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The Searcher
- Length: Not Yet Known
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Thriller & Suspense
Publisher's Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a remote Irish village would be the perfect escape. After 25 years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens.
But then a local kid comes looking for his help. His brother has gone missing and no one, least of all the police, seems to care. Cal wants nothing to do with any kind of investigation, but somehow he can't make himself walk away.
Soon Cal will discover that even in the most idyllic small town, secrets lie hidden, people aren't always what they seem and trouble can come calling at his door.
Our greatest living mystery writer weaves a masterful tale of breath-taking beauty and suspense, asking what we sacrifice in our search for truth and justice and the dangers of finding what we seek.
Critic Reviews
"One of the most compulsive psychological mysteries since Donna Tartt's The Secret History." (The Times)
"To say Tana French is one of the great thriller writers is really too limiting. Rather she's simply this: a truly great writer." (Gillian Flynn)
"I'm a big fan of Tana French." (Ian Rankin)
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What listeners say about The Searcher
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Kez
- 15-03-21
Pedestrian
The writing was not memorable in any way, the plot line had no interesting twists and turns and the characters were not well developed. I just kept wishing it would hurry up and finish.
the narrater did an acceptable job, although his accents got muddled occasionally.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 15-11-20
Great narration, slow burn thriller set in Ireland
I loved the narration, one of the better narrators I have listened to.
Nice slow burning thriller.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Chris Lofts
- 24-12-20
Sorry, only three stars from me
This was the first time I’d “read” a book by Tana French and I was hooked by the blurb on Audible. Along with a healthy number of positive reviews, it did a good job and had me reaching for the buy button.
The story is told in the third person from Cal Hooper’s point of view. Having served 25 years in the Chicago police service and enduring a rough divorce, all Cal wants is a quiet life. A small village in rural Ireland offers him the tranquillity he desires and a run-down cottage gives him something to take his mind off what he’s left behind. In spite of being referred to as a “blow in” Cal is welcomed by a cast of characters including Mart, his nearest neighbour and Noreen the village shopkeeper, matchmaker and gossip. Befriended by a local teenager, Cal learns that life in rural Ireland isn’t quite as tranquil as he’d imagined. The kid’s older brother has gone missing under suspicious circumstances and while Cal doesn’t want to get involved, it intrigues him. Being careful not to ruffle any feathers, he makes discrete enquiries amongst the neighbours, villagers and pub-goers. It’s clear to Cal that he ought to leave it alone; easier said than done for someone who spent his career dealing with missing persons.
I love thrillers and I’ve penned a couple myself, although not to the same acclaim as Ms French. The ever helpful Audible suggested this book based on my search history and buying habits, so far so good. I subsequently note that it is listed on Amazon as number 4 in Gothic Romance, number 23 in Action and Adventure Literary Fiction and 26 in Historical Mystery, Thrillers and Suspense Fiction. Gothic Romance? I’m not sure what category it best fits into, but Thriller is stretching it a little. This book is slow to get going – very slow. It’s like a boot-sucking ramble across the Irish peat bogs that it depicts. The descriptions of the environment, flora and fauna are very very rich and if you’ve never visited rural Ireland you certainly get a great sense of the place in which the story is set. The characters arcs are more like flat lines. They don’t die but they don’t change much either. The kid’s journey is probably the better one. There’s something distinctly dodgy about Cal’s neighbour, Mart. I felt nothing for Cal himself. He seems like a nice guy but that’s about it.
I wouldn’t recommend this book, but that’s just my opinion. When it comes to social proof there are lots of readers who loved it – check out the reviews. I did wonder if it was just me, but having read some of the reviews after finishing the book, I found a couple who agreed that the book was slow to get going. From and audio perspective there is nothing wrong with the performance. Roger Clark does a great job, tackling the Irish accents with great skill. His performance as Cal is as gritty as I imagined the character to be. That said, a great performance can’t and doesn’t rescue a mediocre script.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- bellyanna
- 29-11-20
Haunting
A wonderfully rich tale, filled with the compassion of a stranger of and a love story of the land.
The actors voice is calm and soulful and carries you through the story.
