The Hunter
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- Create Date：2024-03-03 17:22:04
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Tana French
- ISBN：B0C7729CF8
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Lisa
，
Fine character study。 I hadn’t read the first book in the series but had no issues following the plot。 Interesting story and I liked switching points of view。
Michael Clancy
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It's a DNF for me。 154 pages into the book and I feel like let's get to the point of the story。 I mean nothings really happening。 I'm bored to death with it。 No feelings for the characters at all。 I also just realized that this is a sequel to a previous book。 I received a copy of the book from Goodreads which I do appreciate but it's too slow and just not for me。 It's a DNF for me。 154 pages into the book and I feel like let's get to the point of the story。 I mean nothings really happening。 I'm bored to death with it。 No feelings for the characters at all。 I also just realized that this is a sequel to a previous book。 I received a copy of the book from Goodreads which I do appreciate but it's too slow and just not for me。 。。。more
Marina Sofia
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Less crime fiction， more like a portrait of a rural community in Ireland。 Had definite Banshee of Inisherin vibes to it。
Molly
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I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 I was on the fence about this - I’d heard it was kind of slow， and while I enjoyed The Searcher， I really just wanted more of Dublin Murder Squad （I guess we sort of get that here， with the inclusion of Nealon？）。 I think your enjoyment of this book rests pretty heavily on how interested you are in these characters， because it takes a solid 40% of the book for the actual plot to show up。 Overall， there’s simply a LOT of talki I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 I was on the fence about this - I’d heard it was kind of slow， and while I enjoyed The Searcher， I really just wanted more of Dublin Murder Squad （I guess we sort of get that here， with the inclusion of Nealon？）。 I think your enjoyment of this book rests pretty heavily on how interested you are in these characters， because it takes a solid 40% of the book for the actual plot to show up。 Overall， there’s simply a LOT of talking - there are several long scenes where people are laying out the facts to one another （basically a version of “here’s how things are in Ardnekelty”）。 Weirdly， I feel like those would play better on screen than they do in print。 Ahem。 Plot。 So we pick back up with Cal and Trey and all the rest not terribly long after the events of The Searcher。 Trey has mostly given up trying to learn the truth about what happened to Brenden - she knows he’s dead， and she knows Cal knows more than he’s letting on， but she doesn’t know where his body is or who actually killed him， just that it was accidental （I confess to not remembering much about how that all shook out the first time around， but it doesn’t end up mattering too much here）。 Trey and Cal have a pretty great friendship - he’d love her to hang around more because he feels paternal about her， and she’d really just love for him to adopt her， but she doesn’t want to hang around TOO much， lest he get sick of her。 It’s sweet， and a little bit sad。 Cal and Lena are also still together， and Cal’s feeling as much like a local as he possibly can， after two years there。 Eventually， Trey’s erstwhile father Johnny Reddy returns， much to the chagrin of both Trey and Cal。 Johnny’s your typical snake oil salesman - he blows into town with some scheme， tries to sweet talk people out of money， then blows out again。 Only this time he swears he’s going to stick around， because thar’s gold in them hills！ He’s also brought an Englishman along with him - Cillian Rushborough。 Rushborough claims to have had family in the area， and his grandmother told him stories about the hills being full of gold。 There’s a lot of back and forth （and SO much talking） about who’s scamming who， but what it boils down to is a gigantic mess that definitely threatens the peaceful life Cal has built for himself。 （view spoiler）[ So initially， Johnny sells the local guys on “salting” the river with gold to whet Rushborough’s appetite。 The idea being that he’ll find the gold in the river， and start digging for gold in the hills for real。 Everyone seems to be in agreement that there’s no actual gold， but they’re hoping they can scam Paddy Englishman out of a few grand before it’s all over。 But turns out it’s more of a double cross - Johnny and Rushborough hatched this plan together to scam the townsfolk out of money， because Johnny owes Rushborough for gambling debts because of course he does。 So like…the lads all think they’re scamming Rushborough， but actually he’s scamming them？ I think I have that right！ And he’s a total bastard to boot - he does the whole naive tourist act pretty well， but beneath that he’s a slimeball。 Trey thinks she has the better of him and tries showing him the video she took of the men all salting the river - this is when we find out that the doublecross is in effect。 He threatens her， and her family AND stomps on Bandit’s paw， so I was not at all sad when he turned up murdered a couple of days later。 （hide spoiler）]（view spoiler）[The “mystery” of Rushborough’s death is what drives the rest of the plot。 Trey sees it as an opportunity to finally get revenge on whoever murdered Brendan， so she tells a completely fabricated story to the detective， trying to get him to look into the locals。 But since Trey is the one who discovered the body， all the suspicion will eventually fall back on her。 And Cal would sooner die than let anything happen to Trey， so he’ll end up taking the fall。 