
Tana French, who is Irish herself, lends credibility to the local inhabitants’ relationships, character, and often humorous village dialogue. Although this novel may not appear as complex as her last one, “The Witch Elm”, it subtly leads the reader to and often away from the predicament at hand. The villagers’ manner of speaking, although apparently direct and entertaining, may have hidden motives. Perhaps life here is not as simple as Cal first believed. As he unravels the missing-person mystery, he begins to realize that the villagers are not so keen on his doing so. As usual with French’s novels, there is more than what first appears.
“The Searcher” is available at the Huron County Library.