In The Hunter, Tana French (The Searcher; The Witch Elm; The Trespasser), building on the success of eight previous novels, delivers the mystery, atmosphere, and feeling her fans have come to expect.
Following the events of The Searcher, French takes her readers back to the tiny Irish townland of Ardnakelty, where former Chicago Police Department detective Cal Hooper has settled to live a quiet, scenic life and repair furniture. He's already gotten more than he signed up for, including a lovely, levelheaded girlfriend named Lena; a surrogate teenaged daughter, Trey; and a place in the local social circles (and the pub). But when Trey's long-absent father resurfaces with a get-rich-quick scheme, he threatens the equilibrium of various village relationships, including those Cal holds most dear. The previous novel saw Cal struggle to find his role in a new place; in The Hunter, he knows what he has to lose and, even more importantly, what Trey does.
French is at her best in this novel, showcasing its sharp, scintillating sense of place (Ardnakelty is a character unto itself) and powerful mood of foreboding and that of secrets deeply held. "The overhead bulb isn't bright enough," she writes, "and the fringed lampshade gives its light a murky tinge; when the men stay still to listen, it smears deep, tricky shadows into their faces." Later, she writes: "The mountain is sly. From far off, its low, rounded curves look almost harmless.... It's a place whose dangers only come into focus when you're already engaged with them." This kind of ambience is cut by sudden, surprising bursts of laugh-out-loud humor.
Cal Hooper can be likened to a old western hero, with his staunch personal code; he equally recalls a hard-boiled detective: he's retired but, despite best efforts, he's not done investigating. The father-daughter dynamic so delicately established between Cal and Trey--who share no blood and met only two years ago in the previous novel--is heart-wrenching, gorgeously written, and under threat. He trusts her, but she's "much too young to have something the size of her future in her hands." Cal and Lena's relationship is equally engaging, quietly wholesome, and firm. French has never shied away from weighty themes, and here her protagonists wrestle with vulnerability, revenge, and the danger of letting the past determine the future. French masters beautiful descriptions, easy, natural dialogue, a darkly twisting plot, high stakes, and compelling characters. The Hunter is perhaps her finest work--and leaves readers thirsty for more of Cal's story. --Julia Kastner, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia
Shelf Talker: Tana French is at her best with this character-focused sequel to The Searcher, featuring humor, angst, pathos, and mystery in a tiny Irish village.