Lena tries to head this off by telling everyone she and Cal are engaged， but it doesn’t quite work。 The three of them are all outsiders in their own ways， and when push comes to shove， Ardnekelty will only protect its own。 Cal eventually gets Trey to go back to the police and recant and cast suspicion on Johnny…not that either of them thinks Johnny actually did it， but it’s logical， and he's a bastard anyway。 Turns out the detective knew she was lying， but he does seem to latch onto the Johnny angle。 But in the end Trey’s mother Sheila did the deed， and she’s not too fussed about being caught either。 Trey convinces her to destroy the evidence…by burning down their house during a drought， and nearly gets herself killed in the process （Cal rescues her， of course）。 By the end， Johnny has scampered and peace has returned。 （hide spoiler）]It’s hard to say too much else without getting into spoiler territory！ Suffice it to say， there is eventually a crime that involves a detective from Dublin - although I don’t *think* Nealon is someone we’ve met before？ It’s been a while since I read The Trespasser， so maybe he pops up with Antoinette and Stephen there。 Or maybe this is like a backdoor pilot for Dublin Murder Squad #7？ 。。。more
Carolyn
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Review to follow。
Claire Smith
，
Tana French is an author I’m Very Normal about。 I recommend her books to anyone who so much as hints they like mystery in my vicinity。 I keep one of her books （Witch Elm） on my shelf， unread so I don’t have to face the feeling of running out of Tana French。 Like I said， very logical behavior; I am Very Normal。 So， when I got The Hunter from Net Galley last week I definitely behaved Normally and didn’t， say， scream loudly on the sidewalk when the email came through on my lunch break walk， or brin Tana French is an author I’m Very Normal about。 I recommend her books to anyone who so much as hints they like mystery in my vicinity。 I keep one of her books （Witch Elm） on my shelf， unread so I don’t have to face the feeling of running out of Tana French。 Like I said， very logical behavior; I am Very Normal。 So， when I got The Hunter from Net Galley last week I definitely behaved Normally and didn’t， say， scream loudly on the sidewalk when the email came through on my lunch break walk， or bring my e-reader everywhere I went including the bar and my friend’s birthday party。 Very。 Normal。Let me start this review with， if you haven’t read anything by Tana French， this shouldn’t be your first one。 And if you haven’t read her most recent book， The Searcher， you shouldn’t read this one yet either。 It’s a direct sequel， unlike Dublin Murder Squad， and it will spoil The Searcher。 If you’re wondering what Dublin Murder Squad is read on， if you’re not， skip to the review。 Beginner’s guide to Tana French: Tana French is an Irish author with two different series and one standalone novel。 If you’re new here the best place to start is Dublin Murder Squad。 That’s her first series and also， I would argue， her best。 Start with either her first book， In the Woods or The Likeness （some people find In the Woods frustrating is the only reason I offer The Likeness as an alternative， but either will take you on a ride and you can’t really go wrong）。 After that， you can read around in basically any order。 Each novel is about a detective on Dublin Murder Squad， so they are connected。 Characters pop up in other character’s books and it’s fun to weave all the cameos together。 My personal favorite is Faithful Place， but I do think that one is better if you’ve read The Likeness first。 Her most recent series， The Searcher， and now， The Hunter， is all about Cal Hooper， an American ex-cop from Chicago who goes to retire in small town in Ireland called Ardnakelty。 It’s like an Irish western。 A new sheriff blows in to a town that has a law all its own and a kid with a missing brother starts interrupting his peaceful battle with the land and the rooks （like a rough and tough version of Poirot and the vegetable marrows he’s always threatening to grow）。 You definitely could start with The Searcher if you wanted to， it has no connection to the others。 The Witch Elm is a standalone。 From what people have told me， I wouldn’t start with this one， but I can’t really comment， I haven’t read it。 For Normal Reasons， see above。 Whatever you choose， you’ve got some seriously great writing ahead of you and I am jealous that you get to experience it for the first time。 Yeah， yeah I know all that， tell me about The Hunter already （no spoilers for The Hunter， but since this does take place after The Searcher there might be some mild spoilers for that ahead）: The Hunter has all of the usual marks of a Tana French book。 The prose is writers’-envy inducing as always。 There are sentences of hers that I think I literally could not come up with in a million-trillion years （actually that’s， like， most of them）。 There are sentences that feel so intense it’s like they sprang out of the book and actually punched you in the gut。 There are other sentences that are laugh out loud funny just when you least expect it。 I won’t relay the rest of this joke so you can enjoy it for yourself， but one character calls the whole Ottoman Empire “some boyos” and I died laughing。 Her characters are， as ever， the star of the show。 The events of The Hunter take place a couple years after the end of The Searcher。 Cal， Trey and Lena are all in a really good place。 Cal did adopt that dog！ Trey has one， too！ The dogs are friends and Trey is learning carpentry and getting good grades and Cal makes all three of them pizza。 It’s adorable！ If you’ve read even one Tana French book， you’ll know that “all the characters you like are doing really well” is a frightening and probably emotionally devastating place to start。 