The Hunter is a new crime fiction novel by Tana French that returns to the small Irish village of Ardnakelty to continue the story of retired police detective Cal Hooper. Picking up two years after The Searcher left off, the novel begins with a moment of peace. Cal and the now 15-year-old Trey run a small carpentry business fixing up old furniture, the locals have fully accepted Cal as one of their own, and most nights find him and Lena cooking dinner together or sipping tea on his front porch. Despite the record-breaking heat of the summer season, everything is just as it should be. Unfortunately, the peace wasn’t meant to last. Out of the blue, Trey’s long-absent father shows up after running off to London years earlier. Johnny Reddy is your classic snake oil salesman, full of insubstantial charm and broken promises, and he’s returned to his hometown not for his family, but for an opportunity. He’s brought along a friend, a wealthy Englishman who claims that there’s gold hidden underneath the Ardnakelty land, and together, they try and recruit the local farmers into their scheme. Frazzled from the heat and the fear of impending crop failure, the farmers are more receptive than usual, but Cal isn’t buying it; he’s determined to protect Trey from whatever Johnny is planning. However, Trey is older now, and revenge—against this town, against a good-for-nothing father, against the unjustness of growing up on the outskirts—might be too tempting to pass up… even if it means risking everything.

I absolutely loved this novel. If you caught last week’s post, you’ll know The Searcher was my recent first foray into Tana French, and upon finishing I knew I had to get a copy of The Hunter as soon as possible. French’s writing is lyrical, urgent, and transportive, and she crafts characters with such warmth and depth that I couldn’t wait to jump back into the world of Ardnakelty. Like its predecessor, The Hunter brims with realistic dialogue and takes the reader on an unexpected, winding path towards the truth. However, the novel offers a change of pace with its narration; whereas The Searcher focuses solely on Cal’s perspective, The Hunter dives into the minds of Cal, Trey, and Lena, offering three distinct viewpoints. Rotating between the three voices made the novel fly by, and I particularly loved the richness of Trey’s experience—French captures the angst and budding morality of youth in a way that made me ache for the misunderstood teen. With The Hunter, French proves once again that a detective novel can be so much more than a simple mystery; she brings insight, heart, and suspense to the page in a beautiful way, and I can’t wait to read more.

I’d recommend this book to…

• Anyone looking for a story about ethics and community in a stunning Irish setting… it’s similar in theme to Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
• Anyone interested in a powerful, honest, slightly sobering read… it’s similar in tone to The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
• Anyone who loves a propulsive mystery with a reluctant detective at its head… it’s similar in style to Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear