The Searcher by Tana French

Tana French was born in Vermont and raised around the world.  She attended Trinity College and resides in Dublin with her family.  Her novels are generally mystery novels populated with the Irish garda (police).  This is the first book she has written with an American as the main character – a retired Chicago cop, Cal.

Cal is escaping to a small community in Ireland that looked nice on the internet.  A fixer upper, fishing, and a pub were all he was looking for.  It is interesting to see how someone who was a cop for so long interacts with people, a community and a culture that is new to him.  He is much more guarded than some of us might be.   Given his encounters, this was probably the correct approach.

As Cal peels away the layers of the village in his quest (which shall remain a mystery), he also peels away the layers of his “code.”  What does he believe is right or wrong?  How will he determine who he is in this next phase of his life -- and is this village in Ireland where he will spend it?

Given our current environment, it was nice to “travel” to another country and get wrapped up in an engrossing story.  I would recommend this book and encourage you to check out other Tana French books.

Eileen Glovsky