“Atmospheric and unputdownable.” —People
In bestselling author Tana French’s newest “tour de force” (The New York Times), being on the Murder Squad is nothing like Detective Antoinette Conway dreamed it would be. Her partner, Stephen Moran, is the only person who seems glad she’s there. The rest of her working life is a stream of thankless cases, vicious pranks, and harassment. Antoinette is savagely tough, but she’s getting close to the breaking point.
Their new case looks like yet another by-the-numbers lovers’ quarrel gone bad. Aislinn Murray is blond, pretty, groomed-to-a-shine, and dead in her catalog-perfect living room, next to a table set for a romantic dinner. There’s nothing unusual about her—except that Antoinette’s seen her somewhere before.
And that her death won’t stay in its neat by-numbers box. Other detectives are trying to push Antoinette and Steve into arresting Aislinn’s boyfriend, fast. There’s a shadowy figure at the end of Antoinetteʼs road. Aislinnʼs friend is hinting that she knew Aislinn was in danger. And everything they find out about Aislinn takes her further from the glossy, passive doll she seemed to be.
Antoinette knows the harassment has turned her paranoid, but she can’t tell just how far gone she is. Is this case another step in the campaign to force her off the squad, or are there darker currents flowing beneath its polished surface?
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
October 4, 2016 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780735288713
- File size: 578870 KB
- Duration: 20:05:58
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Publisher's Weekly
August 29, 2016
Det. Antoinette Conway takes center stage in Edgar-winner French’s sharp but shakily paced sixth Dublin Murder Squad novel (after 2014’s The Secret Place). When Aislinn Murray, a young woman just coming into her own, is found in her picture-perfect apartment with the back of her head smashed in, the killer appears to be her new boyfriend, Rory Fallon, who was due to come over for dinner the evening of her murder. But that’s too easy for the suspicious Conway, whose hackles are raised when a more experienced detective takes an interest in the case and wants Rory charged. In several tense interrogation scenes, Rory’s sweat practically drips off the page, and it’s obvious why Conway, the only woman on the squad, is so good at her job. French is less adept than usual, however, in weaving in her main characters’ backstories. The underlying themes of loyalty and how far one should go to protect a person are what makes this entry worthy of French’s prodigious talents, though Conway isn’t her best conduit. Agent: Darley Anderson, Darley Anderson Literary, TV & Film Agency. -
AudioFile Magazine
Since Tana French's marvelous Dublin Murder Squad novels have different protagonists, it makes sense that their audio versions are handled by different actors. In the newest entry, Hilda Fay gives a keenly considered performance in the voice of Antoinette Conway, the much-harassed only woman on the Murder Squad. Conway is often her own worst enemy, but that is not to say she does not face some serious and devious undermining as she works to resolve what looks like a routine domestic case, but isn't. Subtle distinctions among Irish accents play a fascinating part in Fay's performance. Only one character, Detective Breslin, has a speech pattern that seems made of spare parts, and this does little to distract from the power and pleasure of the overall experience. B.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine -
Publisher's Weekly
Starred review from December 5, 2016
In the sixth entry of French’s Dublin Murder Squad series, Detectives Steve Moran and Antoinette Conway investigate the death of a young woman fatally battered in her apartment. Whereas 2014’s The Secret Place was told from Steve’s perspective, the events this time around are described by Antoinette. Both the procedural progress and the narrative attitude seem edgier, faster paced, and fueled by more tension. But the warts-and-all portrait of Antoinette is at the heart of the novel, and reader Fay’s ability to mix the natural lyric quality of her Irish brogue with Antoinette’s working class, chip-on-shoulder hostility makes for a fully sustained, award-worthy performance. A Viking hardcover.
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