Sherry S. (SherryKaraoke) -
Helpful Score: 4
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Tolstoy certainly had it right... and the Mackeys of Dublin are among the most interesting "unhappy families" you'll ever read about. Tana French has once again created characters so vivid, you'll be lining up for her next novel. Better yet, go back and read her first two, if you haven't had the pleasure yet.
Catherine C. (c-squared) reviewed Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad, Bk 3) on + 181 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I read a lot of reviews about how Frank Mackey is a complete jerk, as opposed to a likeable character like Rob and Cassie (the protagonists of Tana French's first two novels). I actually thought that Rob was a bit of a self-pitying jerk, but really liked Frank. At the very least, he made me laugh every other time he opened his mouth.
Take for example, this paraphrased conversation between Frank & his majorly jerky older brother.
Frank: Wait here.
Shay: Do I look like your bitch?
Frank: Just a little around the mouth.
If you don't think that's hilarious, you may agree with the majority who don't seem to like Frank.
About the book: I read it in two days, staying up until 2:30 the second night. I read a description of Tana French's novels as "paper crack" and I have to agree. I can't wait for her fourth novel to come out this summer.
Frank Mackey has always believed he was jilted by his teenage love, but 22 years later, her suitcase is found in an abandoned house on his old street. Suddenly, his personal pain turns into a murder investigation. One problem, Frank is an undercover officer, not on the murder squad. If you read The Likeness, you know that Frank doesn't like to follow the rules.
Where French's first two novels took place in the 'burbs and the countryside, this one is set in a rough part of Dublin, featuring Frank's dysfunctional, estranged family as some of the main characters. They're an entertaining cast of characters, with colorful speech and actions. Bloody brilliant.
Take for example, this paraphrased conversation between Frank & his majorly jerky older brother.
Frank: Wait here.
Shay: Do I look like your bitch?
Frank: Just a little around the mouth.
If you don't think that's hilarious, you may agree with the majority who don't seem to like Frank.
About the book: I read it in two days, staying up until 2:30 the second night. I read a description of Tana French's novels as "paper crack" and I have to agree. I can't wait for her fourth novel to come out this summer.
Frank Mackey has always believed he was jilted by his teenage love, but 22 years later, her suitcase is found in an abandoned house on his old street. Suddenly, his personal pain turns into a murder investigation. One problem, Frank is an undercover officer, not on the murder squad. If you read The Likeness, you know that Frank doesn't like to follow the rules.
Where French's first two novels took place in the 'burbs and the countryside, this one is set in a rough part of Dublin, featuring Frank's dysfunctional, estranged family as some of the main characters. They're an entertaining cast of characters, with colorful speech and actions. Bloody brilliant.
Helpful Score: 1
This third effort in the Dublin Murder Squad series follows Frank Mackey (head of Undercover). Don't assume that you know this character based on his appearance in the previous two novels: this one will surprise you.
I still like the second in the series best, yet this one takes readers into working class Dublin and shows the psychological effects of hard times.
I still like the second in the series best, yet this one takes readers into working class Dublin and shows the psychological effects of hard times.
Helpful Score: 1
So far my all time favorite Tana French Novel. I absolutely loved this book! Frank Mackey is a very well written in-depth character. He is a depressed gritty detective who can be very comical and manipulative. Frank grew up poor in tenement type housing with a very crazy family. He was in love with Rose Daly down the street and they had a plan to run away to England together only she never showed up. Frank assumes she left without him due to a note found and goes about his life thinking she had betrayed him hoping that some day she would show up. Only to find out 22 years later that she never left the place that night. Great who done it murder mystery with Frenchs usual insight into the human mind. This novel was no exception when it came to her usual style most of the characters have lived hard lives and have ended up a broken fragment of what they could have been. Almost all of her characters need therapy which usual but they have heart and soul. Her characters leap off the pages and come to life you can almost see the whole story playing out.
Taryn M. (tarynissuper) reviewed Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad, Bk 3) on + 4 more book reviews
I really liked Tana French's two previous books (In The Woods and The Likeness), so I had high hopes for Faithful Place....And I was let down. Everything just felt "off" about this story. Without giving anything away, I thought the killer was predictable, I didn't find the main character to be likable, and unlike French's first two books, I was forcing myself to finish this one. I'm still a fan of French's writing and character development, I just feel like she missed the mark with this one.
Lynda C. (Readnmachine) reviewed Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad, Bk 3) on + 1474 more book reviews
French's books are always tightly-written and filled with complex characters and unexpected twists. This one is no exception.
In it, the discovery of a body in a long-abandoned tenement sets off the action. The "Dublin Murder Squad" is only peripherally involved with this one, but it still delivers the punch.
