With Halloween around the corner, try a haunting mystery.
Some readers absolutely love a good mystery. I haven’t sampled a mystery since my Nancy Drew days, but I think I might after reading this thoughtful review of Tana French by Nicki Joy, a well-read mystery buff. Joy ends her article by mentioning several other mystery writers. I would welcome further reader comments on the authors and their books.
A book has to grab me from the start to keep me reading; and, if it’s a mystery or psychological thriller taking place in Ireland, all my personal puzzle pieces fit. Tana French is one of my favorite authors who is so adept at reeling me in and taking me through.
She manages to blend description with action and is brilliant when writing dialogue. (Which is the most difficult thing to write.) Her characters are complex, but yet so relatable.
I have not equally cared for all her books though her series with the Dublin Murder Squad nicely lifts you into the story with her rich use of language blended with a salty nip of Irish slang.
In her latest book, The Searcher, Cal, her central character, is on the surface 180 degrees removed from me. However, French gets him to easily creep into my psyche and I find myself so engaged with his persona, re-invented life and decisions. I have to admit that I am pretty narrow when it comes to my reading choices. As I mentioned, British or Irish thrillers are my thing; and, along with Tana French, Deborah Crombie, Ann Cleeves, Morag Joss and Stephen Puleston, they keep me busy and intrigued.
I, too, was intrigued by the Tana French mystery series. However, in many cases, I was praying that her editors would have reined her in to eliminate some soul-crushing tedium, suffered by those (me) who must always finish the book, no matter what. Maybe, I will try the new one. A series called Dublin Murders is available on Amazon Prime, Hulu and some other cable services. The series concerns one of her books, Into the Woods, and was well done. (Be sure to put on the subtitles – ha ha).