Excellent slow burn thriller from Tana French, based around an American ex-cop who has sought peace in rural Ireland. It’s not a spoiler to say that peace eludes him... really interesting dynamic between Cal, his neighbours, the local gossip, and a troubled youth determined to get to the truth about their brother. Slow, drip fed information hods the attention, there’s a powerful sense of place and a mystery to resolve. Thoroughly entertaining read.

Counting myself one of the lucky early readers of Tana French’s new standalone crime novel, “The Searcher” publishing in November , I can attest that she deserves her reputation as a masterful story builder.

“The Searcher” is set in Ireland's remote countryside where Cal Hooper, a retired Chicago cop, has bought himself a fixer-upper of a crumbling cottage which he is trying to fix up gradually while getting to grips with his divorce. There is also the question whether his decision to follow his own moral code, filing for early retirement and moving to Ireland leaving family and friends behind was a smart one.

The first 40% of the book are a slow build up to the eventual crime element in the story: the description of Cal’s new life, the beauty of the Irish countryside, the sudden appearance of a local kid, Trey, who believes Cal might be persuaded to investigate the disappearance of his older brother Brendan and him trying to figure out the dynamics of village life with some truly fascinating local characters, chiefly his neighbor Mart. I was about to get restless and then wham, French picks up the pace, the story takes a new spin never letting up until the very end which I thought was an unusual one I liked, a trade mark to the quality of this crime novel . Really enjoyed it.

I enjoyed the searcher, which charts the story of Cal as he moves into a small Irish community after retiring from the Chicago Police Force after a painful divorce.

In parallel to rebuilding his life, he spends his days rebuilding a derelict house, all the while interacting with the locals.

The book is a mystery at heart, as we follow Cal take on a missing person project for a lonely local teenager whose elder brother has disappeared. Although seemingly straightforward, nothing in the village is as it appears.

I just knew I would like this book, having already read the Wych elm. And it didn't disappoint. Love the writing style, and was hooked from the beginning

A new French novel is always cause for celebration. <i>The Searcher</i> (out in November) continues her move away from the traditional cop protagonists that characterized her first six books, although it’s kind of a lateral move: here, our investigator is an ex-policeman and an American ex-policeman at that, Cal Hooper, formerly of the Chicago PD. Chicago is fairly notorious for police violence, and Hooper’s experience reflects both the truth and the nuance of that: he has never killed an unarmed young black man, but an incident where his partner nearly does so is ultimately what pushes him into early retirement. A divorce and a move to rural Ireland later, he hopes to find peace and quiet in the country, but is instead recruited by a young kid, Trey, whose brother Brendan has gone missing, and who demands that Cal find out where Brendan is.

<i>The Searcher</i> is as beautifully written as all of French’s books, but what it lacks, for want of a better word, is a sense of intoxication. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The professional detectives in her early books love their job, they live and breathe it, and that sense of drive, passion, righteousness, infuses their appreciation of the world around them and of human relationships within it. As French’s career has matured, her characters’ perceptions have too. Cal isn’t quite the hard-bitten cynic he considers himself, but his understanding of social dynamics, of how we fit in with each other, has less flash and snap than, say, Cassie Maddox’s or even Scorcher Kennedy’s; more resignation and determination. It’s a mystery novel for grownups, this–which isn’t to say that it’s excessively violent or disturbing, but rather that both French and her characters are increasingly interested in how to behave when the right thing and the correct thing are not the same. (Cal and Trey have a fantastic conversation about the difference between etiquette, manners and morals that sums up what I think French is getting at throughout the entire book.) A really promising turn for her. I can’t wait to read more.

This was heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measures. The reluctant relationship which Cal developed with Trey was dealt with sensitively. Cal's determination to keep to himself in the close knit community was gradually eroded with some surprising twists and turns and he also seemed to gain a better insight into how to improve the long distance connection with his daughter. The Searcher was well written and intriguing and I didn't want it to end.

Cal is an ex-cop from Chicago who buys an old house in rural Ireland. Everything is new to him, people are interesting, he even has an unexpected visits from time to time, and all are not very pleasant.
Local child has a brother missing and nobody cares, so Cal starts to investigate.
People are not what they seem, hidden secrets, twists and turns.

Great psychological thriller!

