If you have not yet read Tana French you are in for a treat! After reading A Faithful Place a couple of years ago I was hooked, and each book I have read since has lived up to my expectations!  She is the master of the psychological mystery, using a deft touch for her characters and letting them speak to you in their own voice as the mystery unfolds.

In Broken Harbor we meet Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy, a member of the Dublin Murder Squad who “always gets his man.” Mick is still smarting from his last case which didn’t got so well and so when he is given a new case near the seaside town of Broken Harbor he is determined to get this one right. From the beginning however, something feels strange about this case. The murder takes place in a lovely home in a brand new development. The two children, were smothered in their beds and the father and mother are found lying next to each other in a pool of blood. The mother, stabbed several times is barely alive and unconscious. Inexplicably there are holes drilled into the walls of their new home and baby monitors set up everywhere including the attic, where they also find a huge bear trap set and ready.

As Mick and his partner sift through the facts and try to understand what the crime scene is telling them they find that although this family had bought their dream home, their lives were in turmoil and they were facing mounting debt, foreclosure all caused by the chaos of the economic downturn.  Not only that, Mick and his partner find evidence that there was someone watching this family who may have been entering the house and moving things around or even taking small souvenirs.

Mick in turn is trying to deal with his own issues about Broken Harbor, the scene of a terrible incident in his childhood. And if that were not enough, his sister who is emotionally fragile at best chooses this moment to have one of her breakdowns.

French masterfully explores each character’s psyche and what motivates them. And as we get to know Mick, the story of his childhood along with how he has to deal with his sister, we understand his need for control and the motivation to “always get his man.” As the case twist and turns his facade begins to crack making it harder and harder for him to maintain his objectivity and control.

This was such a satisfying book! Great plot, great pacing, great characters and a surprising ending!

Brenda’s Rating:  ****(4 Stars out of 5)

Recommend this Book to: Sharon, Ken, and Marian

Books Study Worthy: Yes

Read in ebook format.