When I read Searcher， I think I was holding the fact that it isn’t Dublin Murder Squad against it。 If I was ranking Tana French books （a challenge！） I would have put it near the bottom。 I also don’t love westerns， which didn’t endear me to it。 Still a really great book， not a favorite。 For The Hunter， I was over that。 Within five minutes of reading， I was struck by how much I like these characters。 Cal is complex and way more than your cookie-cutter tough guy with a heart of gold。 Trey only gets more and more fascinating as she gets older and Lena I just unapologetically like。 She lives on her own terms with several dogs。 I mean， what’s that if not living the dream？ And the town of Ardnakelty is still at once picturesque and brutal。 I forget a lot after I’m done with a book， and it took picking up the sequel for me to realize just how real these characters felt and still feel。 I could jump right back in without needing to look up a summary of Searcher。 The delight in this book comes from Tana French’s particular gift for creating characters with their own goals and different lengths they’ll go to achieve them。 It’s the cross purposes， the alliances and machinations that make this book fascinating and exciting to the very end。 I really was not sure how it would end for most of the book。 She has a particular gift for writing teenagers — as we know from Secret Place — and that’s on display here too， with Trey。 You understand Trey and at the same time want to scream at her and also give her a big hug and tell her it’s okay to cry （except she’d hit you， probably）。 At about 75% of the way in， I didn’t even really care about the mystery because I was so fascinated by what the characters were doing and how each person’s actions would have consequences for the others。 （Don’t worry if you are here for the mystery， Tana French made me care about it again， a lot， very shortly after that）。 This book earns every one of its five stars and at the end of the day I liked it more than I liked The Searcher。 So even if that one wasn’t your favorite， I’d say give this one a chance。 。。。more
Julie Tully
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Thrilled to return to the world of Cal and Trey。 Well written follow up to The Searcher。 Just as absorbing and mesmerizing。
Karen D
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This is the sequel to The Searcher， about a Chicago cop who retires and moves to a small town in Ireland， and it is everything I hoped it would be。 It is a slow-burn mystery， atmospheric， with great writing and even better characters。 *I went into The Searcher expecting a bit more action， more like the Dublin Murder series books， so I think I enjoyed The Hunter better because I knew what to expect。 This continues Cal's story， but is more focused on Trey， the teenager he's befriended。 Her dad has This is the sequel to The Searcher， about a Chicago cop who retires and moves to a small town in Ireland， and it is everything I hoped it would be。 It is a slow-burn mystery， atmospheric， with great writing and even better characters。 *I went into The Searcher expecting a bit more action， more like the Dublin Murder series books， so I think I enjoyed The Hunter better because I knew what to expect。 This continues Cal's story， but is more focused on Trey， the teenager he's befriended。 Her dad has come home after years away and appears to be running some sort of con。 This is more mystery than thriller， and the mystery really isn't all that major， as you learn pretty quickly what Trey's dad is actually up to。 But lots of people have hidden agendas， and everyone seems to be making a play against someone else。 *This is one of those books that's long， but doesn't feel long。 Not a ton happens， but you never care because the writing is so engrossing。 The characters are all complicated， and while you love them， they make stupid mistakes， or just sometimes act like the teenager they are。 *Don't expect this to keep you up at night， but I loved reading it and I hope there's more to come in the series！ 。。。more
Sarah
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Tana’s French’s ‘The Hunter’ follows on from her 2020 novel ‘The Searcher’ which introduced us to Cal， retired US cop who has moved to Ireland， and Trey， a half-feral teenager living up the mountain near the small town of Ardnakelty。 They have developed a strong bond by the end of ‘The Searcher’ and it has clearly endured。 At the outset of ‘The Hunter’， Cal is clearly more of a father-figure to Trey than Johnny Reddy， her miscreant dad， could ever be。It's easy for Trey to forget that Johnny has Tana’s French’s ‘The Hunter’ follows on from her 2020 novel ‘The Searcher’ which introduced us to Cal， retired US cop who has moved to Ireland， and Trey， a half-feral teenager living up the mountain near the small town of Ardnakelty。 They have developed a strong bond by the end of ‘The Searcher’ and it has clearly endured。 At the outset of ‘The Hunter’， Cal is clearly more of a father-figure to Trey than Johnny Reddy， her miscreant dad， could ever be。It's easy for Trey to forget that Johnny has ever existed until he returns from England， strutting peacock-like amongst the farmers， promising wealth through a gold prospecting scheme that his ‘everything about him is smooth’ colleague Cillian Rushborough is investing in。 However， it’s not just her father’s toxic presence threatening to shatter her already fragile family life that is the concern。 Cal’s partner， Lena， is certain that there’s trouble brewing for Johnny in London。 He ‘owes someone; someone dangerous…What she wants to know is whether the danger is going to stay in London， waiting trustfully for him to show up with the cash， or whether it’s coming after him。 Lena wouldn’t trust Johnny to come back with her cash from down the road， let alone from over the water。 If she wanted the money， she’d be going after him。’Tana French has a wonderful ear for dialogue and it’s easy to hear members of this community talking in the pub， gossiping in the shop and sharing secrets。 This is a story that develops slowly。 Early on， there’s perhaps a little too much focus on the ‘craic’ as we are immersed in the life of this middle-of-nowhere town。 Nevertheless， it’s worth being patient。 The complex relationships come to life， the tension builds， and members of the community set in motion revenge based on their particular understanding of justice。My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK， Viking for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
