The Searcher

A Novel

By: Tana French

Narrated by: Roger Clark

Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Best Book of 2020 by New York Times, NPR, and New York Post

"This hushed suspense tale about thwarted dreams of escape may be her best one yet.... Its own kind of masterpiece." (Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post)

"A new Tana French is always cause for celebration.... Read it once for the plot; read it again for the beauty and subtlety of French's writing." (Sarah Lyall, The New York Times)

Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. After 25 years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But when a local kid whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat, and starts to realize that even small towns shelter dangerous secrets.

"One of the greatest crime novelists writing today" (Vox) weaves a masterful, atmospheric tale of suspense, asking how to tell right from wrong in a world where neither is simple, and what we stake on that decision.

©2020 Tana French (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A slow-burn stunner that will keep readers turning the pages late into the night. Recommend to the author’s legions of fans, as well as those who enjoy crime fiction set in small towns like Julia Keller’s or Jane Harper’s novels.” (Library Journal, starred review)

“In another stand-alone, French again displays impressive versatility...French skillfully builds suspense...a fine thriller, but also a moving story of an unlikely friendship that grows from refinishing a ramshackle desk to rebuilding two nearly broken lives.” (Booklist)

“Deliver[s] plenty of twists, shocking revelations, and truly chilling moments.” (Kirkus)

It was an ok book. Bad American accent though.

For some reason the narrator/author kept referring to everyone's mother as ( mamma ). Like all southerners don't say it that much or calls there mother this. It honestly drove me crazy. The American accent wasn't to great, but the story was awesome like usual

Not the usual Tana French

I probably wouldn't have finished this if it was a different author. When I had about 6 hrs left I was more into it, and liked it. It's very descriptive on setting, and well written, but kind of boring. It's not really a mystery, just more of a story that involves a missing person. Just kind of dull.

Boring

This could have been a great story but I found it lacking in depth or excitement.

Around the campfire...

Tana French is one of my favorite writers. The Searcher is beautifully written, her best writing yet. It is not the usual police procedural you expect from her, but a character-driven story that gets to the heart of a rural Irish town and evokes old American westerns. Roger Clark, who narrates the audiobook, does a fantastic job of delineating each character, no easy trick, especially in the populated pub scenes. Whether the speaker is a man or woman, American or Irish, adult or child, you never doubt who is speaking. All have distinctive accents. All sound natural.
Cal, a retired American cop, is seeking a life change in the rural west of Ireland. You won't be surprised that he doesn't stay retired for long. Clark tells his story in a way reminiscent of tales told around a campfire. His performance is entertaining, but never overwhelms the story. He lets the good writing shine through.
This goes to the top of my list of all-time favorite audiobooks.

Decent Manuscript; Bad Choice of Narrator

This was our first exposure to Tana French, and we found her story -- about a retired Chicago cop who tries to establish a quieter life for himself in western Ireland -- to be interesting enough. But the reader (who is otherwise quite good) offers up a monotonous American accent that reminds me of comedians who do excessive, caricatured impressions of John Wayne. After a couple of hours of this I found myself wincing and offering up bad John Wayne impressions myself to my wife's chagrin. It may say something about the strength of the story that we were able to listen to all 14.5 hours of the book.

Disappointed

Love Tana French but this was such a departure; found story tedious and long. looming forward to the return of the Dublin Squad.

Couldn’t get thru it!

I was really hoping this story would be good because the setting, and the narrator both very compelling, but the dialogue just drones on and on and on. Had to quit it 1/3 of the way wondering when the action or anything interesting would start. Too bad I’ll never know.

struggled to finish. hoped for something other tha

I hoped for something other than a drug story. something more mysterious. although the narrator's Irish was quite good

Nail biter

There were so many twists and turns this could have taken that you really didn’t know how it would end.

Might be her best so far. Worth the wait

First time listening to Roger Clark. One voice he sounds like Robert Shaw. I kept hearing Quint.

Great Story, better narration

Tempted to give the story 4 stars to emphasize how well it is narrated, but the story itself was too good.