02/05/2024

Edgar winner French’s slow-burn sequel to 2015’s The Searcher underlines her knack for setting and character development. Teenager Trey Reddy is less than pleased by her ne’er-do-well father Johnny’s unexpected return to the small Irish village of Ardnakelty to execute a get-rich-quick scheme he believes will finally enable him to provide for his family. On a recent visit to a London pub, Johnny claims to have spoken up when a stranger asked whether anyone present was from Ardnakelty; the man, Cillian Rushborough, then revealed to him that the village was home to a hidden trove of gold. Johnny’s account is met with skepticism from Cal Hooper, the ex-Chicago cop who retired to the village and became a surrogate father to Trey after the events of The Searcher. Cal’s suspicion proves warranted, and Rushborough’s subsequent arrival in Ardnakelty sets in motion a series of crimes, including a murder, that upend Cal’s and Trey’s once peaceful existence. While this isn’t quite up to French’s best—the gears of the plot take too long to start turning—it’s a pleasure to spend time with her finely drawn characters, and the murder investigation, when it finally gets underway, has impressive scope. This may be a step down from its predecessor, but it’s still a cut above similar fare. Agent: Darley Anderson, Darley Anderson Literary. (Mar.)

An Instant New York Times Bestseller

“Hailed as the queen of Irish crime fiction, French spins a taut tale of retribution, sacrifice, and family.” —TIME

“A singularly tense and moody thriller . . . Exceptional . . . By now, any reader who still thinks French should follow the rules doesn't deserve her remarkable novels.” —The Washington Post

“The secretive village is a trope as old as mysteries—as old as humanity itself. But French does more than show the banal evil behind a smiling face. She makes it particular as a kicked dog's limp and dying embers in a steel barrel—and reminds us that we underestimate such places at our peril.” —The New York Times

“French specializes in books full of psychological acuity, bone-deep empathy and authentic colloquial speech. All of these aspects are on full display in The Hunter, a roughhewn comedy that before long becomes a tale of rough justice.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Beautifully written . . . an absorbing, immersive read.” —The Guardian

“As ever, French writes like a dream, evoking the natural beauty and peril of the mountain rising between Cal and Trey’s houses, and consistently reminding readers how deft she is at dialogue.” —Boston Globe

“A book by a modern master . . . inimitable and thrilling.” —Chicago Tribune

“A dark and lyrical tale of revenge, friendship, and loyalty in collision... [A]s usual, in a Tana French novel, the characters are well-drawn, the dialogue is superb, the settings are vivid.” —Associated Press

“Tana French is one of those crime writers who gets it right every time, and her new novel doesn't miss.” —Cosmopolitan

“Tana French is a master of novels filled with creeping unease, slow-rolling tension and great atmosphere.” —New York Post

“May be French’s best novel yet. . . . The Hunter delivers a taut, intelligent examination of loyalty, instinct, and community. French masterfully excavates the secrets we keep for love or revenge and explores the lengths we go to protect our family, be it blood or chosen.” —CrimeReads

“Tana French's immersive, thought-provoking The Hunter revels in the quiet moments, but knows true peace is elusive.” —BookPage

“Wonderfully evocative, entertaining, and propulsive all the way through.” —Lit Hub

“The gorgeous writing here is classic French, even as she leads her fans through a decidedly different sort of detective story.” —Elle

“[An] unforgettable new thriller.” —Esquire

“As with all of French's books, something is awry—and the fun is in the unraveling.” —Vogue

“Tana French stretches the tension—and the mystery genre—like taffy in her return to the ethically murky Irish village of Ardnakelty.” —The Christian Science Monitor

“The quirky characters, subtle snark, and propulsive plot make this an excellent contender for your spring break beach bag.” —Real Simple


Praise for The Searcher

"The west of Ireland looked good to Cal Hooper on the internet. But now that he’s living there, the rugged beauty of the region overwhelms him, as it will anyone reading Tana French’s The Searcher, an audacious departure for this immensely talented author… Not to be missed." —Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“Tana French is… like a poet. She writes beautifully…If you haven’t read her yet, I really highly recommend that you do.” —Harlan Coben

“Taut, chiseled and propulsive." —Vogue

01/19/2024

The talented French returns to the quaint-on-the-surface Irish village of Ardnakelty and the protagonists of The Searcher in this lively, character-driven, occasionally treacherous story. After two years in Ardnakelty, former Chicago cop Cal Hooper is finally feeling accepted by his neighbors, and he has built a found family with his widowed girlfriend Lena and teenager Theresa "Trey" Reddy. The fragile family unit is threatened when Trey's wayward father, gone for many years, returns to Ardnakelty. Johnny Reddy was always trouble, and nobody—but especially not Trey or her mother—is happy to see him again. But Johnny has a get-rich scheme for the locals, and his silver-tongued pitch to them begins to take hold. Cal is wary, but he keeps close to the action for reasons of his own. When a wealthy British businessman follows Johnny from London, a plan to find gold in the Ardnakelty hills begins. But a murder mars the scheme and sets everyone in the village, Cal included, against one another. VERDICT With quicksilver dialogue and deep characterizations, French portrays the Ardnakelty villagers' "gift of gab" and the roiling emotions beneath the banter splendidly. A few plot points strain credulity, but it's a treat for French's many fans and for readers who prefer realistic Irish characters and settings.—Liz French

Not every listener has felt that Tana French's stand-alone novels have lived up to the pleasures of her psychologically shrewd Dublin Murder Squad series, but THE HUNTER marks a return to form, at least in Roger Clark's thrilling audio performance. Here Cal Hooper, an American emigré like French herself, has moved to a ferociously insular Irish village. He's a retired Chicago police detective in a town that makes its own law. He's settled in, fallen in love, and become the mentor and protector of a valuable but not always valued teenager named Trey. Clark's Irish dialogue is so rich and musical it's addictive, but his American voice for Cooper is flawless as well, and his pacing, attention, and sympathy do splendid justice to this riveting story. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

2023-12-06
A divorced American detective tries to blend into rural Ireland in this sequel to The Searcher (2020).

In fictional Ardnakelty, on Ireland’s west coast, lives retired American cop Cal Hooper, who busies himself repairing furniture with 15-year-old Theresa “Trey” Reddy and fervently wishes to be boring. Then into town pops Trey’s long-gone, good-for-nothing dad, Johnny, all smiles and charm. Much to her distaste, he says he wants to reclaim his fatherly role. In fact, he’s on the run from a criminal for a debt he can’t repay, and he has a cockamamie scheme to persuade local townsfolk that there might be gold in the nearby mountain with a vein that might run through some of their properties. (What, no leprechauns?) “It’s not sheep shite you’ll be smelling in a few months’ time, man,” he tells a farmer. “It’s champagne and caviar.” Some people have fun fantasizing about sudden riches, but they know better. Johnny’s pursuer, Cillian Rushborough, comes to town, and Johnny tries to convince him he could get rich by purchasing people’s land. Alas, someone bashes Rushborough’s brains in, and now there’s a murder mystery. The plot is a bit of a stretch, but the characters and their relationships work well. Trey detests Johnny for not being in her life, and now that he’s back, she neither wants nor needs him. She gets on much better with Cal. Still, she’s a testy teenager when she thinks someone is not treating her like an adult. Cal is aware of this, and he’s careful how he talks to her. Johnny, not so much: “I swear to fuck, women are only put on this earth to wreck our fuckin’ heads,” he whines about Trey’s mother, briefly forgetting he’s talking to Trey. The book abounds in local color and lively dialogue.

An absorbing crime yarn.