With no leads, no suspects, and no clue to Lexie's real identity, Cassie's old undercover boss, Frank Mackey, spots the opportunity of a lifetime. The dead girl's ID says her name is Lexie Madison - the identity Cassie used years ago as an undercover detective - and she looks exactly like Cassie. Then Sam calls her to the scene of his new case: a young woman found stabbed to death in a small town outside Dublin. She's transferred out of the murder squad and started a relationship with Detective Sam O'Neill, but she's too badly shaken to make a commitment to him or to her career.

I hope readers of this review will do so likewise.Six months after the events of In the Woods, Detective Cassie Maddox is still trying to recover. But the beauty hides deep held secrets that are better left unknown.įinishing up this tale, I have made catching up with Tana French a priority for the new year.

The scenery of Ireland is a character all to itself. She is sure Cal would benefit greatly from a puppy. It seems the locals are always on top of what Cal is doing, even before he knows himself.Īlong the way are the rumors of aliens mutilating sheep, the possibility of a gang setting up shop to deal in illegal drugs, a local woman wanting to play matchmaker for Cal and another woman looking for homes for a litter of puppies recently born. In between we see how the people of the town interact and how efficient the local grapevine is. He gets several low key warnings to abandon the search and Cal is torn between wanting to be accepted and wanting to help out a new friend. Cal has no interest in knocking on his new neighbors' doors asking impolite questions but eventually he caves. Trey's brother, Brendan, has gone missing for months now and Trey would like Cal to use his police skills to find him. And then comes the kid who takes an interest in him but with a hidden agenda. With no more of a desire than to enjoy the quiet and fish for his dinner, he busies himself with restoring the small house. Anyone who is unfamiliar with the work of Tana French should definitely seek out her latest novel, a standalone called “The Searcher.” Taking a break from her Dublin series, she gives us a quiet but intense tale of starting over in rural Ireland.Ĭal Hooper, lately retired from the Chicago police force, has found a quaint but very rundown cottage in rural Western Ireland.

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