Faithful Place

Faithful Place by Tana French
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Frank Mackey who was introduced in The Likeness as Cassie's undercover handler is now the protagonist and he is drawn into a mystery a little closer to home. Literally. He hasn't been to his childhood home since he left at 19 and it soon becomes apparent why. There is very little to find likeable in this clan of overly-emotional, alcohol-driven, violent, and angry characters. Frank is only slightly better and a little unbearable simply because he thinks he is better than them. The mystery spools out slowly and satisfyingly (if sadly) and Frank actually grows a bit. Once again, I am amazed at French's ability to allow the voice of the protagonist to be unique from her other characters--she completely inhabits a character, even if they aren't the most palatable. The exploration of class and community in the Irish culture is also explored. Dialogue was beautifully done.

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The Dry

 

The Dry by Jane Harper
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Aaron Falk returns to his childhood home when his old friend seemingly commits suicide after killing his family. Aaron is a financial detective but even he can see that there is more to the story after he starts looking into it. There are old mysteries to unravel and old relationships to navigate and the landscape plays a part as not only setting but perhaps part of the motivation, an accomplice in more than one way. The plot flashes back and forth from stories from his youth, to the unfolding drama but perhaps because I was also reading Tana French, I found the psychological inner workings shallow and so I wanted more understanding of the motivations of many of the characters.

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The Likeness

 

The Likeness by Tana French
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of the more unlikely set ups: the murder victim is a dead ringer for a detective who used to be undercover. So she is persuaded to go undercover and resume the victim's life to suss out the guilty party. The detective in question is Cassie, the partner of Rob Ryan from the first book (Ryan doesn't make a personal appearance). Like the first book of this series, what goes on in the protagonist's mind is at least as interesting as the mystery. What was refreshing was that Cassie had her own voice (as opposed to a female version of Ryan). Instead of being thoroughly detailed like Ryan, Cassie is a woman of action. She doesn't stew in introspection, but acts with plenty of justification but not too much stewing. She's desperate to prove herself and to regain a sense of self after the last case but becoming someone else makes her question where she begins and the character of Lexie ends. Once again French focuses on the special relationships that can develop in your youth--and its ultimate demise.

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