Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
Helpful Score: 2
Tana French's books get categorized under murder mysteries at the book stores and libraries. In some ways, this is entirely accurate, since they are all about members of the Dublin Murder Squad. In another sense, this negatively prejudices potential readers who are not fans of that genre, since Ms. French actually writes incredible character studies about people who happen to be members of the police.
In "The Trespasser", Ms. French continues her tradition of taking supporting characters from one book and giving them the spotlight in her current one. However, she twists the concept by using the same leads from her last book, "Faithful Place", Antoinette Conway and Stephen Moran , but telling the tale from Conway's perspective rather than Moran's as in the prior book. The cast is rounded out with other members of the squad and a few suspects and potential witnesses.
One thing I dread about Ms. French's books is their length this one was spread over 18 CDs in the audio edition I listened to. However, a large part of her books is the detailed interplay between the police and witnesses / suspects. One might be able to "edit" a 20 minute symphony by removing some aspects of the music, but the overall piece would be lesser from their absence. In the same fashion, Ms. French's ability to "conduct" an interview (pun not intended, but I'll go with it) would leave less of an impact had the conversation been shortened for publication. Each sentence, each word, and each nuance helps reflect the characters and the methods by which they are revealed.
For once, I actually figured out "whodunnit" in one of Ms. French's mysteries. I found that this did NOT lessen my enjoyment of the book, as (a) I'm usually wrong so was waiting for the point where the author pulled the rug out from under me, and (b) I totally missed out on HOW the killer was outed.
So, why are you wasting your time reading my ramblings about this book when you could be out there reading the book itself?
RATING: 5 stars. Even by the high standards set by Tana French in her earlier works.
In "The Trespasser", Ms. French continues her tradition of taking supporting characters from one book and giving them the spotlight in her current one. However, she twists the concept by using the same leads from her last book, "Faithful Place", Antoinette Conway and Stephen Moran , but telling the tale from Conway's perspective rather than Moran's as in the prior book. The cast is rounded out with other members of the squad and a few suspects and potential witnesses.
One thing I dread about Ms. French's books is their length this one was spread over 18 CDs in the audio edition I listened to. However, a large part of her books is the detailed interplay between the police and witnesses / suspects. One might be able to "edit" a 20 minute symphony by removing some aspects of the music, but the overall piece would be lesser from their absence. In the same fashion, Ms. French's ability to "conduct" an interview (pun not intended, but I'll go with it) would leave less of an impact had the conversation been shortened for publication. Each sentence, each word, and each nuance helps reflect the characters and the methods by which they are revealed.
For once, I actually figured out "whodunnit" in one of Ms. French's mysteries. I found that this did NOT lessen my enjoyment of the book, as (a) I'm usually wrong so was waiting for the point where the author pulled the rug out from under me, and (b) I totally missed out on HOW the killer was outed.
So, why are you wasting your time reading my ramblings about this book when you could be out there reading the book itself?
RATING: 5 stars. Even by the high standards set by Tana French in her earlier works.
Helpful Score: 1
When does an unreliable narrator (or perspective character) become not just unreliable, but unbearable ... ?
My track record with Tana French is going rapidly downhill: I found "In The Woods" frustrating, but intriguing. I loathed "The Likeness," and when I finished it, I felt like joining a class-action suit for compensation for the hours of my life that I lost on it. I really liked "Faithful Place," as a picture of a working-class Dublin family and its neighbours-- but ultimately thought that the mystery was a damp squib, and very disappointing.
I picked this up in a charity shop, and it's charity shops that I blame for my misguided attempts to give authors who have disappointed me just one more chance ... (I don't blame ME: I am the innocent victim here, you understand ...) I think, everyone raves about her, she must have gotten good, worked out the kinks. But no ...
You might think I would enjoy this, as Antoinette Conway shares my weakness for doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Behave like a loose cannon, and suffer the professional and personal consequences of loose-cannondom. Rinse and repeat. Refuse to be a team player, and whine endlessly about being excluded from the team ... I read enough to decide that, however obnoxious and laddish her colleagues on the Murder Squad might be, a) what did she expect when aspiring to be part of the Murder Squad, colleagues with the temperaments and manners of Trappist monks? And b) she is herself obnoxious and self-centered enough that, however sexist her colleagues may be, perhaps just this once they have a point.
My track record with Tana French is going rapidly downhill: I found "In The Woods" frustrating, but intriguing. I loathed "The Likeness," and when I finished it, I felt like joining a class-action suit for compensation for the hours of my life that I lost on it. I really liked "Faithful Place," as a picture of a working-class Dublin family and its neighbours-- but ultimately thought that the mystery was a damp squib, and very disappointing.
I picked this up in a charity shop, and it's charity shops that I blame for my misguided attempts to give authors who have disappointed me just one more chance ... (I don't blame ME: I am the innocent victim here, you understand ...) I think, everyone raves about her, she must have gotten good, worked out the kinks. But no ...
You might think I would enjoy this, as Antoinette Conway shares my weakness for doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Behave like a loose cannon, and suffer the professional and personal consequences of loose-cannondom. Rinse and repeat. Refuse to be a team player, and whine endlessly about being excluded from the team ... I read enough to decide that, however obnoxious and laddish her colleagues on the Murder Squad might be, a) what did she expect when aspiring to be part of the Murder Squad, colleagues with the temperaments and manners of Trappist monks? And b) she is herself obnoxious and self-centered enough that, however sexist her colleagues may be, perhaps just this once they have a point.