，
Know that you might wonder why there's just so much dialogue in spots and that the whole gold scheme might baffle you but know also that， as with all of French's novels， there's a great payoff in the end。 This is as much as study of people as it is a mystery。 Cal， a retired Chicago PD officer， is living in a small Irish village， working with Trey on carpentry， and happily in a relationship with Lena。 And now Trey's no-good father Johnny has come home， trailing a British man who says his grandmot Know that you might wonder why there's just so much dialogue in spots and that the whole gold scheme might baffle you but know also that， as with all of French's novels， there's a great payoff in the end。 This is as much as study of people as it is a mystery。 Cal， a retired Chicago PD officer， is living in a small Irish village， working with Trey on carpentry， and happily in a relationship with Lena。 And now Trey's no-good father Johnny has come home， trailing a British man who says his grandmother found gold on the mountain。 He pulls the men in， and Trey， but you know things are going to go sideways。 It's the characters that make this shine- especially Trey。 It would have helped even those of us who read the first book to have an additional sentence or two about Trey's brother， who is always on her mind， so new readers- know we're all in the same boat about that。 Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC。 A great read that takes a bit of patience but which is very rewarding。 。。。more
Anne - Books of My Heart
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This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart Review copy was received from Library， NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。The Cal Hooper series is a newer one by Tana French。 Cal is an American， originally from North Carolina， but was a cop in Chicago for 25 years。 He is divorced with one adult daughter。 He comes to Ireland for a quiet place to live in retirement。I followed up The Searcher immediately with The Hunter。 I have been a little This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart Review copy was received from Library， NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。The Cal Hooper series is a newer one by Tana French。 Cal is an American， originally from North Carolina， but was a cop in Chicago for 25 years。 He is divorced with one adult daughter。 He comes to Ireland for a quiet place to live in retirement。I followed up The Searcher immediately with The Hunter。 I have been a little surprised how much I am enjoying the series。 It is definitely a study of characters and small town politics。 Two years have passed since the previous story。 Trey is now fifteen。 Being even more careful about any hint of their relationship being improper， he has developed a closer friendship with Lena。 Sometimes Trey stays with him when Lena is there or stays at Lena's house。After four years， Trey's father has shown up。 He is into another scheme and likely bringing trouble with him。 Cal feels it and so does Trey。 They watch her father， Johnny Reddy， to figure out his plans。 He's ginning up interest in gold in the mountains。 Cal ends up talking to his neighbor more than he'd like about the situation。When Johnny associate comes to town， and Johnny gets people to invest， things get more emotional with the people in the area。 Trey has decided to use the scheme to get revenge on her Dad and those responsible for Brendan。Cal just tries to keep Trey safe and alive。 He knows nothing good is going to come from Johnny Reddy。 It only gets more tense when Johnny's associate is murdered and Trey finds the body。I enjoyed the setting and all the development of the characters。 The situation is suspenseful with tensions running high around gold in their lands， a murder and grifters playing high stakes games。 。。。more
Tanya
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Her dad and Rushborough are the only weapons she has， or is ever likely to get， against this townland。 They're locked and loaded， ready to her hand。 She didn't go looking for them; something laid them in front of her 。。。 [loc。 2389] Second in the Cal Hooper series， this is set about two years after The Searcher。 It's a long hot summer， drought laying waste to the Irish countryside。 Cal is now in a relationship with Lena， though she refuses to let him make her responsible for his moods。 Trey is st Her dad and Rushborough are the only weapons she has， or is ever likely to get， against this townland。 They're locked and loaded， ready to her hand。 She didn't go looking for them; something laid them in front of her 。。。 [loc。 2389] Second in the Cal Hooper series， this is set about two years after The Searcher。 It's a long hot summer， drought laying waste to the Irish countryside。 Cal is now in a relationship with Lena， though she refuses to let him make her responsible for his moods。 Trey is still mourning her lost brother Brendan -- and still determined to avenge him， regardless of not knowing who caused his death。 She wanders the mountain looking for Brendan's unmarked grave。 