BTW, this is the first French I've read where I nailed the "whodunnit" fairly early on. I was patting myself on the back right up to the end, when the importance of the "whydunnit" took center stage and I had to admit I'd been off on the wrong track ... again.
In it, the discovery of a body in a long-abandoned tenement sets off the action. The "Dublin Murder Squad" is only peripherally involved with this one, but it still delivers the punch.
BTW, this is the first French I've read where I nailed the "whodunnit" fairly early on. I was patting myself on the back right up to the end, when the importance of the "whydunnit" took center stage and I had to admit I'd been off on the wrong track ... again.
Another winner form Tana French. I loved the complex family and childhood relationships tied in to the murder mystery. And I love spending virtual time in Dublin.
Wow is just about all I can say about Tana French's books, and this one in particular. She takes her reader on twists and turns that truly are unexpected yet make utter sense, in terms of plot and emotion. She creates a sense of time, place and culture that are indelible. I love her language and style - wonderful turns of phrases, unusual descriptions of people and place that provide insight into character and environment. Working-class Dublin in both past and present came to life vividly. I found myself rooting for Frank Mackey and felt his deep grief. Just a top-notch, character-driven mystery that showed again how Tana French's slightly skewed perspective on the world makes for satisfying fiction.
Tana French is one of the finest contemporary authors and "Faithful Place" is her best novel yet. This murder mystery, involving "The Likeness" detective Frank Mackey, is not the traditional procedural murder mystery. The novel interweaves two stories, one involving the murder of Frank's first love Rosie Daly and the estranged relationship with his family. The dialogue is crisp and spot on, her characters are deep and rich, and French packs an emotional wallop. I highly recommend this novel.
Tana French is gifted writer. I have now read all 4 of her books and they are outstanding. This book is no exception. Her characters are so well developed and the stories very interesting.
Jackie M. (jackiemo) -
I read the two other books by Tana French and I didn't enjoy this one quite as much. I thought that some of the science was off and some of the human behavior was not adequately explained and because it wasn't, seemed unlikely. Pretty good, but could have been great.
It becomes personal for Detective Frank Mackey,(a character from previous books)when he finds out the truth about his girlfriend who went missing 20 years ago. As usual, it takes place in Ireland and the dialog is fun to read, including Detective Mackey's dry sense of humor. Another fresh, smart, murder mystery from Tana French.
Karen S. (MKSbooklady) reviewed Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad, Bk 3) on + 988 more book reviews
I have read the first two of this series-first one was very good. Second one not so much, in my opinion. Did not like the characters. This one s fabulous-love the main character, Francis (Frank )Mackey. Great story telling here. If you have read the second one of Ms. French's books, and didn't like it, give this a try. Well worth it.
I've read all three of Tana French's books and this one was by far my favorite. Looking forward to more!
Tana French is a good writer--she is NOT, however, a good story teller. This is the third book that I've read in this series. I picked up Book 1 (In the Woods) for $.25 or $.50 6/2017 at a garage sale. The central character was a Det. Ryan who ended up returning to his childhood neighborhood to investigate a child murder. We learn that when Ryan was a lad, he and a couple mates went to the nearby woods. I don't recall how long they were gone--it might have been a day or two--but Ryan was the only one found. He had no memory of what happened and in the intervening years, his friends never turned up and Ryan's memory didn't return. So, this back story of Ryan's created a certain amount of suspense, making the reader wonder if the back story would be resolved at the end. SPOILER ALERT FOR BOOK 1: The murder was solved but the back story was not. Knowing that this book was the first in a series, I assumed that Ryan would be the central character in the ensuing books and that at some point the mystery in the woods would be resolved.
So, although I found the end of book 1 rather unsatisfying, I got Book 2 (The Likeness). I was surprised to find that Ryan was not the central character in this story--in fact, he barely made an appearance. Instead, the central figure is Cassie, a police officer who was a secondary character in Book 1. The plot line in Book 2 was entirely unbelievable. And, even though the murderer is caught in the end, there's a suggestion that perhaps it's really someone else. Furthermore, I found that I intensely disliked Cassie and didn't care what happened to her. Luckily, I got Book 2 off of paperbackswap.com so didn't pay anything except a small swap fee.
In spite of two disappointing books in a row from Tana French, I decided to give her another chance so I put Book 3 (Faithful Place) on my paperbackswap.com wish list and recently received that book. The central character in this book is Frank Mackey, who--surprise, surprise--was a secondary character in Book 2 (I bet one of the secondary characters in Book 3--i.e., "Scorcher"--will be the central character in Book 4). I had barely gotten into Chapter 1 when I started to dislike Frank. That didn't change--Frank is a thoroughly disagreeable character. Granted, he comes from an extremely dysfunctional family (alcoholism, domestic violence, poverty) but I suspect that even if he came from a more "normal" family, he'd be the same jerk.