In my opinion the best Tana French novel so far.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- onat özden
- 24-12-20
At best a mediocre story
There isn’t a real enticing mystery and the protagonist is just an old American man with a savior/hero complex and he is as dramatic as they come and also very irritating in his way of middling with everything and feeling the need to protect the “fragile women”
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss C B Stern
- 17-11-20
great performance of a great story
amazing narrator brought a great new book to life. highly recommended but enough to put anyone off moving to the west of Ireland!
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sophie Rush
- 17-11-20
Fabulous
You won’t regret it, you will miss it when it’s over, miss the place miss the people
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 24-11-20
A delight: True turf smoking rural Irish magic
A departure from Tana’s usual setting but the rich descriptive language provided welcome escapism during Covid lockdown times. The characters were wholesome and loveable despite the chilly storyline and the narration was absolutely superb.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jacqui Chandler
- 21-11-20
Enjoyed this
This was definitely a slow burner, but I ended up appreciating the slower pace. The characters developed well and the narrator was excellent
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Richard Maidment
- 21-11-20
Captivating !
An audible is only as good as the reader makes it. This reader was very good. His deep voice made the central character come alive instantly. I am familiar with Tana French's other books, but this storyline is quite different. Set in Western Ireland, her descriptions of the mountains capture the imagination. It gets off to a slow start but swiftly gains momentum and is so worth persevering .I had anticipated a far different ending though and was disappointed when it ended abruptly!I would thoroughly recommend this audible and you do not have to be acquainted with the author's previous stories to enjoy this one.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sylvia Weafer
- 19-11-20
loved every minute of it, from start to finish ,
wow such a beautiful story, well recommend, from start to finish .beautiful told story ,
1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anvilius
- 14-11-20
The narrator was excellent!
I enjoyed this book but not as much of any of her others. I loved the characters and felt a genuine affection for them as you do when you read one of Tanas books.
I just feel like the story ended with nothing really happening, It felt as though the end confirmed things we already knew from fairly early on and then abruptly ended. However, it’s the authors story to tell and it was told perfectly. Narrator was ace!
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amanda
- 06-01-21
Too much swearing
Story ok, good narrator, but I disliked the swearing. It wasn’t necessary and it distracted from the story.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 01-01-21
meh...but not terrible
The main character is a middle aged white man who used to be a policeman... the story and characters could easily have been more progressive. It was a mediocre story with a mediocre progtagonist... but it wasn't so bad that I didn't finish it
1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 09-12-20
Boring
I generally really enjoy Tana French but this was very predictable and very boring. I listened to this book and perhaps it would have been better to read it instead. Can't recommend.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joseph Di Stefano
- 14-11-20
perfected craft
Tana has found a way to keep the listener wanting to be involved. it's not so much about plot but about relationships. People helping people get through the day everyday. so beautifully written with such effortless poise.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 06-05-21
Touching Story
This was a great read. Story line was solid and well told, characters were dynamic and was enjoyable to listen to. Highly recommend giving this book a go.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- milorad topic
- 02-05-21
A good story
There's something cliched about the lead character Cal, in saying that Tana French weaves the magic that let's this tough copper fit in well to the rugged Irish countryside. I found out about this book from the NPR book concierge and I'm happy i got it. It's a good listen
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 07-03-21
Fell in love with the narrators voice oh my lordy ; )
Fell in love with the narrators voice, oh my lordy ; ) Story was good too, well written & kept me intrigued till the end. Will definitely be listening to more audio books narrated by Roger Clarke!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Shalleycat
- 22-02-21
Searching Story of Irish Delights
The central protagonist and his equal struggles with his delipidated house, intrusive Irish villagers and grief over lost love becomes more appealing as the story develops. An American enduring Irish cold and dearth of conveniences tests credibility a little.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dunquin
- 19-02-21
Brilliant Narrator & Story
Loved the story, although a little disturbing, but especially loved Roger Clark’s many different characters and accents! I kept thinking I was listening to a play with several characters, not one man’s narration. Will definitely be searching more books read by Roger Clark.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-01-21
I think I have just found my new favourite author
I loved the storyline and the way it was written. Roger Clark, the narrator is fantastic. I will certainly look for books narrated by him in the future.
I am more than happy to recommend this book.