Publication Date
When I read and reviewed Tana French’s standalone novel The Witch Elm in 2018, I noted that I would have enjoyed seeing more of the Dublin Murder Squad characters (Antoinette Conway, Stephen Moran, and others), but that I had enjoyed getting to know a “whole new cast of characters.” Her next book was The Searcher (2020), another standalone and I got my wish: a whole new cast of characters! This one introduced us to Cal Hooper, a former police detective in Chicago who has moved to an isolated stretch of the Irish coast, and develops a friendship with a young (early teens) woman named Trey, who initially comes to ask for his help locating her missing brother.. It was a 5-star for sure! Then in 2023 we got The Hunter (the sequel which can be read and enjoyed as a standalone). I’ve been a Tana French fan since I read In The Woods, the first book in the Dublin Murder Squad series, back in 2007. When I recently received The Keeper, the final book in the Cal Hooper trilogy from Viking Penguin and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, I had such mixed feelings: “I cannot WAIT to read this!!” was competing with “Oh NO! I am not ready for this series to end!”
Once again, the setting is the village of Ardnakelty, a village that “...is too small for much stratification; if you want company, you hang out with anyone who diesn’t drive you crazy, and probably some people who do.” Familiar characters include Trey and her mother, Cal’s fiance Lena, and his neighbor Matt (plus his dog Rip “...who has both the bark and the self-esteem of a Rottweiler.” There is also Tommy Moynihan, who has been buying up land in the village. Matt explains that “Saint Tommy brought jobs…not allowed to say a word against the man.” The younger Moynihan, Eugene, has been dating Rachel Holohan, and the main storyline follows Rachel’s disappearance, the subsequent search, and the relationships between and among various Ardnakety residents as the mystery unfolds.
Cal’s skills as a detective and his experience come in handy, even his method for getting his questions answered. Although he’s been there for a few years, “Every time he thinks he finally counts as settled in Ardnakelty, the place comes up with something that makes him feel like a big dumb greenhorn all over again…He’s always found big-dumb-redneck to come in in handy against people who enjoy looking down on other people…doesn’t like guys like Tommy who carefully collect power and use it to force their will down other people’s throats.”
Cal and Lena both come under scrutiny for possible roles in Rachel’s disappearance. Cal “wishes he were a cop again, but he knows it’s probably a good thing that he’s not.” Lena is a strong character: she “no longer believes that any man or woman can be another’s salvation,”and it’s not clear whether their relationship can or will survive this shared experience.
I’m notoriously not good at figuring out mysteries, which is actually part of why I enjoy those written by a few favorite authors. Tana French is absolutely at the top of the list. And my strongest feeling as I finished The Keeper turned out to be the “Oh NO! I’m not ready for the series to end!” I look forward to whatever Ms. French writes next. FIVE STARS!
.