Rate this book

The Secret Place (2014)

by Tana French(Favorite Author)

3.4 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0670026328 (ISBN13: 9780670026326)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

Viking Adult

series

Dublin Murder Squad

review 1: I'm not sure what I'm going to do now that I've finished Tana French's most recent addition to the Dublin Murder Squad series. I continue to love her books and I particularly enjoyed how she brought back two different characters this time around and interwove their stories. The Secret Place splits its focus between Frank Mackey's young girl, Holly, who has now grown into a young woman and Detective Stephen Moran (from Faithful Place) who is compelled to reopen a murder case gone cold when Holly presents him with a newly discovered, opaque clue. I enjoyed how French moved back and forth seamlessly between the present (Det. Moran and his prickly, untrusting partner Det. Conway investigating the scene at St. Kilda's School for Girls and interviewing the teenage suspects) and ... morethe past (Holly and her friends working through the highs and lows of their young lives while the days until Chris Harper is killed drop off the calendar). The set-up was a new take on how French usually unravels her mysteries and I loved it. The two stories were equally compelling and she did a great job of writing in a teenage voice without coming off as condescending or disingenuous. I also enjoyed the reappearance of Det. Frank Mackey - his protective dad masquerading as a hard-boiled detective added a new dimension to the character French presented in Faithful Place. I can't wait to read what she cooks up next.
review 2: If I didn't guess who the murderer was right away in all of the Tana French books I'd give them 5 stars! This latest installment of the Dublin Murder Squad series has Stephen Moran (who appeared briefly in Faithful Place) trying to get help from Frank Mackey's daughter Holly in solving a murder in her boarding school. There's much more to it than that but this is a bit different from previous books. The flashback method works really well here and I loved it. less

Download links for: The Secret Place

Advertising