Synopses & Reviews
The mesmerizing fourth novel of the Dublin murder squad by
New York Times bestselling author Tana French
Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy, the brash cop from Tana French's bestselling Faithful Place, plays by the book and plays hard. That's what's made him the Murder squad's top detective — and that's what puts the biggest case of the year into his hands.
On one of the half-built, half-abandoned "luxury" developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children are dead. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care.
At first, Scorcher and his rookie partner, Richie, think it's going to be an easy solve. But too many small things can't be explained. The half dozen baby monitors, their cameras pointing at holes smashed in the Spains' walls. The files erased from the Spains' computer. The story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder who was slipping past all the locks.
And Broken Harbor holds memories for Scorcher. Seeing the case on the news sends his sister Dina off the rails again, and she's resurrecting something that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control: what happened to their family one summer at Broken Harbor, back when they were children.
With her signature blend of police procedural and psychological thriller, French's new novel goes full throttle with a heinous crime, creating her most complicated detective character and her best book yet.
Review
“Ms. French created haunting, damaged characters who have been hit hard by some cataclysm....This may sound like a routine police procedural. But like Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, this summer’s other dagger-sharp display of mind games, Broken Harbor is something more.” Janet Maslin, The New York Times
Review
“So much of the pleasure inherent in reading these novels is in trying to figure out where things are going and being constantly surprised, not to mention thoroughly spooked. I predict Broken Harbor will be on more than one Best of 2012 lists — it’s definitely at the top of mine.” The Associated Press
Review
"Broken Harbor is truly a book for, and of, our broken times. It's literature masquerading as a police procedural." The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Review
“Ms. French has come to be regarded as one of the most distinct and exciting new voices in crime writing. She constructs her plots in a dreamlike, meandering fashion that seems at odds with genre's fixed narrative conventions. Sometimes, it's not even clear whodunit. Her novels have been translated into 31 languages, with 1.5 million copies in print....Broken Harbor has the hallmarks of a standard police procedural: a cocky homicide detective with a troubled past who educates his younger partner with pat lessons; a shocking crime that seems to defy explanation; a heart-stopping twist at the end. But Ms. French undercuts expectations at every turn. The victims begin to look less like victims; the case starts to unravel and the lead detective makes compromises that could ruin him.” The Wall Street Journal
Review
“These four novels have instated Ms. French as one of crime fiction’s reigning grand dames — a Celtic tigress....It’s not the fashion in literary fiction these days to address such things as the psychological devastation that a fallout of the middle class can wreak on those who have never known anything else, and Ms. French does it with aplomb — and a headless sparrow and dozens of infrared baby monitors." The Washington Times
Review
“French has that procedural pro's knack for making mundane police work seem fascinating. And she's drawn not just to the who but also to the why — those bigger mysteries about the human weaknesses that drive somebody to such inhuman brutality. What really gives Broken Harbor its nerve-rattling force is her [French’s] exploration of events leading up to the murders, rendered just as vividly as the detectives' scramble to solve them." Entertainment Weekly
Synopsis
A New York Times bestseller and quintessential Tana French thriller a damaged hero, an unspeakable crime, and an intricately plotted mystery nestled in a timely examination of lives shattered by the global economic downturn.
Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy plays by the book and plays hard. That's why he's the Dublin Murder Squad's top detective, and that's what puts the biggest case of the year in his hands.
On one of the half-abandoned "luxury" developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children have been murdered. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care. At first, Scorcher thinks it's going to be an easy solve, but too many small things can't be explained: the half-dozen baby monitors pointed at holes smashed in the Spains' walls, the files erased from the family's computer, the story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder slipping past the house's locks. And this neighborhood--once called Broken Harbor--holds memories for Scorcher and his troubled sister Dina: childhood memories that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control.
Read Tana French's newest novel,
The Trespasser, available now from Viking."
Synopsis
Broken Harbor proves anew that Tana French] is one of the most talented crime writers alive.
The Washington Post
A New York Times bestseller and quintessential Tana French thriller a damaged hero, an unspeakable crime, and an intricately plotted mystery nestled in a timely examination of lives shattered by the global economic downturn. Don't miss Tana French's newest novel, The Trespasser, available now
Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy plays by the book and plays hard. That's why he's the Dublin Murder Squad's top detective, and that's what puts the biggest case of the year in his hands.
On one of the half-abandoned "luxury" developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children have been murdered. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care. At first, Scorcher thinks it's going to be an easy solve, but too many small things can't be explained: the half-dozen baby monitors pointed at holes smashed in the Spains' walls, the files erased from the family's computer, the story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder slipping past the house's locks. And this neighborhood--once called Broken Harbor--holds memories for Scorcher and his troubled sister Dina: childhood memories that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control.
Winner of Ireland AM Crime Fiction Book of the Year, 2012"
Synopsis
ANew York Timesbestseller and quintessential Tana French thriller a damaged hero, an unspeakable crime, and an intricately plotted mystery the novel that "proves anew that Tana French] is one of the most talented crime writers alive. (The Washington Post). Don't miss Tana French's newest novel, The Trespasser, available now
Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy plays by the book and plays hard. That's why he's the Dublin Murder Squad's top detective, and that's what puts the biggest case of the year in his hands.
On one of the half-abandoned "luxury" developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children have been murdered. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care. At first, Scorcher thinks it's going to be an easy solve, but too many small things can't be explained: the half-dozen baby monitors pointed at holes smashed in the Spains' walls, the files erased from the family's computer, the story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder slipping past the house's locks. And this neighborhood--once called Broken Harbor--holds memories for Scorcher and his troubled sister Dina: childhood memories that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control.
Winner of Ireland AM Crime Fiction Book of the Year, 2012"
Synopsis
From Tana French, author of The Witch Elm, A New York Times bestselling novel that "proves anew that Tana French] is one of the most talented crime writers alive." (The Washington Post).
"Required reading for anyone who appreciates tough, unflinching intelligence and ingenious plotting" -- The New York Times
Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy is the star of the Dublin Murder Squad, and that's how the biggest case of the year ends up in his hands.
On one of the half-abandoned "luxury" developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children have been murdered. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care. At first, Scorcher thinks it's going to be an easy solve, but too many small things can't be explained: the half-dozen baby monitors pointed at holes smashed in the Spains' walls, the files erased from the family's computer, the story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder slipping past the house's locks. And this neighborhood--once called Broken Harbor--holds memories for Scorcher and his troubled sister Dina: childhood memories that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control.
Synopsis
The latest
New York Times bestseller from the acclaimed author of
In the Woods and
Faithful Place.
Tana French’s rise can only be called meteoric. Starting with her award-winning debut, French has scored four consecutive New York Times bestsellers and established herself as one of the top names in the genre. Broken Harbor is quintessential French — a damaged hero, an unspeakable crime, and an intricately plotted mystery — nestled in a timely examination of lives shattered by the global economic downturn.
Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy always brings in the killer. Always. That’s why he’s landed this high-profile triple homicide. At first, he thinks it’s going to be simple, but the murder scene holds terrifying memories for Scorcher. Memories of something that happened there back when he was a boy.
About the Author
Tana French grew up in Ireland, Italy, the United States, and Malawi. Her debut novel, In the Woods, won the Edgar, Barry, Anthony, and Macavity Awards for Best First Novel and the IVCA Clarion Award for Best Fiction. She lives in Dublin with her husband and daughter.