This book is slow moving but worth it in the end. The ending left me unsettled. What is justice? Did Cal abandon his moral code or embrace a new definition of morality? Don't the poor an underprivileged deserve justic? ( )

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Roger Clark. He's a new narrator to me but he did a good job of the various accents required.

Cal Hooper is a retired American cop who has bought a house in the west of Ireland. He seems to have left most of his life back in the States, a situation brought on by a mistaken shooting by his partner. He plans to fix up the house and get some fishing in and knock back a few pints at the local pub. He starts noticing someone hiding in his shrubbery as he works outside He finally coaxes the watcher into coming to help him repair dresser he's working on. Trey Reddy is thirteen years old and it turns out there is an ulterior motive in getting to know Cal. Trey's older brother, Brandan, disappeared some time ago and Trey wants to know what happened to him. The local police have washed their hands of the disappearance, mostly because the Reddy family is one of the poorest in the neighbourhood. Trey's father disappeared some years before, leaving the mother to care for the children as best she can. The police figure Brendan has lit off for the bright lights and eventually he'll come back or at least get in touch. But Trey knows that Brendan wouldn't leave without saying goodbye and wants Cal to look into it. Reluctantly. Cal agrees but says that Trey has to earn his work by helping out on the renovation. What Cal doesn't know but the rest of the neighbourhood does is that Trey is female; when he is finally told by his neighbour, he quickly bans Trey from the house. But he doesn't stop investigating Brendan's disappearance and he's starting to worry some bad guys who may have had a hand in Brendan's disappearance. There is rather a lot of violence hidden in this bucolic spot; Cal's not worried for himself but when Trey turns up on his doorstep badly battered he sees red. He's determined to protect Trey and solve the mystery but what he discovers isn't good news although it is a closure of sorts.

I understand there's a sequel to this book which I will probably read although I'm not a whole-hearted fan of Cal Hooper. ( )

The Searcher, her latest novel, is a big disappointment. Her Murder Squad books (well, the three I have read so far) and The Wych Elm, all demonstrate how well French knows Dublin, its people, its prejudices, and the recent history of corruption cases. The Searcher is set in rural Ireland and I am afraid she did not show the same level of understanding of the country communities as she did of Dublin and its people. ( )

Another strong showing from French. As with many of her other works, it’s a bit slow to start and never break neck and peace, but it’s settled into a nice rhythm. I really enjoyed these characters and would love to see more now that we know them. ( )

Our main character is Cal Hooper originally from North Carolina but has spent the last 30 years in Chicago with the Chicago Police. At this time in his life, he's searching for something much different. He says he wants “A small place...a small town...in a small country”. He sells his house, collects his retirement, says good-bye to his friends, and moves to Ireland. His daughter is now an adult, his wife has left him, so Cal is on his own...that is until a kid named Trey starts hanging around. Trey’s brother, Brendan, is missing. Everyone believes that Brendan has run off like his father did, but Trey thinks there’s more to the story than just another young guy leaving his family behind in search of money and excitement in the city. Trey wants the police detective who just emigrated from America, to find out what’s really happened to Brendan. Cal is interested and tempted, but he's a new arrival to a small, tight-knit community, so he’s cautious and unsure how he feels about discovering that he hasn't left crime and violence behind when he left Chicago and his police life. I liked the "Cal" character. He's complex just enough to be interesting, and he doesn't just jump in headfirst to solve this mystery. As it turns out the mystery, he’s decided to try to solve is less shocking than what he actually discovers. I liked the "slowness" of the story. It's neither fast-paced nor action-packed, and it has as much to do with Cal’s personal life as it does with finding Brendan. There is some action, but it's mainly in the last third of the story. The only thing that I found about the book that might bother some folks is the morally ambiguous ending. Overall, the author delivers plenty of twists, some shocking revelations, and some truly chilling moments. It's a story with several delicious layers of intrigue. Mystery fans that are willing to "wait for it", will probably like this one. ( )