Broken Harbor
Ratings92
Average rating4
These Dublin Murders Squad mysteries are about the psychology of the detective solving them, more so than the actual mystery.
So far, my appreciation of the story has depended on how likable and compelling French has made each of her narrator/detectives.
I liked Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy just fine. Or at least I understood him a bit. The drive, the no-nonsense attitude that says doing well is more important than feelings, the priority of practicality over empathy, the belief that yes, you can do everything right and it will pay off if you stick to it.
Where this book lost me a little was mystery itself. I didn't believe in Jenny Spain's madness. There were so many different threads and possibilities happening that this very crucial aspect was underdeveloped . I understand a mystery has to go down a bunch of false avenues to make it challenging and compelling but I think when the solution is presented, it should feel right not like a twist for the sake of itself.
I do think Scorcher's character arc related well to the overall issues of the family. The emphasis on “keeping up appearances” as opposed to reaching out to other people was something he shared with the victims.
I'm not disappointed with the novel overall. Since it is mainly about Scorcher, I enjoyed the inner journey he went on in the course of solving the case. French is a wonderful writer and I'm still overall a fan of the series.
I generally love Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad books. This story definitely pulled me in, but ended up being too detailed and sluggish with an underwhelming ending to make it a favorite. I will continue with the rest of the series, though.
Unfortunately the ending is not nearly enticing as the journey to get there. I was hooked until the last 50 pages where you start figuring out the case. And while it was twisty, I feel like the way the case ended was the least exciting and believable out of the possibilities throughout the story. It was just so bland. This was a five star read for me until the end. I think Tana French is a talented writer so I'll give her another shot eventually.
While I wouldn't say “Harbor” was a couldn't-put-it-down novel, it was pretty darn good. Detective Michael Kennedy is called down to investigate a quadruple homicide in a remote city by the Irish Sea that used to be known as Broken Harbor. When one of the victims is found to still be breathing, Kennedy assumes she'll be able to tell the cops who attacked her, her husband and her two young children. But lies and family secrets (not to mention a secret stalker and gossipy neighbors) have muddied the truth so deeply that Kennedy feels not only the case spiraling out of control, but his own mental health at being back at the site of his own family tragedy. A very good book, I'd recommend it if you like detective novels.
Whereas in other Tana French books, I felt like I was experiencing the story as it unfolded, in her fourth book, I felt like I was being read the police report by the main character, and being subject to his musings, interjections and personal commentary along the way. Despite the insights, it was rather dry. As others have pointed out, it also requires a suspension of disbelief.
Time to move on to book five in the series: [b:The Secret Place 20821043 The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #5) Tana French https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1396671263s/20821043.jpg 21598636].
I am still thinking about it. So this might jump to 4 stars. I will say I was having such a hard time putting it down until the reveal, and it was still good after that but not unputdownable. Just not sure if it's 4 stars yet. This is my first of the Dublin Murder Squad books and I am glad I started the series.
Another excellent book by French. I think she just gets better with every mystery. The audio was especially compelling - it's nice to hear the accents.