Then Trey's father Johnny returns unexpectedly from England， with a fellow in tow who claims Irish blood and may even be related to some of the folk of Ardnakelty。 And this fellow， Rushborough， believes that there's gold in the mountains。。。 The Hunter is told from several different viewpoints， of whom I think I liked Trey the best。 Cal has more or less been accepted by his neighbours， but he's still struggling to negotiate the unspoken rules and unbreakable laws of the place。 "Lack of clarity is this place's go-to， a kind of allpurpose multitool comprising both offensive and defensive weapons as well as broad-spectrum precautionary measures。" [loc。 4334]。 Neither Trey nor Cal has much reason to welcome Johnny， even before it becomes clear that Johnny is not being wholly honest about the reasons for his return。 I liked this more than The Searcher （though still not as much as the Dublin murder mysteries） especially as there's an underlying note of mystery， of the inexplicable。 The emotions， the motivations， the everyday conflicts and the underlying bonds of Ardnakelty are splendidly portrayed， and there's a strong sense of a community layered with epic tales， no matter how small the canvas。 This book should be read by anyone contemplating relocation to a quiet rural village。 It's made me wonder how much I never understood about the place where I grew up。。。 Fulfils the ‘a revenge story’ rubric of the 52 books in 2024 challenge。 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy， in exchange for this full honest review。 UK publication date is 7th March 2024。 。。。more
Claire
，
I love Tana French mysteries and this one is no exception。 This well-crafted novel is as much about the small-town Irish community in which its set as about any crime or murder （and yes， there are both）。 While the whodunnit is certainly part of the novel， it’s the finely drawn characters that keep you reading。
Ann Dewar
，
I want to start by saying that if you haven’t read The Searcher yet， you should read it first or the characters and story might just make no sense to you。Having already invested in Cal， Trey， Lena and co， I was happy to sink slowly into the story and allow the slow pace to settle over me。 Like waiting for a decent pint of Guinness， the wait is part of the pleasure。 However， I can imagine that for some this could be simply too frustrating。This time the plot centres around the return of Jonny， She I want to start by saying that if you haven’t read The Searcher yet， you should read it first or the characters and story might just make no sense to you。Having already invested in Cal， Trey， Lena and co， I was happy to sink slowly into the story and allow the slow pace to settle over me。 Like waiting for a decent pint of Guinness， the wait is part of the pleasure。 However， I can imagine that for some this could be simply too frustrating。This time the plot centres around the return of Jonny， Sheila’s wastrel husband， who inevitably brings trouble in his wake。 This is a slow burner but worth it for the beautifully realised characters and the quality of the writing。With thanks to NetGalley， Tana French and the publisher， Penguin Random House for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Maria Hall
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The Hunter by Tana FrenchPublished by Penguin UKPublication Date 7/3/24This is a follow up to The Searcher and I found I had to go back to that to remind myself of the backstory so that I could work out Treys motivation in this one。 Having said that， I was fully invested in the characters of Trey， Cal and Lena and intrigued at how it would all come together。 A great denouement which I definitely hadn’t worked out， I really enjoyed this book。Many thanks to the author， publisher and to NetGalley f The Hunter by Tana FrenchPublished by Penguin UKPublication Date 7/3/24This is a follow up to The Searcher and I found I had to go back to that to remind myself of the backstory so that I could work out Treys motivation in this one。 Having said that， I was fully invested in the characters of Trey， Cal and Lena and intrigued at how it would all come together。 A great denouement which I definitely hadn’t worked out， I really enjoyed this book。Many thanks to the author， publisher and to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review。 。。。more
Kealan
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What a great， fast-paced well developed sequel。 French does not disappoint
Dana
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The Hunter revisits the characters from The Searcher。 Again， beautifully written and atmospheric。 It is like catching up with people you already feel you know so well。 Tana French never fails to draw a full picture of her characters which engages the reader completely。Trey's Dad returns to the village bringing with him a shady character。 Cal is immediately protective of Trey as their relationship has developed so well。 Trey is as feisty as ever and still wants revenge for the disappearance of he The Hunter revisits the characters from The Searcher。 Again， beautifully written and atmospheric。 It is like catching up with people you already feel you know so well。 Tana French never fails to draw a full picture of her characters which engages the reader completely。Trey's Dad returns to the village bringing with him a shady character。 Cal is immediately protective of Trey as their relationship has developed so well。 Trey is as feisty as ever and still wants revenge for the disappearance of her brother。 Again there is a mystery in this book but is almost incidental to the relationship between the men of the village， Trey and her family， Trey's father and Cal's fierce protection of Trey。Again a book that I like to read slowly and absorb every word and feel disappointment when it is finished。Many thanks to Netgalley/Tana French/Penguin General UK for a digital copy of this title。 All opinions expressed are my own 。。。more
