In The Woods
I should read more mysteries. I was very resistant to the idea of mysteries a few years ago, but I think that's because my experience with the genre began and ended with Dan Brown. As lauded as he is (or was), he doesn't write very good mysteries. I always figured out the answer before the characters, and then felt like the characters were stupid for not seeing the answer. But it turns out that there's a lot of really good mysteries out there that do keep me guessing until the end.
The latest of these is Tana French's In the Woods, which kicks off the Dublin Murder Squad series. Although I get the impression that each novel in the series centers on a different protagonist, making the location rather than the detective the connective tissue. It's an idea that intrigues me, and I liked the first one enough to track down then next, if only to read more of French's writing.
She crafts a great mystery here, that delves into psychological thriller territory. The main detective begins to suffer from a subtle but unmistakable mental breakdown and starts to doubt his own memories when he's confronted with a seemingly unsolvable case that's being masterminded by a sociopath.
The main character is actually a little off-putting. But his partner is fantastic, and I was completely enthralled by the mystery. Actually there are two mysteries, that may or may not be connected, and that possible connection is what leads to the main character's utter destruction. It's fascinating to watch him make every wrong decision, and the schadenfreude was part of why I liked this book so much.
I'm looking forward to picking up more of French's work. And I'm especially glad that's it not a traditional series, meaning that I can stretch it out without worrying about forgetting pertinent details.
The latest of these is Tana French's In the Woods, which kicks off the Dublin Murder Squad series. Although I get the impression that each novel in the series centers on a different protagonist, making the location rather than the detective the connective tissue. It's an idea that intrigues me, and I liked the first one enough to track down then next, if only to read more of French's writing.
She crafts a great mystery here, that delves into psychological thriller territory. The main detective begins to suffer from a subtle but unmistakable mental breakdown and starts to doubt his own memories when he's confronted with a seemingly unsolvable case that's being masterminded by a sociopath.
The main character is actually a little off-putting. But his partner is fantastic, and I was completely enthralled by the mystery. Actually there are two mysteries, that may or may not be connected, and that possible connection is what leads to the main character's utter destruction. It's fascinating to watch him make every wrong decision, and the schadenfreude was part of why I liked this book so much.
I'm looking forward to picking up more of French's work. And I'm especially glad that's it not a traditional series, meaning that I can stretch it out without worrying about forgetting pertinent details.
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