by Tana French
Tana French is an Irish mystery writer who is soooooo good! This is her first novel featuring Cassie Maddox, a dectective on the Dublin Murder Squad. Cassie and her close friend and partner, Rob Ryan, are investigating the murder of a young teenager. The crime takes place in the same woods where Ryan and his two best friends spent their childhood playing. One day when Ryan is 11, he is found clinging to a tree with no memory of how he got there or where his friends may have gone. The mystery of their disappearence is never solved.
He thinks he’s dealt with the event but it becomes clear to both he and Cassie that he is in over his head.
Tana French has a gift for fleshing out her characters, creating an atmosphere of suspense that doesn’t rely on cliff hangers at the end of every chapter, and inviting you into her characters’ inner dialogues with humour and wisdom. Her dialogue is quick, witty, insightful and her characters are whip smart and deeply flawed.
I would read them in order – some are stand alone but some feature the same characters for one or two books. I LOVE her reads!!!!