Jay
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French's next installment in the story of small village Ireland is a carefully crafted， unhurried study of the internal mores of the local landscape which her protagonist， a Chicago transplant former detective， has to navigate to survive。 It follows hard on the heels of the previous work， The Searcher， so closely that I would recommend reading that first if you haven't。 French is a master of character development。 The action in the story is second to the moral and cultural issues here。 I liked i French's next installment in the story of small village Ireland is a carefully crafted， unhurried study of the internal mores of the local landscape which her protagonist， a Chicago transplant former detective， has to navigate to survive。 It follows hard on the heels of the previous work， The Searcher， so closely that I would recommend reading that first if you haven't。 French is a master of character development。 The action in the story is second to the moral and cultural issues here。 I liked it， but it is definitely not the mystery series for fans of Dublin Murder Club。 。。。more
Max Nemtsov
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Роман превосходный и， я бы сказал， даже круче предыдущего "Искателя": чтобы лучше понять， что и почему в нем происходит， нужно прочесть первый， конечно， потому что без него "Охотник" висит в воздухе。 У Френч， я бы сказал， это один текст - и третий будет еще головокружительней， если спроецировать последовательность: потому что крутизна в них нарастает геометрически。 Действие тут с концом романа не заканчивается - остаются неразрешенными как минимум две серьезные загадки， но я не скажу， какие， что Роман превосходный и， я бы сказал， даже круче предыдущего "Искателя": чтобы лучше понять， что и почему в нем происходит， нужно прочесть первый， конечно， потому что без него "Охотник" висит в воздухе。 У Френч， я бы сказал， это один текст - и третий будет еще головокружительней， если спроецировать последовательность: потому что крутизна в них нарастает геометрически。 Действие тут с концом романа не заканчивается - остаются неразрешенными как минимум две серьезные загадки， но я не скажу， какие， чтобы не портить никому ничего， - а гениальный ансамбль деревенских жителей еще не исчерпал все свои возможности。 У нас любимым развлечением иногда бывает представлять， кто кого бы сыграл в сериале по этим книгам - сериал получился бы охренительно прекрасным， как "Балликиссэйджел"， только с трупами。 Ну и "Верная закалка"， конечно， как и в прошлый раз， которая тут прошита пунктиром вместе с много чем еще - впридачу с другими вестернами， которые одно время были в Ирландии национальным видом литературы。 。。。more
Mike
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A sequel of sorts， The Hunter （2024） by Tana French sees the return of Cal Hooper， a former detective in Chicago， who now lives in Ireland。 Cal is settled and in a relationship with Lena as he keeps an eye out for his young friend Trey。 Yet their lives are about to be upturned when two men come to the village wanting to find gold in the nearby hills。 One of those men is Trey’s father setting off a series of events that leads to false hopes， revenge and a murder investigation。 Trey uses the oppor A sequel of sorts， The Hunter （2024） by Tana French sees the return of Cal Hooper， a former detective in Chicago， who now lives in Ireland。 Cal is settled and in a relationship with Lena as he keeps an eye out for his young friend Trey。 Yet their lives are about to be upturned when two men come to the village wanting to find gold in the nearby hills。 One of those men is Trey’s father setting off a series of events that leads to false hopes， revenge and a murder investigation。 Trey uses the opportunity to get back at the men who took her brother， but unintended consequences could hurt those she holds dearest and causes friction with Cal who only wants to protect her。 A psychologically subtle story of Irish village whispers and rumours to ensure the locals protect each other against the fallout of a murder。 A slow meandering tale that is a sophisticated discourse of how far individuals and the community will go to protect the ones they love。 An enjoyable， if not typically a usual Tana French crime mystery book， with a five-star read rating。 With thanks to Penguin General UK and the author， for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes。 As always， the opinions herein are totally my own， freely given and without inducement。 。。。more
Karine
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A boiling hot summer in a remote Irish village。 The crops are failing， the cattle haven't got enough food and everyone is tired and sweaty。 It is at this very moment， when everyone is vulnerable because of the ferocious heat that one local guy comes back from London with promises of gold on their land。 A handful of farmers are attracted by the tall tales; some out of boredom， some out of necessity。 For Cal， it is because he wants to know how he will need to protect his young friend Trey from her A boiling hot summer in a remote Irish village。 The crops are failing， the cattle haven't got enough food and everyone is tired and sweaty。 It is at this very moment， when everyone is vulnerable because of the ferocious heat that one local guy comes back from London with promises of gold on their land。 A handful of farmers are attracted by the tall tales; some out of boredom， some out of necessity。 For Cal， it is because he wants to know how he will need to protect his young friend Trey from her returning father。The talk amongst the townspeople is slippery and communication with half words is difficult for Cal to be interpreted correctly at best of times， but in the sweltering heat， the lack of clarity builds up to dangerous assumptions。 