Broken Harbor

Broken Harbor by Tana French
Published 2012

About the Book:

The mesmerizing fourth novel of the Dublin murder squad by New York Times bestselling author Tana French

Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy, the brash cop from Tana French’s bestselling Faithful Place, plays by the book and plays hard. That’s what’s made him the Murder squad’s top detective—and that’s what puts the biggest case of the year into his hands.

On one of the half-built, half-abandoned "luxury" developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children are dead. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care.

At first, Scorcher and his rookie partner, Richie, think it’s going to be an easy solve. But too many small things can’t be explained. The half dozen baby monitors, their cameras pointing at holes smashed in the Spains’ walls. The files erased from the Spains’ computer. The story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder who was slipping past all the locks.

And Broken Harbor holds memories for Scorcher. Seeing the case on the news sends his sister Dina off the rails again, and she’s resurrecting something that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control: what happened to their family one summer at Broken Harbor, back when they were children.

With her signature blend of police procedural and psychological thriller, French’s new novel goes full throttle with a heinous crime, creating her most complicated detective character and her best book yet. 

My Thoughts:

Another 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads for me!  Love love love Tana French!  This one really kept me guessing for a long time on who the killer was.  As the About the Book states near the end, Scorcher was definitely one of her most complicated characters for the detectives so far.  I went in really unsure what I thought about him, but was really intrigued by him as the book went on.  This one might be one the darkest and most disturbing yet as well of her books, but I like that sort of thing.  I think I was more spooked when reading it late at night than her others too.  What I really love about her books is how they are a psychological/murder mystery genre but also they are really deep, complex character studies.  I highly recommend all of them!

Faithful Place

Faithful Place by Tana French
Published July 13, 2010

About the Book:

The hotly anticipated third novel of the Dublin murder squad from the New York Times bestselling author 

Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was nineteen, growing up poor in Dublin's inner city, and living crammed into a small flat with his family on Faithful Place. But he had his sights set on a lot more. He and Rosie Daly were all ready to run away to London together, get married, get good jobs, break away from factory work and poverty and their old lives.

But on the winter night when they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn't show. Frank took it for granted that she'd dumped him-probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again.

Neither did Rosie. Everyone thought she had gone to England on her own and was over there living a shiny new life. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie's suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank is going home whether he likes it or not.

Getting sucked in is a lot easier than getting out again. Frank finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind. The cops working the case want him out of the way, in case loyalty to his family and community makes him a liability. Faithful Place wants him out because he's a detective now, and the Place has never liked cops. Frank just wants to find out what happened to Rosie Daly-and he's willing to do whatever it takes, to himself or anyone else, to get the job done.

My Thoughts:

5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads!  This was an another amazing book from French, who is shaping up to be a favorite for me.  I wasn't as excited going into this one as the others because I wasn't sure I liked Frank from the previous book, and I wasn't sure I cared to hear his story.  I was wrong!  I ended up liking him much more when delving more into his character and what shaped him into the person he is.

**My next several reviews are going to be short and sweet, so I can get caught up.  I am really behind on getting reviews up because of school and behind on my reading too honestly.  I have read several books, but it's taking a good week at times to get through them...so not the norm for me when not in school.

The Likeness

The Likeness by Tana French
Published May 26, 2009

About the Book:

The haunting follow up to the Edgar Award-winning debut In the Woods

Tana French astonished critics and readers alike with her mesmerizing debut novel, In the Woods. Now both French and Detective Cassie Maddox return to unravel a case even more sinister and enigmatic than the first. Six months after the events of In the Woods, an urgent telephone call beckons Cassie to a grisly crime scene. The victim looks exactly like Cassie and carries ID identifying herself as Alexandra Madison, an alias Cassie once used. Suddenly, Cassie must discover not only who killed this girl, but, more importantly, who is this girl? A disturbing tale of shifting identities, The Likeness firmly establishes Tana French as an important voice in suspense fiction. And look for French's other mysteries In the Woods, Faithful Place, Broken Harbor, and The Secret Place for more of the Dublin Murder Squad.

Tana French's newest novel, The Secret Place, will be published by Viking on September 2nd, 2014.

My Thoughts:

I am so glad that someone suggested Tana French to me.  In the Woods was amazing, and then The Likeness was even better.  The premise of the book is pretty unbelievable, but French works some magic here to make it seem totally plausible.  I think what I love most about her books are her damaged, complicated characters.  Man, she writes them well, and her characters are developed so well that you feel as if you know them.  Her stories are unnerving and disturbing but so good.  The way she pens a psychological thriller could have me reading nothing other than books in this genre if all were like hers.  They are so incredibly well-written.  I don't want to give anything away about this one, so I will leave it at that.  I HIGHLY recommend French's books, and I suggest starting with In the Woods and working your way through them in order as I am doing.  Though they can be read as standalone books, they are a series and each main character has a role in the book prior to theirs.  You get pieces of them that are important to their story from the previous book.

In the Woods

In the Woods by Tana French
Published May 17, 2007

About the Book:

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox—his partner and closest friend—find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

Richly atmospheric, stunning in its complexity, and utterly convincing and surprising to the end, In the Woods is sure to enthrall fans of Mystic River and The Lovely Bones. And look for French's new mystery, Broken Harbor, for more of the Dublin Murder Squad.