Frank has had nothing to do with his family (other than occasional contact with sister Jackie) for 20+ years. Then he gets pulled back to the old neighborhood because a suitcase that belonged to his girlfriend (Rosie) of long ago is found in an old derelict building. We learn through recollections of Frank and other members of his family that he and Rosie planned to meet and run off to London 20+ years ago. Frank waited for her but she never appeared so he assumed he had been dumped.
Unlike many of the Amazon reviewers who figured out early who the suspect was, I had no clue until the end. I thought it was an OK ending but the rationale the killer gave seemed flimsy and unreal.
Considering three consecutive books from Tana French have been disappointing, I'm not sure I will read any more of her books.
P.S. I just looked up on Amazon Book 4 (Broken Harbor) of the series, and according to the brief description, Scorcher is the central character.
So, although I found the end of book 1 rather unsatisfying, I got Book 2 (The Likeness). I was surprised to find that Ryan was not the central character in this story--in fact, he barely made an appearance. Instead, the central figure is Cassie, a police officer who was a secondary character in Book 1. The plot line in Book 2 was entirely unbelievable. And, even though the murderer is caught in the end, there's a suggestion that perhaps it's really someone else. Furthermore, I found that I intensely disliked Cassie and didn't care what happened to her. Luckily, I got Book 2 off of paperbackswap.com so didn't pay anything except a small swap fee.
In spite of two disappointing books in a row from Tana French, I decided to give her another chance so I put Book 3 (Faithful Place) on my paperbackswap.com wish list and recently received that book. The central character in this book is Frank Mackey, who--surprise, surprise--was a secondary character in Book 2 (I bet one of the secondary characters in Book 3--i.e., "Scorcher"--will be the central character in Book 4). I had barely gotten into Chapter 1 when I started to dislike Frank. That didn't change--Frank is a thoroughly disagreeable character. Granted, he comes from an extremely dysfunctional family (alcoholism, domestic violence, poverty) but I suspect that even if he came from a more "normal" family, he'd be the same jerk.
Frank has had nothing to do with his family (other than occasional contact with sister Jackie) for 20+ years. Then he gets pulled back to the old neighborhood because a suitcase that belonged to his girlfriend (Rosie) of long ago is found in an old derelict building. We learn through recollections of Frank and other members of his family that he and Rosie planned to meet and run off to London 20+ years ago. Frank waited for her but she never appeared so he assumed he had been dumped.
Unlike many of the Amazon reviewers who figured out early who the suspect was, I had no clue until the end. I thought it was an OK ending but the rationale the killer gave seemed flimsy and unreal.
Considering three consecutive books from Tana French have been disappointing, I'm not sure I will read any more of her books.
P.S. I just looked up on Amazon Book 4 (Broken Harbor) of the series, and according to the brief description, Scorcher is the central character.
Taryn C. (TarynC) -
This is one of my favorite books by Ms. French, her characters are wonderful, they are real and well written and the book is suspensful and keeps you guessing. I wish this book was made into a movie, it could be fantastic! Sometimes with foreign books its hard to understand the nuances of the culture, this wasnt the case here! I enjoyed every moment!
I love Tana French. She develops her characters so well and keeps you guessing until the very end. I can't wait to get her next book.
I am not typically a fan of the mystery genre, but this book rises above. One of the reasons I don't read mysteries is because I guess the culprit early on (also true with this book) and a lot of mysteries depend entirely on the suspense of solving the case. In this case, the characters were so sharply drawn and the plot so dependent upon their reactions that the suspense didn't die with the mystery. Highly recommended for an engaging read, and I plan to read more Tana French after this, my first read in the series.
I've enjoyed reading this book, but it does bog down a bit in the middle. Can't speak for the end...I'm not there yet!
Didn't like anything about this one.
I guess it takes place in Ireland? The language used is supposed to be an Irish brogue? It was hard to read due to writing it like a foreign language slang.
Didn't like any of the characters, the families were just written like idiots and there was nothing likeable about any of them.
I finally got the gist of the story then skipped to the back to find the murderer and I didn't care about the why of it. I don't want any more books by French.
I guess it takes place in Ireland? The language used is supposed to be an Irish brogue? It was hard to read due to writing it like a foreign language slang.
Didn't like any of the characters, the families were just written like idiots and there was nothing likeable about any of them.
I finally got the gist of the story then skipped to the back to find the murderer and I didn't care about the why of it. I don't want any more books by French.
