- by Tana French
I just finished this last night—I started it on book tour and found it too creepy to read late at night in strange hotel rooms! You may know French from her six Dublin Murder Squad mysteries; this is her first standalone. The characters may be unfamiliar, but the slow build, brooding characters, and psychological tension feel like hallmark French. Toby Hennessy is a good-looking, well-to-do twenty-something. He's always considered himself lucky, but early in the novel he makes one bad decision. The devastating consequences lend an eery, off-kilter feel to the whole book (you'll see)—and that's before we get to the murder plot. This would be an excellent companion to Judy Blundell's The High Season for its themes of forgery, family, and privilege.
