This is a good read from a great writer. I haven't read any of Tana French before but am looking forward to now. Gripping and intriguing with a dramatic setting and interesting characters I really enjoyed this book but felt it was a bit slow to start. Once you get into the subtle build up you can sit back and enjoy her writing.

This thriller is a slow burn, but well worth the read. It is set in a small town not far from Dublin. The main protagonist, Cal Hooper, is an ex Chicago detective, who buys and then restores a crumbling shack. As an aside, the loving way in which French sets up a parallel narrative about restoration, is beautifully rendered. Hooper speaks occasionally to his grown up daughter on the phone, but is both physically and emotionally remote when the book opens. Brendan, a young local man goes missing, and his sibling Trey seeks out Hooper to help unravel the mystery.

The book is a slow paced thriller, but French lets her characters lead in plot development, whether it is Hooper's neighbour, the relationship between Hooper and Trey, or other local characters, well drawn whether they are marginal or central to the plot. The climax is both satisfying and unusual. A book to savour with a well drawn setting as well.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin, and the author Tana French.
I definitely have mixed feelings about this author! I really enjoyed The Wych Elm, which was more of a character study than French's standard 'detective solves crime' thriller, This is the second of the latter style I've read, after 'The Trespasser', and once again I found it a bit dry and very slow going. It was very hard to stay motivated, and by the final page it sort of felt like nothing had really happened in nearly 500 pages.
Undoubtedly well written, with well-developed characters, but not for me. 3 stars.

This is one of my favourite books of 2020. The writing is beautiful both in the description of the nuanced rural Irish landscape and the telling of the tale. It reminds me of Donna Tartt and Andrew Michael Hurley in the way the minute details are expressed in an authentic and haunting way.

A retired police officer from Chicago takes on a dilapidated cottage in the Irish countryside, close to a village where everyone knows everyone's business with seemingly unnatural speed. The beginning of the story focuses on painting walls and rubbing down woodwork. It's a slow process but is fitting with the pace of the rural life within the farming community. He enjoys the work and the prospect of spending his days fishing and hunting for his own dinner. He is searching for the peace his previous life didn't offer. Then a poor, disadvantaged teenager turns up asking for help in finding his missing brother.

The skill of this book is that it gives the impression that the community is at one with the natural landscape: they work together in seasonal cycles and concealing the same secrets. It doesn't feel like the usual crime fiction - and I'm not sure that a missing teenager is necessarily a crime until evidence of such is revealed. The Irish dialect is portrayed well and clear enough to be understood and the many characters are well rounded. But best of all is the budding relationship between the ex-cop and the adolescent waif. Neither of them are as gruff as their exteriors. This is their story. And even when the searcher's job is done and whereabouts of the missing boy are disclosed, the book doesn't end until the search for the peace of mind is found.

Atmospheric, eerie, slightly gothic, beautiful and clever. Highly recommended if you like books with a sense of place.

What a fabulous book.

I can honestly say it is one of the best books I have ever read.

I was captivated by the Cal and Trey, and charmed by the beautiful Irish scenery.

A well written, delightful read.

5 stars is not enough.

"Whatever people do, right up to killing, nature absorbs it, closes over the fissure and goes on about its own doings. He can't tell whether it's a comforting thing or a melancholy one"

What would you do if one day your brother is missing, without leaving any trace behind? Did somebody kill him? Did he run away? Is he kidnapped? For a young girl, these questions would either make her life, or break it.

'The Searcher' is a story that revolves around Cal, a retired police officer from Chicago who came to Ireland for a peaceful life, and Trey, a teenager in search of her brother. I really loved their relationship, a purely innocent one with unconditional love. Involving huge farms, country hunting, and deserted mountains, the premise is pretty much apt for a mystery/thriller.

While there are some aspects of the book that I couldn't get around, like the lack of relatability and emphasis that wasn't necessary, the book was entertaining throughout and made up through its storyline and execution.

Things I liked:
- storyline and plot
- imagery of scenery
- inclusion of country folklore
- language and writing style

Things I disliked:
- long stretches
- lack of surprise

Recommended for thriller/crime/mystery lovers.

An interesting book that keeps you involved from start to finish. Starts off with gentle story but then as story develops the plot thickens. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this type of book.

The Searcher is a brilliant thriller by Tana French. The protagonist is former Chicago police officer, Cal Hopper, who has been beaten by a job that has worn him down and destroyed his marriage. He decides to start over in the seemingly peaceful Irish countryside.

However, things don’t go quite to plan when a local youth manages to persuade him to search for their missing brother.

The book starts off slow but this is what sets it apart from other thrillers so bare with it. It has excellently believable characters and by the time you’re 100 pages in you know Cal. You can start to predict his actions and empathise with his need for a quiet life.

The writing is pretty great actually. Not in a hit-you-in-the-face-epic-poetry-way, but in a way that creates a remote and isolated town that you feel like you know and builds the atmosphere and context for what happens next.

The story has expertly crafted twists that fit into the story so naturally and that aren’t cheap tricks that you often see in a ‘pop-corn thriller’.

I’ll definitely be reading more of Tana French’s books.

