Faithful Place

A Novel

By: Tana French

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Length: 16 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

From Tana French, "the most interesting, most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years" (The Washington Post), the best-seller called "the most stunning of her books" (The New York Times) and a finalist for the Edgar Award. Don't miss her newest, The Trespasser, now available.

Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was a nineteen-year-old kid with a dream of escaping his family's cramped flat on Faithful Place and running away to London with his girl, Rosie Daly. But on the night they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn't show. Frank took it for granted that she'd dumped him-probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again. Neither did Rosie. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie's suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank, now a detective in the Dublin Undercover squad, is going home whether he likes it or not.

Getting sucked in is a lot easier than getting out again. Frank finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind. The cops working the case want him out of the way, in case loyalty to his family and community makes him a liability. Faithful Place wants him out because he's a detective now, and the Place has never liked cops. Frank just wants to find out what happened to Rosie Daly-and he's willing to do whatever it takes, to himself or anyone else, to get the job done.

©2011 Tana French (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Tana French’s mysteries are like big old trees: the deeper their roots, the more luxurious the foliage they wave in your face.” (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review) 

“French does something fresh with every novel, each one as powerful as the last but in a very different manner. Perhaps she has superpowers of her own? Whatever the source of her gift, it’s only growing more miraculous with every book.” (Laura Miller, Salon.com) 

“Irish writer Tana French hit the big time with her stunning cop-drama debut, 'In the Woods,' and followed it with an equally brilliant book, 'The Likeness.' Both demonstrated French’s gift for merging the best traits of the crime genre with the compassionate insights and nimble prose associated with 'serious' literature. A third dazzler, 'Faithful Place,' puts Detective Frank Mackey, a supporting actor from 'The Likeness,' front and center.” (The Seattle Times)    

Come for the narrator, stay for the story

Okay, first and foremost: TIM GERARD REYNOLDS. *swoon*

I liked this book a lot, even more than The Likeness . I'm really glad I decided to keep trying with French's books, even after the hot mess that was In the Woods . Her writing really is gorgeous, and the mysteries are always intriguing, but in the case of Faithful Place, everything else was just right, too.

Frank Mackie fascinates me. His personal life, his professional life, his childhood are all fascinating aspects of his character. He's well-developed and kept my attention from the beginning.

The secondary characters are good, too. Complicated, well-drawn, sympathetic, and, in some cases, outrageous, they're all so riveting. They drive the story here, rather than the plot driving them.

The plot is no slacker, though. A decades-old mystery that turns out to be a murder and then actually gets solved?! Be still my heart!

(See also In the Woods for why I find this so exciting.) A whodunit that I solved early, but was still fascinated enough in the whydunit to continue reading. The murderer's logic doesn't really come through for me, but I guess that's a good thing. I don't really want to have the exact same logic as a murderer.

Frank's relationship with his daughter and ex-wife were also intriguing, and I felt like I understood them very well after finishing this book. I don't know where they're going to end up, but I hope it's in a good place for all of them.

TL;DR: Best book from French so far. Definitely going to keep reading this series. Next up: Broken Harbor.

Favorite

This is my favorite Tana French novel yet! It's more character and family driven than police procedure driven! I hardly ever give a book 5 stars, but this one is worthy!

What a life

This is a Dickens family, So ugly you cant stop reading. The mystery is as usual in French's books a really good tough one. It is the setting that rules in this one though. A truly terrific writer.

MIND BLOWING

Tana French is an unbelievably gifted writer. The best I've ever read. I read alot!

What dark magic does Tana French have?

I rarely ever read series because I get bored of the characters. French somehow makes every new introduction to characters we’ve already met seem so fresh and exciting. And don’t get me started on the incredible plot and character building dialogue and family/relationship dynamics that will have you worrying and thinking about them every moment you aren’t actively reading (though you’ll be lost in them while you are). I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been so emotionally involved in not only the primary characters but also those we meet briefly. Cannot recommend highly enough. Please please get this series in your life. You won’t regret it (or only briefly while you cry or rage or laugh out loud). These are so realistic in every way you want them to be

Disfinctional

French’s searing portrayal of a disfunctional Irish family tears you apart. I found it very hard to read. On the other hand the narrative was shocking good.

Best so far...

... of the Dublin Murder Squad series, in my opinion. Although, in truth, this had very little to do with the squad. I like how French introduces a supporting character in one book, then makes them the focus of the next. I didn't care that much for Frank Mackey in the previous book, but he won me over in this one. I think a lot of it had to do with the narration, which was superb. French is a terrific writer, better, I think, with character and a sense of place than she is with plotting. The mystery was not that hard to figure out - I did so half way through. But the reveal brought me no joy - it was incredibly sad. I couldn't get it out of my head for days. This is more a portrait of a dysfunctional family than anything else, but well done. Or as Mackey would say, "fair play to you."

Where is the mystery

Why can’t Irish authors take lessons from Australian authors. I was buying a mystery, not this is what life in Ireland loke

Fantastic

Tans French is a first class author and this story does not disappoint. It’s a pleasure listening to quality literature performed marvelously well by a guy with an Irish accent that thrills. Enjoy this one.

great narrator but story has a lot of repetition

the narrator is brilliant, make this come alive. the presentation of the working class irish families and neighborhood brilliant. but... the story line itself is really more about a teenage live story than a mystery. gets bit boring to keep hearing how a love at 19 yrs old is still obsessing the protagonist now ins his 40s. so gave up on this.