The Hunter by Tana French [Book Review]

He leans in closer. ‘I’ll tell you a secret,’ he says, ‘that I’ve learned along the way. The best thing you can have in life is a bit of shine on you. A bitta possibility; a bitta magic. A shine. People can’t stay away from that. Once you’ve got it, it doesn’t matter a tap whether they like you, or whether they respect you. They’ll convince themselves that they do. And then they’ll do whatever you want from them.
Page 44

In a nutshell

Cal Hooper was a Chicago detective until he retired, packed up his city life and moved to a small county in West Ireland. There he found companionship with a local widow, Lena and a hobby in woodworking – which he does with Trey, a half-wild teenager he’s formed a bond with. His life is finally peaceful, until in the midst of a record hot summer, two men arrive in town looking for gold. One of those men is Trey’s father and Cal will do anything to protect her. But she doesn’t want protection – what she wants is revenge.

Book Club Notes

This book is a slow burn – it’s like watching someone drop a match on a field and seeing how that match burns slowly until it finally erupts into fierce flames. But that’s what I’ve come to expect from a Tana French novel – a slow burn mystery that builds in intensity as you read. The Hunter is a sequel of sorts to The Searcher, but you do not have to read one to enjoy and understand the other. It’s a well written and captivating mystery – but not in the can’t put it down, will stay up all night reading – that feeling only hits 3 chapters to the end. And like I said in my review of The Searcher, she perfectly captures the essence of a small town community where everyone knows everyone’s business going back generations.