Fifteen people participated in the December 16, 2021 Holiday Book Discussion at the BarrelHouse. It was a fun evening and overall, in keeping with the Mystery Book Club practice, on a scale from 1 to 5, “The Searcher” by Tana French had an average rating of 3.8. It was ranked as low as 2 by a few and as high as 4.5.
The most criticized aspect of the story was that it was slow going in parts. The second half of the book was viewed as faster moving. It was generally agreed that French’s writing is very descriptive and one person thought land and weather were characters as well. Small town life was presented in gritty detail and local characters often had a threatening side to them which the hero, Cal, was aware of but at the same time somewhat naive about. Most thought the Trey as boy then girl was an interesting twist. People looked up rooks since they also appeared as characters. Many thought the reason for the disappearance of Trey’s brother was pretty obvious from the start and that he was very probably dead.
The comparison of Cal to John Wayne as in “The Searchers” or “The Quiet Man” was made by the group and also in some of the reviews of the book. Good discussion and good evening, ending in Book Grab Bag or Bar Counter Grab.
Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five 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.