You might like this if you enjoy character-led plots or police procedurals.

In all honesty I'm unsure whether or not I actually 'liked' this book.

It's a real slow burner, to the point I found myself skim reading some paragraphs BUT not whole pages.

An awful lot of time is spent on describing and getting to know the characters and location, in my opinion maybe a little too long.

Despite to slow pace (I'm more of a jump straight in kinda girl) the storyline was well executed and the characters strong.

To be honest I haven't got a strong opinion on this one. It was an enjoyable enough read but not one I'd really recommend.

Huge thanks to netgalley and Penguin UK for the ARC.

What a joy! The book is basically a psychological thriller set in a rural village in Ireland not far from Dublin.

However, the book is more than that with terrific characters, the likeable Cal Hooper (ex Chicago police) renovating an old cottage, his young 'assistant' Trey, his neighbour Mart and Lena to give us a possible romantic connection.

The story has Cal trying not to get involved in local mysteries but Trey asks him to find one of her brothers.

With vivid descriptions of other parts of this rural life, the pub, poteen, sheep attacks, and inevitably the weather., Ms French creates lots of realistic atmosphere. I will even forgive her for the use of 'sidewalk' and 'sneakers' - words which would not usually be heard in that remote village.

I will have to admit that I have never read any of her work, but I may now have to add to Amazon's profits!

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin/Viking for the chance to read and review.

I enjoy reading a book set in Ireland, especially for the Irish expressions, and this one doesn't disappoint, much of it is in Irish dialect. Cal Hooper is a former Chicago cop who moves to a small Irish village, living in a "fixer upper". He fits in with the locals thanks to his neighbour Mart. Life is trundling along until Cal feels someone is watching him. When he finds local youngster, Trey, a whole new adventure begins. Secrets emerge that I wasn't expecting and the village is no longer the friendly rural backwater it appeared. Plenty of intrigue and by the end my head was spinning. I loved Trey and Cal as characters, but I felt I wanted to know more about his background, and his daughter's relationship with her partner. A great read. #thesearcher #netgalley

I chose to read The Searcher by Tana French as I have loved the Dublin Murder Book Series. I believe this series has finished now, but I live in hope that there will be more!

The Searcher did start out a little bit of a slow burner, which was fine, just not dramatic, but a couple of chapters in and it had me and I couldn’t wait to get back to my book.

The main character is Cal, a 48yr old retired cop from Chicago, who’s moved out to the sticks in Ireland to get away from the chaos of his old life. He’s here to do up an old house, fish, hunt and relax….

I liked Cal, he comes across as genuine, and creates good relationships. His police skills are well developed and come in very handy! I liked the way he genuinely cares, and tries to do the right thing, especially by people he comes to meet and like.

My favourite character was Trey, a 13 year old. She has been dealt a hard turn in life, and comes across as someone you want to take under your wing, she comes looking for help from Cal and the relationship that develops is heart warming and and I really enjoy the build of it. It makes the book special.

One aspect I loved about the book was the way the Irish Accent was written. You can hear the words in your head as you read the characters speech which is very well done. There is also a lot of Irish humour and banter filtering through which was brilliant.

One niggle was the name of the village it was set in, Ardnakelty, I just couldn’t get to pronouncing it properly in my head, it seemed a bit of an awkward choice, I have checked before posting this so as not to offend anyone, and it isn’t a real place! And this is coming from a Welsh girl, where there are many places that are difficult to pronounce to outsiders! I just think an easier name might have made the text flow better whenever it was mentioned (fairly often).

Cal comes to discover that this small town, idyllic and quiet, holds many secrets and that people are not always what they seem to be!
An excellent book, which I am now missing. I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Penguin in return for an honest review.

A departure from the Dublin Murder Squad books, French now has us walking in the shoes of a retired American cop living in a rural Irish village near the sea. Enjoyable read.

This was a slow burning character driven mystery which was beautifully written and compelling to read.
Like the Wych Elm, which I enjoyed last year, The Searcher is set in Ireland but differs in that it is set in a remote rural village. The author uses the literary device of a stranger arriving in town setting off a chain of important events and eventually revealing deeply hidden secrets.
Cal Hoper is a retired American cop who has decided to move to Ireland after a marriage breakdown and disillusionment with his job. He still has feelings for Donna, his ex wife and imagines conversations with her throughout the novel- it was almost as if he was bereaved and couldn’t let her go. He also has a grown up daughter whom he actually speaks to on the phone but she does not have a lot to say to him- he still thinks of her as a child although she has left home and has a responsible job. It seems that their relationship has somehow broken down, hence his decision to move to Ireland.
Cal is trying to make sense of all this when he meets Trey, a local teenager who is desperate to locate an adored missing older brother, Brendan. He hasn’t been seen for many months and Trey fears he has been kidnapped.
Trey comes from a poor single parent family and distrusts the local police. When Trey hears that Cal is a former Detective the “Kid” sets off to convince him to help “search “for him.
However Cal is living in a remote part of Ireland and his investigation has consequences when the locals realise what he is trying to do. Barriers go up and he is warned off the investigation but he continues trying to do the right thing for Trey. This book looks in detail at moral codes and how they are formed as Cal tries to explain his own morality to Trey..
However as the search progresses it becomes clear that morals have become very murky amongst some of the local residents as Cal and Trey stir up a lot if trouble.
The mystery and its outcome is built up very slowly and carefully with several major plot twists along the way.
The novel is so well written and the characters are so beautifully drawn that I felt myself sucked in from the beginning as the author gradually builds up the background . Cal’s relationship with Trey is wonderfully portrayed and reminded me of some great books of the past where there is a similar dynamic between adult and child. To Kill A Mockingbird springs to mind.
This was such a good read and despite its length I whizzed through it in a couple of days.
Definitely 5 stars from me and highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Tana French is one of my favourite crime writers, her writing is of such high quality that it becomes so easy to lose yourself in her novels. I loved the atmosphere she created in The Searcher, the lonely and harsh landscape of rural Ireland makes you realise just how remote living in a small village can be. Also, the main character being from America made him stand out from the rest of the locals, and the wall of silence he experienced definitely rings true if you have ever lived in a small town.

