She is an excellent writer who spends a lot of time building up the characters and the setting (a little too much in my opinion) and that slows down the story substantially.

This is the first novel by Tana French that I read, and not having read the series of novels that make up the Dublin Murder Squad, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

When one is troubled by the hurdles of ones’ own personal life, you tend to seek relief in immersing yourself in work – whatever form it may take. There is a lot in Cal’s life which many readers will identify with and the release that he seeks in his quest to solve the mystery behind Brendan’s disappearance, also resonates. The point where the child grows up into a teeenager and then an adult, is a blurred line which most fathers fail to make sense of and alienate themselves from their daughters. The growing distance with his daughter, which he rues constantly, is a familiar thing. He’s from North Carolina and has spent 30 years in Chicago and the dogged pursuit of his career seems to have caused the disintegration of his marriage and distancing from his only child. French spends quite some time building Cal’s life in flashbacks. The local pub, Sean Og’s, is the epicenter of the local nightlife and also where a lot of questions that Cal has, can be answered, but on the contrary, it raises more questions. His neighbors are friendly and helpful, the landscape around him is soothing and the weather currently is pleasant too. He sets about repairing the house he’s purchased, which has been lying unoccupied for decades. Life in Ireland is slow and laid-back, especially away from the urban centers, and Cal is happy with the privacy and solitude he gets. His daughter, Alyssa, has grown up and his wife Donna is separated from him, so there’s nothing holding him back from moving to another country, for good. My Rating 4 out of 5 Plot Summary – The Searcherįrom the hustle and bustle of Chicago, Cal Hooper – after 25 years of service and then voluntary retirement from the Chicago Police Department, moves to the remote village of Ardnakelty, in Western Ireland – to spend his retirement years in quiet and solitude. *I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this review of The Searcher, as much as I have enjoyed writing this! There are more reviews from the links below, and more coming up soon!!*.

Book Review – The Searcher by Tana French – Slowbuilding Mystery.

The searcher by tana french