Also among my favourite crime novels this year was The Hunter by Tana French , a sequel to her book The Searcher (which it’s probably best to read first). The main protagonist, Cal Hooper, is a retired Chicago police detective who ends up living in the Irish countryside. Like The Searcher , The Hunter is an extremely slow-burn mystery, as much about the relationships between various characters in a small Irish village as it is about the crime that gets committed. I’ve read a couple of psychological thrillers this year with strong female main characters which I really enjoyed. First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston was first recommended to me as an audiobook by Michele Cobb of AudioFile magazine. It’s a lot of fun, with the main character making her way in the world by pretending to be various made-up characters. You’re wishing her well all the way, in awe at her bravado as she carries out criminal activities.
"Also among my favourite crime novels this year was The Hunter by Tana French , a sequel to her book The Searcher (which it’s probably best to read first). The main protagonist, Cal Hooper, is a retired Chicago police detective who ends up living in the Irish countryside. Like The Searcher , The Hunter is an extremely slow-burn mystery, as much about the relationships between various characters in a small Irish village as it is about the crime that gets committed. I’ve read a couple of psychological thrillers this year with strong female main characters which I really enjoyed. First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston was first recommended to me as an audiobook by Michele Cobb of AudioFile magazine. It’s a lot of fun, with the main character making her way in the world by pretending to be various made-up characters. You’re wishing her well all the way, in awe at her bravado as she carries out criminal activities."
"Set in the hills of Western Ireland, this novel picks up the story of characters introduced in 2020’s The Searcher – retired American detective Cal Hooper and Trey, a teen girl he’s taken under his wing. As Tana French revisits the seemingly bucolic landscape where trouble roils just under the surface, her writing continues to shift from mystery to meditation. While there’s still a knot of questions about crimes – including both fraud and murder – to be untangled, this novel is ultimately about belonging. It’s about the ways in which families do, and don’t, owe each other debts – and the communities we resist, alienate, or become a welcome part of. Morally shaded and complex, it will leave you thinking about who’s right, and what’s wrong, long after you turn the last page."