Retired detective Cal Hooper is from Chicago, in his late 40s burnt out from a failed marriage and has a tricky relationship with his ex and their only daughter. Cal has bought a house most would swerve to avoid. A doer-upper is putting it mildly. While renovating it we meet the usual local characters at the pub, the convenience store and other farmers in the area. Village life in other words, just as he is getting to know them - they are clearly assessing him too.
Cal reluctantly strikes up a relationship with Trey, a local teenager who is hellbent on drawing Cal into a village mystery. What happened to Trey's older brother? Did Brendan really walk out or was something sinister at play? As Cal starts to scratch the underbelly of the village he needs to draw on all of his skills from his former professional life.
Villagers will protect their way of life at all costs - as Cal finds out.
At the heart of the thriller is the relationship between Cal and Trey which is tender, innocent and a joy to follow. As I suspect many other reviewers will pick up on, this is a slow read. But stick with it, the dialogue is superb and the characters remind me of those I know from visits to the Emerald Isle every summer as a kid. The ending is unexpected, but understandable and has me pondering it ever since. Hats off Ms French to the perfect 2020 thriller.

The Searcher is a compelling stand alone mystery from Irish author Tana French, best known for her Dublin Murder Squad series.

Upon the end of his marriage and his retirement from a twenty-five career in the Chicago P.D., Cal Hooper decides to move to a rural village in the west of Ireland where he intends to do little else than to renovate his dilapidated farmhouse, fish from the stream, and walk the mountains. He finds the relaxed pace of his new life, enhanced by a regular craic with his neighbour, Mart, and the occasional drink in the local pub, suits him, though he misses his adult daughter. But Cal can’t quite shake the habits of a lifetime and when thirteen-year-old Trey Reddy begs for his help, he reluctantly agrees to look into the disappearance of the desperate kid’s older brother.

While it’s true that this is not a fast paced thriller, I was nevertheless drawn in, and held captive by the compelling characterisation, atmosphere and plot of The Searcher.

The first half of the book focuses largely on establishing and developing the characters that play an important role in the story. I liked Cal, a burnt-out ex-cop who doesn’t want, or need, much. He’s fine being on his own but not defensive about it, as shown by his willingness to indulge his garrulous neighbour, Mart. His patience with Trey, who is a smart, fierce kid from a poor family with a bad reputation, is admirable, and the relationship French develops between Cal and Trey is a true strength of the novel.

The community of Ardnakelty is a character in itself. I was impressed with French’s ability to effortlessly evoke the settings within her novel, from Noreen’s general store and Sean Og’s pub, to Cal’s isolated, ramshackle farmhouse surrounded by fields, and woods, and peat-bog mountains. There is a great deal lurking below the surface of this rural idyll, and its seemingly straightforward farming folk, with surprises that break through when least expected.

Trey’s brother, Brendan, has been missing for several months by the time Trey asks Cal for his help. No one else seems concerned by the absence of the nineteen-year-old, the assumption being he left voluntarily, either because he’d had enough of life at home, or perhaps to avoid some sort of trouble. Cal is instinctively wary of pushing too hard for information as his investigation begins, but in such an insular community his interest is immediately noted, and as Cal tugs at the threads that will unravel the mystery of Brendan’s fate, he draws trouble to his doorstep.

With its escalating tension, unexpected twists, and flashes of violence, I found the plot to be wholly satisfying, but it’s less the action, and more the complex and nuanced behaviours of the characters that are truly captivating. Unfolding in evocative prose with an Irish lilt, at a deliberate, absorbing pace The Searcher is a compulsive read.

This is a beautifully written thriller set in the atmospheric Irish countryside, where secrets stretch as far as the landscape. This is a tragic and blue novel, with appropriate pace that reaches a heartbreaking ending. Excellent work by Tana French, but that’s no surprise as she is an excellent writer

I was looking forward to reading this book. Sadly I just didn't warm to the story and found it rather slow and subsequently didn't finish it.

Cal moves to Ireland, a local kid asks him to search for 'his' missing brother. As he starts to dig things are not as simple as they seem. Great story, good characters, twists and turns. Would really recommend.