My Thoughts:

What an incredible ride this book was!  It's psychological thriller/murder mystery written more like a work of literary fiction.  It has incredibly complex and fascinating characters; I would happily read a dozen more books about Rob and Cassie, back to back.  Rob may be one of the most interesting characters I've read ever read about really.  The book is incredibly well-written, almost poetic at times, which I know you either love or hate usually; I personally like it.  It is dark, disturbing at times, complex, heartbreaking (not something expected really from the genre), and just so utterly fascinating and readable.  You find yourself caring far more about the characters than usual for this genre too.  This book will be enjoyed by those who love Gillian Flynn's books, which I am huge fan of.  If you don't like dark and disturbing and complex, this isn't a book for you.  If you, rush to find it and read it!  I just checked two other Tana French books out from my library and can't wait to read them too.

I'd Know You Anywhere

I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
Published January 1, 2010

About the Book:

Eliza Benedict cherishes her peaceful, ordinary suburban life with her successful husband and children, thirteen-year-old Iso and eight-year-old Albie. But her tranquility is shattered when she receives a letter from the last person she ever expects—or wants—to hear from: Walter Bowman. 
"There was your photo, in a magazine. Of course, you are older now. Still, I'd know you anywhere."

In the summer of 1985, when she was fifteen, Eliza was kidnapped by Walter and held hostage for almost six weeks. He had killed at least one girl and Eliza always suspected he had other victims as well. Now on death row in Virginia for the rape and murder of his final victim, Walter seems to be making a heartfelt act of contrition as his execution nears. 

Though Eliza wants nothing to do with him, she's never forgotten that Walter was most unpredictable when ignored. Desperate to shelter her children from this undisclosed trauma in her past, she cautiously makes contact with Walter. She's always wondered why Walter let her live, and perhaps now he'll tell her—and share the truth about his other victims.

Yet as Walter presses her for more and deeper contact, it becomes clear that he is after something greater than forgiveness. He wants Eliza to remember what really happened that long-ago summer. He wants her to save his life. And Eliza, who has worked hard for her comfortable, cocooned life, will do anything to protect it—-even if it means finally facing the events of that horrifying summer and the terrible truth she's kept buried inside.

My Thoughts:

For a book that was a pretty great read up until then, this had the most unsatisfying ending of about any book I've ever read.  The book really builds up that there is some huge secret to be revealed, but it never materializes.  The main character, Eliza, is also just really weak and apathetic.  She doesn't seem capable of having an opinion or taking action without someone else telling her what to think or do.  With a better main character and an actual shocker of an ending to fulfill the promise of the story up to that point, it could have been a really great book.  The majority of the book is interesting enough to hold interest, even without a main character that you want to root for, but the book just doesn't deliver on its promise at all.  The other characters are interesting and complex thankfully, so Eliza is the only dud.  I have read and really liked other Lippman books in the past, so don't let my review of this particular one sway you from reading her other books. 

Keep Quiet

Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline
Published April 8, 2014

About the Book:

New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award winning author Lisa Scottoline is loved by millions of readers for her suspenseful novels about family and justice. Scottoline delivers once again with Keep Quiet, an emotionally gripping and complex story about one man’s split-second decision to protect his son - and the devastating consequences that follow. Jake Buckman’s relationship with his sixteen-year-old son Ryan is not an easy one, so at the urging of his loving wife, Pam, Jake goes alone to pick up Ryan at their suburban movie theater. On the way home, Ryan asks to drive on a deserted road, and Jake sees it as a chance to make a connection. However, what starts as a father-son bonding opportunity instantly turns into a nightmare. Tragedy strikes, and with Ryan’s entire future hanging in the balance, Jake is forced to make a split-second decision that plunges them both into a world of guilt and lies. Without ever meaning to, Jake and Ryan find themselves living under the crushing weight of their secret, which threatens to tear their family to shreds and ruin them all. Powerful and dramatic, Keep Quiet will have readers and book clubs debating what it means to be a parent and how far you can, and should, go to protect those you love.

My Thoughts:

I've loved every book I've read of Scottoline's, and I recently got her cute newsletter in the mail.  She is an author who I love following online, and liking her as a person makes her books even better.  Her latest book was no exception for me. 

Wow!  This book was D-R-A-M-A, but I LOVED it!  I was furiously reading because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.  As the description of the book states, gripping and complex describes this one perfectly.  While some of it was hard to read because the choices made by the main characters were so wrong, as a parent I can't help but wonder how far would I go to protect my own daughters.  Until thrust into a situation, we really can't honestly say how we would handle something.  We all think we would do what is right, but when it involves our children, what is right can become blurred.  Scottoline writes family drama well, and the way she approaches moral questions in her books reminds me of Jodi Piccoult, another favorite author of mine.  While her earlier books were more pure legal thrillers, her more recent books have evolved to still have that legal element but be so much more than that.  For those who like audio books, I've read great reviews of the audio version for this one.  Actor Ron Livingston is who narrates it, and he's supposed to be fabulous.