Book Review: The Trespasser by Tana French

I don’t think I’ve read Tana French before. This book was picked purely because it sounded interesting.

Antoinette Conway is leading an investigation that looks like a regular domestic killing along with her partner Steve Moran. A young woman has been found with her head bashed in. The house is in immaculate condition and the table is set for two.

This looks like an easy case but before they know it, however it soon evolves into a complex web of mystery. Lots of elements of the unknown, lots of possible suspects. At every point Antoinette faces other challenges like being the outsider in her own department. There are folk there who are just waiting for her to fail. Antoinette’s feisty, in the face behaviour doesn’t quite help. 

A really well plotted story, with lots of detail. I could almost feel the setting, be it the crime scene or the roads they traipsed while investigating the murder. The characters were all well etched. Detective Conway, for all her aggression, tends to appeal with her down to earth nature and attitude to things. You cheer her on, you want her to emerge the winner. 

I really enjoyed the way the story moves. It had me hooked almost as soon as I started reading and had me hooked till the very end. This is supposed to be part of a series but having read only this one, it was still easy enough for me to figure out the background. It did make me want to go and get hold of the other books in the series.

This author is one I’m definitely going to  be on the lookout for.

About the Author

Tana French grew up in Ireland, Italy, the US and Malawi, and has lived in Dublin since 1990. She trained as a professional actress at Trinity College, Dublin, and has worked in theater, film and voice-over.