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I finished this novel last night, and was sad that it was over. That’s always a compliment. I think author Tana French did a great job of creating a world and putting me in it. I don’t know Dublin, or the neighborhood Faithful Place, but I feel like I know it now. The crazy Irish-Catholic family culture was really evocative; although I can’t speak to the accuracy it certainly felt real. And I’m a big fan of Frank as my newest Bosch-style detective. (As I told the Husband the story last night: “there are a lot of Bosch’s, aren’t there?” Excellent observation dear.) And as predicted, French did throw another loop in, after I thought I knew whodunit. This was a great read, and right up my alley: strong sense of place, gory but also sentimental, with the romance between Frank and Rosie, family drama, and all that; and Frank is my kind of detective character. I will definitely look for more of French. I would like to see more of Frank, too, and maybe more of Stephen – it sure felt like he was being established to play more of a role, so I hope he’ll continue in a later book. It looks like French’s first two novels, In the Woods and The Likeness, kept the same detective, so maybe we can hold onto Frank for a little longer. In the meantime I’m going to keep my eyes open for those two earlier titles.

Karma, I was surprised several times over; did she get you too? What were the big surprises for you? I know you’re not done yet. I really cared about Frank and was really upset about Rosie and the death of the ideal. Was it that real for you? Keep me posted. Valerie, I recommend this one when you find the time…

Filed under: book reviews | Tagged: mystery, sense of place |