey's older brother, Brendan, disappeared without trace several months previously, and Trey is desperate for Cal's help in trying to find out what's happened to him. Has he simply left his poverty-stricken family behind, to seek work in Dublin or England, or has something more sinister befallen him? Reluctant at first, Cal is gradually dragged into the search for Brendan, despite frequent warnings from friends and strangers, some violent, to leave the matter alone.
Tana French's writing evokes the beauty of the natural landscape of rural Ireland, as well as the day-to-day struggles faced by many who live there. The characters of Cal and Trey are well-developed and multi-faceted and there's a strong and varied cast of supporting characters. Underpinning the unfolding drama is Cal's sense of isolation and not knowing who to trust, as a newcomer to a place where everyone knows everyone else's business, often for generations back. Enmities and alliances run deep and are not always evident on the surface. I found the developing understanding between Cal and Trey, who have both become prickly "loners" for their own reasons, fascinating and heart-warming.
The Searcher is an engrossing and beguiling novel, and well worth the read for those who enjoy a more literary style of character-driven crime drama or mystery.
My thanks to the author, publisher Penguin UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
A book for guys
This is definitely a book aimed at men who like to shoot guns and speak badly about women. I am not it’s target market.