This is the sequel to Tana French’s novel, The Searcher. I read that novel and eagerly hoped that we’d see Cal Hooper again in subsequent book. Cal is a retired Chicago police officer who moved to the rural west Ireland village, hoping for a quiet life. In The Searcher, Cal meets a lonely, almost feral teenager, Trey, who wants Cal’s help to find a missing brother. Cal and Trey form a tenuous bond, and when we catch up with the pair in The Hunter two years later, we find that bond has grown stronger and deeper, and a touch easier, with Cal becoming a cautious surrogate father to Trey, treading lightly so as to not stain this carefully nurtured relationship.
Both novels are rich in their imagery of the rugged Irish setting, and in illustrating how difficult it is for any “interloper” to become accepted by the town’s citizens. Each in their own way, Cal and Trey both have to constantly work to find their place in the village that is their home.
The Hunter explores the return of Trey’s father to the village. This obvious grifter, Johnny Reddy, arrives with no apology for his long absence and the hardship it’s meant for his wife and several children. He brings a get-rich-quick story of long-lost gold deposits that enthralls many gullible men in Johnny’s old circle of detractors. But both Trey and Cal are more skeptical, as are a few others. The supposed basis for the lost-gold tale is an English millionaire, who arrives to support Johnny’s scheme. This is the story that drives this novel.
As with other Tana French crime novels, while it is a story of “crime,” it’s more a novel about relationships. We see the action through Cal’s lens, and we have access to his inner thoughts and motivations. But it’s a very clever third person narrative.
Gorgeous prose. Keen insight into the human psyche. Completely satisfying. Very hard to put down. I cannot give this novel any less than a 5-star rating. I hope Tana French is busy writing her next novel. I want to keep reading her beautifully told stories for the rest of my life.
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Reviews with images
One for the Narrowbacks
The Hunter is a lot like listening to an Irish person tell a story in a pub. It goes on and on, struggles to get to a point, and when finally the long yarn reaches a conclusion you’d already figured out where it would end and it really was not that interesting. I know - I’m Irish and used to tell those stories when I was a raging drunk. The more I got to know every character in this book the duller I found them. I couldn’t wait to finish just to confirm I was right. I was. I have no interest in revisiting this redneck filled boghole.
Top reviews from other countries
Ed Baines
Good charecterisation -perhaps more than I would like in a thriller/murder mystery
Reviewed in Spain on June 26, 2024
Snapdragon
Another excellent Tana French novel
Reviewed in Australia on March 9, 2024