And when a murder happens， the moment comes to show allegiances and to bury any grudges to protect your loved ones。Just as in the previous book 'The Searcher'， the mystery is merely a baseplate on which the characters are build。 The book is all about Cal， Trey and Lena， small time crooks and their scams， and shifty townspeople。 But the main character is the small village itself and the flow of talks， how a few words here and there can make or brake a reputation and how fragile and futile the truth really is。The story focuses more on the village， and the surrounding nature and the perpetual rhythms of long warm days， in that regard it certainly reminded me of Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor。 It is an exceptionally good slow burn， with insights in human nature， where all of the characters are intriguing and the mystery -although not the focus- is very well spun。A very heartfelt thank you to NetGalley， Penguin General UK - Fig Tree， Hamish Hamilton & Viking and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ellie
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This is another very atmospheric visit to Ireland and the second featuring retired Chicago police officer， Cal， and wildling teenager， Trey， in what I am hoping will be a series。 。 The author describes settings so well that you can feel the chill and the water vapour in the mist。 She also makes the reader feel the suspense as it slowly builds throughout the book。 It felt as though this was a book of two halves。 I started off loving it， right out the gate。 But the story took a smidgeon too long t This is another very atmospheric visit to Ireland and the second featuring retired Chicago police officer， Cal， and wildling teenager， Trey， in what I am hoping will be a series。 。 The author describes settings so well that you can feel the chill and the water vapour in the mist。 She also makes the reader feel the suspense as it slowly builds throughout the book。 It felt as though this was a book of two halves。 I started off loving it， right out the gate。 But the story took a smidgeon too long to get going and the ratio of dialogue to action felt unbalanced for the first half。 There were subtle revelations dropped throughout the dialogue， but there was just too much of it。 However when the story really got going the second half of the book was brilliant and I couldn't put it down。 It more than made up for the slow start。 I'm very invested in Cal and Trey and look forward to the next book。 。。。more
Martha Brindley
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This is an excellent well written， character driven read set in Ireland and filled with descriptive passages which transport you right there！ There is plenty of intrigue， suspense and twists to occupy the reader， as well as interesting and believable characters。 For background information， I highly recommend reading The Searcher and discover more about Cal and Trey's journey and incredible friendship。 An easy 5* read which I can highly recommend。 Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC。 This is an excellent well written， character driven read set in Ireland and filled with descriptive passages which transport you right there！ There is plenty of intrigue， suspense and twists to occupy the reader， as well as interesting and believable characters。 For background information， I highly recommend reading The Searcher and discover more about Cal and Trey's journey and incredible friendship。 An easy 5* read which I can highly recommend。 Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC。 。。。more
MTD
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I usually put all other books aside for a Tana French book。 I was disappointed this time， mainly because the book is overly long- too much setup before the plot gets going。 I found myself skimming too many sections。 Kind of a bummer to be reading about Cal Hooper again， though his care for Trey in this book is a good point for him。 Why give him so much page time？ There’s plenty of native insularity to explore here without needing the American poking his nose in。
Vicky davies
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Ohh， I really enjoyed this book。 Definitely going back to read and stock more of the same author
Astrid
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DNF
Celine
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This is going to be a tough one to review。In my top five of “most anticipated” releases for the year， I both got what I expected and…not what I wanted。The Hunter reads like an extended epilogue of The Searcher。 You spend more time with the characters you’ve fallen in love with， as well as it’s a deeper delve into who they are。But nothing really happens！ For over 400 pages！I don’t think I’ll be giving this one a star rating。 I enjoyed my time with it！ I expect many others will as well。 That being This is going to be a tough one to review。In my top five of “most anticipated” releases for the year， I both got what I expected and…not what I wanted。The Hunter reads like an extended epilogue of The Searcher。 You spend more time with the characters you’ve fallen in love with， as well as it’s a deeper delve into who they are。But nothing really happens！ For over 400 pages！I don’t think I’ll be giving this one a star rating。 I enjoyed my time with it！ I expect many others will as well。 That being said， I’m hoping for something a little more with whatever comes next from this series。 。。。more
Anne - Books of My Heart
