review copy from Random House Canada
The most unique mystery series - The Dublin Murder Squad. Each book 'stars' a different detective, usually someone who had a minor role in the previous book. Such a brilliant idea. (I will spend the next several weeks thinking in Irish, jaysus)
Plot. Characters. Writing. A strong element of any of these is all a reader really needs but Tana French delivers on all three. A lovely twisty plot that makes you think you are sure where it is going, but then changes direction. Characters so vivid, whether you want to like them or not. Gorgeous writing.
Antoinette Conway and Steve Moran are the two young pups on the Murder Squad. Each have something to prove and want to belong, but Conway, as the only woman, is in tough trying to fit in. (I vaguely remember Moran from the last book, The Secret Place. My only complaint about the French books is the time between them! I don't remember the last detectives like I wish I could.)
After a night shift, Conway and Moran get assigned a murder of a woman found in her home, dead. To complicate matters, a more experienced Detective Breslin gets assigned to 'help' them out.
A main theme throughout the book is how ideas in your head, the stories you tell yourself, affect how you see the world around you. Your own paranoia determines how you interact, whether true or not. This is happening to all the detectives, the victim, and the suspects. So, a few red herrings to keep the story going and cause bad decisions.
Each book in this series is getting better and tighter. The first few books had some ramblings, but each new entry is better than the last. The politics of the office, the interactions between the detectives, and the effects this has on the investigation add a whole new level to the mystery.
This was a really good read! (and I can't wait, already, for the next book)
