The Trespasser: A Novel (2016)

The Dublin Murder Squad is back. This time around, we're living in the head of Antoinette Conway, the only female detective on the squad, who along with her partner Stephen Moran (he had the starring role in the last series book, [The Secret Place]) takes the lead on investigating what seems at first to be a simple case of domestic violence turned deadly. But some details don't ring true with that scenario, and the deeper Conway and Moran dig the more members of their own department seem to throw up roadblocks and generally act suspicious as hell. I liked Conway a lot; like all of French's characters she defies easy categorization and is portrayed as a fully nuanced personality. The fact that she is a person of color is mentioned and has some minor plot consequences but in many ways it serves only to demonstrate what many of us who work with immigrants already know: They can be as Irish (or American, or English) as someone whose family has lived there for generations. There were several times when I wondered how French would wrap this one up, and I'm not entirely sure I buy the ending, but overall this was an immensely satisfying entry in the series. ( )

4.5 stars

This is told from the point of view of a female detective. Someone was murdered. She and her partner have to figure out what really happened, and they are under tremendous pressure to wrap it up quickly. Great mystery. Excellent delivery. The character feel real. I got into the story right away and it kept me interested. I didn't know how the story would end before it happened. That's a plus for sure. This is listed as book 6 in the series. I don't know how much the books are connected because this is the only one that I've read, but I did not feel lost at all. I recommend it. ( )

4.5 stars

This is told from the point of view of a female detective. Someone was murdered. She and her partner have to figure out what really happened, and they are under tremendous pressure to wrap it up quickly. Great mystery. Excellent delivery. The character feel real. I got into the story right away and it kept me interested. I didn't know how the story would end before it happened. That's a plus for sure. This is listed as book 6 in the series. I don't know how much the books are connected because this is the only one that I've read, but I did not feel lost at all. I recommend it. ( )

Tough Irish detective determined to earn her mettle on the force. Written in first person, complete with Irish slang etc, so it takes a little gitting used to at first. Suspenseful twist at the end-- couldn't put it down! ( )

Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad is a consistently well-written and entertaining psychological suspense series. The latest entry, The Trespasser, is another winner. While not my personal favorite in the series, it is nevertheless a terrific read with French’s trademark plot twists and deep delving into the minds of both the victims and the cops who investigate the crimes.

Since the first book in the series, French has taken a secondary figure from an earlier book and made them the lead in the next one. The Trespasser is told from the perspective of Antoinette Conway, the lone female detective on the murder squad. Along with her partner, Stephen Moran, they are called in to investigate what looks to be a routine domestic incident that led to the death of a young woman, Aislinn Murray. It wouldn’t be much of a story if it were actually a routine incident, so of course it is not.

The boyfriend is an obvious suspect, but Conway sees an unusual amount of secrets in the victim’s life, and finds the pressure from within the squad to make a quick arrest of the boyfriend likewise suspicious. Complicating matters is the harassment Conway routinely receives from her own squad. This causes her to suspect that she may be being misled so that she will make a mistake which will lead to her either quitting or being fired. But is the mistake acting too quickly or not acting quickly enough with an obvious suspect in front of her?

In the first part of the story, we learn of the possible presence of a “mystery man” in Aislinn’s life. The evidence is scant enough that it’s possible he doesn’t exist. This fuels Conway’s paranoia. At various points she begins to suspect everyone on the murder squad to be out to get her, even coming to believe that her partner wouldn’t mind seeing her gone. It’s in this early part that I felt the story suffered a little in comparison to previous entries in the series. Conway’s introspective paranoia began to stray from legitimate grievances to self-pitying wallowing. Whether this was a result of or caused by a lot more of the novel spending time within the actual police headquarters as compared to the other books I’m not sure. The time spent focusing on Conway’s relationship with the squad seemed to slow what we were learning about Aislinn’s life to a trickle.

The story picks up the pace at about the halfway point and we begin to see more solid evidence of there being more to Aislinn than meets the eye. Some of the most entertaining parts of French’s books are the investigatory dead ends that rather than being throwaways, are part of the sifting and winnowing that allows the true story to emerge and lead to the solving of the crime. Likewise, there is a jumping back and forth in time, as events in the victim’s past shine a light on the crime in the present.

As Conway and Moran close in on the murderer, not only does Aislinn as a victim come into tragic focus, but Conway gets clarity on her own place in the squad and is able to interpret events a little more realistically.

One of the things that French does best in her novels is to drive home the tragedy and pointlessness of these crimes. She also shows how events deep in the past have shaped these persons lives; victims, perpetrators and investigators. The open question is whether once started on this path, was tragedy always inevitable? French makes you care about these characters and feel the pain of the choices they made. Hope comes in the form of the lessons the detectives learn along the way and the chance that it alters their perspective enough to change their own path.

The Trespasser is another great read from French and perfect for anyone who enjoys psychological suspense. I’ll keep reading as long as she keeps writing. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book. ( )