Detective Stephen Moran is trapped in the dregs of Cold Cases until the day he sees Holly Mackey walk through his door with a photo of a murdered young man and an anonymous note she found on the school's message board, entitled THE SECRET PLACE. The murder case is still open with Antoinette Conway serving as the lead detective. Stephen knows this may be his only shot to make it onto Dublin's Murder Squad but will he and Conway manage to navigate through the politics of the wealthy girls' school? And will any of the girls break their silence and reveal what they know about murdered Chris Harper?

THE SECRET PLACE is the fifth book in The Dublin Murder Squad series but can easily be read as a standalone. Frank Mackey, from the third book, and his daughter, Holly, play key roles in THE SECRET PLACE but it is not necessary to know their prior history in order to fully appreciate Tana French's latest novel. Ironically, the third book is the only Tana French I haven't previously read- an oversight I will soon be correcting!

Tana French has quickly catapulted to the top of my list for mystery writers who are a must-read. THE SECRET PLACE is a bit different than the prior books as the point of view and time frame shift. A large portion of the story is told from the flashbacks of the various girls at St. Kilda's as Tana French delves into the murky, sometimes quite nasty gossip of teenage girls. The current day events all occur in the span of one day, an amazing feat considering the wealth of character development and plot that Tana French conveys to the reader. Sorting through what is fact and what is fiction presents a challenge for Conway and Moran and the flashbacks aid the reader in grasping the overall plot.

Character development is crucial to the success of THE SECRET PLACE as Tana French fleshes out even minor secondary characters quite thoroughly. It is easy to get caught up in the storyline as Tana French transports the readers back to both the magic and the heartache of being a teenage girl. The conniving, the manipulation, and the oh-so-loyal bonds of friendship are on clear display for the reader to see as Tana French does a magnificent job at bringing the world to vivid life.

THE SECRET PLACE is yet another hit from the talented Tana French. If you love detective mysteries where the focus is on the psychological, then do not miss a single one of French's books. Tana French is absolutely stellar once again as I cannot recommend THE SECRET PLACE highly enough!