Four booksellers on why you should read The Secret Place by Tana French
We’ve found your perfect new winter crime read…
‘This is one of those twisty, addictive mysteries that had me staying up far too late in the night to learn what happened.
The book’s premise is simple. One year after the murder of a teenage boy at a prestigious girl’s boarding school, a note is found pinned to a board that reads: ‘I know who killed him’. Two detectives come in to investigate – each with their own agenda – and both know they only have a small window of time to find out who wrote that note before higher forces slam that window shut. The story flips between their current investigation, and the actions of a group of friends from the school pre-murder. I really loved how the story was driven by the complex relationships and hierarchies between the girls, and I thought French wrote teenagers brilliantly.
This book is perfect for snuggling up with in bed over these hideous fever-cold that Melbournites call “winter”.’
– Bronte Coates, digital content coordinator
‘I first discovered Tana French last year after going on a post- Gone-Girl crime binge, and I’ve since concluded that she’s one of the best kept secrets in the crime world – a writer whose novels are clever, beautifully written, introspective and as concerned with the inner workings of the investigators as they are with the crime itself. Her most recent book, The Secret Place, is peripherally linked with two of the previous titles in the Dublin Murder Squad but is easily read as a standalone. Set in a prestigious girl’s school, the intricate social structures amongst the teenage girls, and the power and intensity of their friendships play an important role in the narrative of the story.
I love French’s novels because they tell compelling stories without resorting to sensationalistic depictions of violence, because the characters are well-rounded and realistic, and because the whodunnit mysteries are intriguing… but they’re not the only reason to keep turning the pages.’
– Lian Hingee, digital marketing manager
‘I spent the duration of The Secret Place in a delicious, nail-biting haze. I needed to find out who murdered schoolboy Chris Harper as soon as possible… But I was also hoping that I could make the book last forever.
Tana French pits a classic hustling underdog, Detective Stephen Moran, against a pack of witchy, sly and power-mongering teenage girls, imposing private school privilege, and a prickly new work partner, Detective Antoinette Conway. I loved the ambiguous supernatural elements in the book – they worked perfectly with the central teenage characters and the hysterical boarding school environment.
I’ve definitely discovered my new crime author obsession (don’t worry Camilla Läckberg – I still love you as well!) because I’m already planning how to fit in time to go back and read the first four books of French’s Dublin Murder Squad series.’
– Leanne Hall, Grants officer for the Readings Foundation
‘After hearing my colleagues talking about Tana French’s The Secret Place, I had book FOMO and I knew I had to read it. In fact, I am embarrassed I hadn’t read it when it was first released a few years ago, because it has all the right ingredients for me: murder mystery, teenage girls, intense female friendships, boarding school. Somehow it passed me by, but now I had trusted readers putting it into my hands, I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
As expected, the book was terrific. French knows how to build tension, and her writing of teenage girls made me think of Megan Abbott’s novels, and Robyn Wasserman’s Girls on Fire. This is a big, juicy mystery novel that’s perfect for rainy weekends spent in bed with tea and toast.
Also, if you’ve already read and enjoyed The Secret Place, look out for French’s upcoming novel The Trespasser out later this year, featuring the same two detectives working on a different case.“
– Nina Kenwood, marketing manager