When Cal retires as a cop to the rural setting of Ireland his investigative days are not over. We like Cal are dropped Into a village which on the face of it seems like an idyllic quiet backwater but as Cal fixes up his dilapidated house he meets the locals and is drawn into the mystery of a missing boy.

Cal is rough at the edges but has a heart of courage and resilience as be uncovers all sorts of secrets. I loved the way the story unfolded with a kind of inevitable conclusion but that’s not what kept me reading. It was Cal and the people he meets along the way and his interaction with them as we stay privy to his thoughts and detective insights.

Another fabulous book from Tana French. I almost pulled an all-nighter with this one! If you want a book that transports you to another land, then this is it. Beautiful descriptions of rural Ireland, the brogue and deep characterisation that drops you there.

Seen through the eyes of a former Chicago police officer, Cal Hooper buys an old shack and attempts to rebuild his life. Peace does not come easily and a young visitor makes it near impossible for Cal to enjoy his retirement in ways he’d hoped. A missing sibling must be found and the mystery takes time to solve. He must tackle getting the information he needs both sensitively and skillfully, and tiptoe around the nuances and eccentricities of local customs. Some readers may find the lack of ‘getting to the point’ onerous. But secrets are a tough nut to crack.

There is much meandering around conversation, getting to know the villagers and their customs. In essence the book is a slow burn with undercurrents of graver things and threats that would keep a normal person at home. Not so with Cal. He is detailed oriented with patience that would put a nun to shame. He needs to get the lie of the land before making decisions and he’s remarkably adept at winning most of the locals around. He also has a life in the US, whether or not he’s trying to forge a new one in a foreign land. He has worries. His daughter for one and an ex-wife who is on his mind and on his nerves.

The locals, equipped with their secrets and foibles are handled realistically and you can’t help liking and disliking a few. Cal might have appeared to have missed a few tricks, but he is persistent in a somewhat leisurely way. Trey is an enigma and the more we learn the more chilling the story becomes. The book is not terrifying, nor is it challenging. I would put it at the comfortable and evocative end of the spectrum. But that’s me. For those who have issues with animal cruelty, there are scenes that may be hard to read.

The writing style, as with all French novels, is impeccable with an easy poetic flow I’ve come to enjoy. The only issue I had with this one is it was a little slow getting off the ground. But what I find a tad tedious — champing to get to the action — others will find fascinating. I don’t take off stars for this. Authors have their own way of drawing out the plot of which French is an absolute master.

Cal Hooper has retired to a cottage in Ireland, after a nasty divorce and having spent 25 years as an police officer in Chicago. He’s looking for a quiet life, but finds himself drawn back to his previous life when he is asked to find a missing person.

This started nicely, drew me in and I enjoyed the scene setting, but it seems a strange thing for Cal to arbitrarily pick this particular small village in Ireland after living in Chicago. That said the descriptions of the area are good, and you can image his run down cottage and the area it’s in. I didn’t immediately empathise with the characters, some of which felt like parodies, Noreen, the gossipy match making shop keeper, Mart the simple local farmer and the lazy local Garda officer. However, it’s a good read and well written but not my favourite of this authors books.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Right from the start I was imagining Tom Selleck as Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone here - one of my favourite actors and characters of all time so no bad thing - and that likeness continued for the whole book. The characters kept me interested, Cal in particular of course, and the dialogue is terrific. I could well imagine the Irish backwater Jesse, oops I mean Cal, pitches up in after a burnt-out career in the police and a failed marriage. The plot, though, is so slow and not very thrilling that I was on the verge on losing interest on a few occasions. As a vehicle for exploring small-town life and broken families it worked well enough and the author has great insights to share, but I finished the book feeling relieved that it was over. A tad disappointing for me.

Having read the Dublin Murder books and thought they were quite good I wanted to read something different by this author and the blurb sounded good. However, it was incredibly slow going and didn't feel like an Irish community to me. Very heavily American. So many long descriptions about DIY. I didn't click with the characters who somehow felt as though they were in an alien environment; that they had been put in the wrong book.. Very odd so sadly not as enjoyable as I had hoped.