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This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart Review copy was received from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。The Cal Hooper series is a newer one by Tana French。 Cal is an American， originally from North Carolina， but was a cop in Chicago for 25 years。 He is divorced with one adult daughter。 He comes to Ireland for a quiet place to live in retirement。I followed up The Searcher immediately with The Hunter。 I have been a little surprise This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart Review copy was received from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。The Cal Hooper series is a newer one by Tana French。 Cal is an American， originally from North Carolina， but was a cop in Chicago for 25 years。 He is divorced with one adult daughter。 He comes to Ireland for a quiet place to live in retirement。I followed up The Searcher immediately with The Hunter。 I have been a little surprised how much I am enjoying the series。 It is definitely a study of characters and small town politics。 Two years have passed since the previous story。 Trey is now fifteen。 Being even more careful about any hint of their relationship being improper， he has developed a closer friendship with Lena。 Sometimes Trey stays with him when Lena is there or stays at Lena's house。After four years， Trey's father has shown up。 He is into another scheme and likely bringing trouble with him。 Cal feels it and so does Trey。 They watch her father， Johnny Reddy， to figure out his plans。 He's ginning up interest in gold in the mountains。 Cal ends up talking to his neighbor more than he'd like about the situation。When Johnny associate comes to town， and Johnny gets people to invest， things get more emotional with the people in the area。 Trey has decided to use the scheme to get revenge on her Dad and those responsible for Brendan。Cal just tries to keep Trey safe and alive。 He knows nothing good is going to come from Johnny Reddy。 It only gets more tense when Johnny's associate is murdered and Trey finds the body。I enjoyed the setting and all the development of the characters。 The situation is suspenseful with tensions running high around gold in their lands， a murder and grifters playing high stakes games。Narration: This was my first experience with Roger Clark as a narrator。 It felt strange with some characters sounding more Irish and others not。 Of course， Cal as an American and a key point of view in the story does not sound Irish; he isn't。 The others had some with accents and some without them。 I was too engrossed in the story to pay too much attention though。 I did notice some typical vocabulary from the area。 I listened at my usual 1。5x speed。Listen to a clip: HERE 。。。more
Annette
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This is the second book in a series， set in a small village in Ireland and featuring retired American cop， Cal Hooper and teenager Trey Reddy。There is a lot of backstory to this and if you haven’t read the previous novel it would be very difficult to work out what is going on in this one as most of the story is based on motivation， particularly Trey’s。Trey and Cal are getting on well as he teaches her how to interpret the world and make the best of her situation- she is somewhat of an outcast in This is the second book in a series， set in a small village in Ireland and featuring retired American cop， Cal Hooper and teenager Trey Reddy。There is a lot of backstory to this and if you haven’t read the previous novel it would be very difficult to work out what is going on in this one as most of the story is based on motivation， particularly Trey’s。Trey and Cal are getting on well as he teaches her how to interpret the world and make the best of her situation- she is somewhat of an outcast in the town and comes from a very poor background。 They both love restoring old furniture and spend many hours doing this。One day Trey’s good for nothing father reappears after 4 years， not to return to his family but to con the locals out of money with a scheme about the discovery of gold on their land。 When he is joined by an equally obnoxious colleague it becomes clear to Cal that the two are up to no good and he can see Trey being caught in the middle。 However Trey has her own motivation and she sees an opportunity to punish the town for a perceived evil perpetrated against her and her family。 Unfortunately matters spiral out of control with dire consequences for all concerned。I’m not sure what I thought of this book- the first part was extremely slow with lots of characterisations and conversations。 The second part moved very quickly。I certainly liked the relationship between Cal and Trey and the burgeoning romance between Cal and Lena。 Trey’s father， Johnny， however， is almost caricaturistically bad。 Only out for what he can get， not caring for his family and easily telling stories and lies to all。 Trey sees through him and plans to make him leave as soon as possible until she sees another opportunity for revenge。The second part of the book is much faster moving as the plot reveals itself and the murder， when it occurs is surprising and also a catalyst for what has to happen in the end。As I was reading “The Hunter” I was not sure how I felt about it but the plot gradually sucked me in and grew on me。The village of Ardnakelty and its inhabitants are well described， the closeness of the community and the dislike of outsiders but also a perpetual feeling of menace conveyed by Cal’s neighbour， Mart in a roundabout way。Trey grows in this book， she comes to realise the consequences of her actions both for herself and those she cares about。 Cal realises he is willing to go to extreme lengths to protect those he loves， even going against his own moral code if necessary。I would say that this book is definitely one of those that is worth persevering with despite its slow start。 It left me contemplating what had happened and where the story might go next。Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy。 。。。more
Amy Ashworth
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