Detective Antoinette Conway and her partner, Stephen
Moran, seem doomed to continue working mainly the
domestic deaths on the Murder Squad. Their newest case
doesn't appear to change that trend, but little things
just aren't adding up. Detective Breslin has been
assigned to "assist" Antoinette and Stephen, but he seems
determined to get the case closed quickly. Did Aislinn
Murray's boyfriend, Rory, murder her or is there
something more sinister at work?
THE TRESPASSER is the sixth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series and
the second book pairing Antoinette
and Steve together. THE TRESPASSER can be read on its own
merits but THE SECRET PLACE shows how they first evolved
as partners in the Murder Squad. I would suggest starting
with THE SECRET PLACE as the background history gives
more credibility to Steve's sometimes outrageous
brainstorming suggestions.
Tana French is a master at taking characters and wringing
out their every secret, showing us the good and the bad.
Antoinette is not an easy character to like. Her
prickliness, while completely understandable due to the
workplace harassment she has endured, makes her unlikable
for large chunks of the story. Steve, on the other hand,
is almost spineless at times and it took one specific
scene late in the book before he finally clicked as a
character for me. And yet, I couldn't stop reading! That
skill is the magic of a Tana French novel.
The mystery seems simplistic, but that's before Tana
French puts her twists into the plot. I figured out a
part of the plot twist, but Tana French still had some
surprises in store. And oh, the ending...the ending of THE
TRESPASSER is perhaps one of my favorite endings for a
crime thriller ever! I can't say more because of fear of
spoiling it for others but suffice to say that I was
thoroughly satisfied with the conclusion of THE
TRESPASSER.
Tana French is one of my favorite authors in the genre
for a reason. Her stories are richly detailed, with well-
drawn characters and intriguing plot lines. If you love
crime thrillers, try a taste of Ireland with Tana
French's THE TRESPASSER!
In bestselling Tana French’s newest “tour de force,”* being
on the Murder squad is nothing like Detective Antoinette
Conway dreamed it would be. Her partner, Stephen Moran, is
the only person who seems glad she’s there. The rest of her
working life is a stream of thankless cases, vicious pranks,
and harassment. Antoinette is savagely tough, but she’s
getting close to the breaking point.
Their new case looks like yet another by-the-numbers lovers’
quarrel gone bad. Aislinn Murray is blond, pretty, groomed
to a shine, and dead in her catalogue-perfect living room,
next to a table set for a romantic dinner. There’s nothing
unusual about her—except that Antoinette’s seen her
somewhere before.
And that her death won’t stay in its neat by-numbers box.
Other detectives are trying to push Antoinette and Steve
into arresting Aislinn’s boyfriend, fast. There’s a shadowy
figure at the end of Antoinette's road. Aislinn's friend is
hinting that she knew Aislinn was in danger. And everything
they find out about Aislinn takes her further from the
glossy, passive doll she seemed to be.
Antoinette knows the harassment has turned her paranoid, but
she can’t tell just how far gone she is. Is this case
another step in the campaign to force her off the squad, or
are there darker currents flowing beneath its polished surface?