I'm a huge fan of Tana French and have been for years, the storyline for this one however didn't grip me as instantly as her previous novels have and I found it took a while to get into it. I like the way the author writes, her descriptive prose makes the setting come to life along with her characters, each and everyone intricately crafted and portrayed in the readers vision

When Ex-cop Cal retires from the Chicago PD he decides its time for not just a change of pace, but also a change of location and the run down cottage he buys in rural Ireland is about as far away as he can get from his previous existence.
The local community certainly has some characters and whilst some appear to readily accept him, others openly regard him with suspicion. It isn't long before Cal realises he's being watched and he becomes curious about the scruffy youngster he spies silently watching him as he tackles the house repairs. With one step forward and two steps back it takes Cal a while to draw thirteen year old Trey into his confidence and reveal his reason for being there. It was the friendship between these two that for me was the drawing force of this book.

Not a fast moving novel, but definitely a beautifully drawn journey through the Irish countryside as step by step Cal discovers that even small rural communities have things they'd prefer to hide.

Superb! Tana French is the doyenne of beautifully written, intricately plotted and ‘slow-burn to a crescendo’ books. While they are within the wider genre of crime, they clearly demonstrate that if there is a bridge between genre and literary fiction, it is paper thin.

The Searcher is everything I was hoping for and more (I have barely raised my head for 3 days). An atmospheric stand alone which introduces us to a diverse cast of characters glued together by two leads who I now feel like I know. Atmospheric (notably the landscape and the persistent cold/drizzle) and intriguing, it pulls you in and won’t let you go until you are finished. The plot isn’t the most original but it takes nothing away from the enjoyment. I would whole heartedly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House and Viking for and ARC in consideration of an honest review.

At first the book seemed very slow moving, but well worth persevering. The characters are very well drawn, and it would make a brilliant film. When the action took up it was a cracking book, although there were more slow sections of introspection later on. The descriptions of the Irish countryside were vivid too.

Tana French is one of my favourite authors and I will read anything she writes. This doesn't have the pace of the Dublin murder books; it's gentler, older, more considered, with plenty of weight. There's a quietly compelling plot, but most of the strength is in characterisation, atmosphere, a sense of place, and unshowily beautiful writing. I loved it.

I love Tana French a lot. Her Dublin Murder Squad books are my favourite crime books, and I am constantly handselling her books at my work (bookshop). Faithful Place and Broken Harbour are two of my favourite books ever,
That said, I was slightly disappointed with this book. And I'm not sure why. It just didn't grab me the way her others have. I didn't really care as much about the characters, and nothing much seemed to happen. Or it did happen but there was no real resolution, or so it felt to me.
A slightly less good Tana French book is still a great book and so I would recommend, but I can't help compare it to her others, and for me it falls short.

I enjoyed The Searcher very much. It perhaps doesn’t have quite the depth of some of Tana French’s finest books, but it’s still very good indeed.

It is the story of Cal, a retired, divorced, disillusioned Chicago cop who buys a derelict house near a small village in the West of Ireland to have some peace of mind. He begins to form a relationship with Trey, a local 13-year-old whose brother has disappeared; Cal reluctantly agrees to look into it and complexities and dark undercurrents begin to emerge.

Like all of Tana French’s books, this is a novel of place and character, driven by a suspenseful crime story. The story itself here is slow and measured in pace – which I liked very much. It fits in well with the pace of life of the community and the careful, steady work which Cal outs in on his house and which he begins to teach to Trey. I see some reviewers found this tedious, but I liked it very much, along with the excellent depiction of the life and characters of a small rural community. The characterisation and dialogue are, as always, brilliant. French also has important things to say about masculinity, fatherhood, moral behaviour and other things. There was enough tension to keep me hooked and the whole thing was a pleasure for me.

This may not be one of Tana French’s very best but it’s still extremely good and I can recommend it very warmly.

(My thanks to Penguin Books for an ARC via NetGalley.)

I was enthralled by this book and couldn’t put it down. The characters were so vibrant and real, and I felt like I was in those desolate Irish hills. I will be recommending this book to friends. Another Tana French hit, I didn’t expect anything less!

A relatively fast paced read that keeps you interested all the way through. Tana French builds very believable characters, piece by piece, dropping just what you need to know, just when you need to know it.

Not much of a whodunnit, but more of an essay on what life could be like in very insular towns and villages anywhere in the world, especially to an outsider, as Cal, the main character is.