Broken Harbor

French, Tana. Broken Harbor. New York: Viking. 2013. Print

First Sentences:

Let's get one thing straight: I was the perfect man for this case. 

You'd be amazed how many of the lads would have run a mile, given the choice -- and I had a choice, at least at the start.

Description:

Pat and Jenny Spain along with their two young children, have a seemingly perfect life: upscale house in a new development at the beach, a good job for the husband, contentment for the wife/mother, happy children, and a great love for each other.

That is until they are found brutally stabbed inside their quiet home. Both children and their father are dead, and Jenny, the mother, is rushed to the hospital, barely alive with little hope for recovery.

Thus begins the murder and careful investigation of Broken Harbor, Tana French's latest police procedural mystery for her fictional Dublin Murder Squad. It is clearly a case for Michael "Scorcher" Kennedy and Richie Curran, his rookie partner, an unproven but intelligent new member of the Squad. 

And what does Kennedy discover during their investigation? Only the deliciously compelling evidence that:

• Someone has been hiding in an abandoned house near the Spain's and spying on them;
• Everyone involved in the case is lying to protect themselves or others, including members of the Murder Squad;
• Even with a captured suspect and written confession in hand, the case is far, far from over;
• And finally, most importantly, Broken Harbor has deep, hidden psychological significance for Mike Kennedy; 

Author Tana French, in her fourth book, again proves herself a stickler for details from the scene of the crime to the background of the special investigators from computer geek to forensic examiner. Each is clearly depicted, providing important and possibly distracting distracting clues that Kennedy and Curran must painstakingly sort.

And her dialogue is, as always, superb. The interviews with witnesses and other people of interest make for gripping, edge-or-your-seat reading. One cannot help but slowly run their words over in your mind, looking for loopholes, lies, innuendos, and slip-ups. It is French's strength: the spoken words of each character contrasted with the private thoughts and suppressed memories of narrator Kennedy that seize your mind and do not let go until the very end when all is finally untangled.

It is slightly longer than usual crime novel (440+ pages), but do not let that discourage you. French is a master of suspense, investigative trails to follow, and suspicious people that one cannot quickly dismiss. Her slow, careful narrative gives plenty of time for the Murder Squad (and you) to learn more about the individuals, their lives, and how they are involved (or not involved) with this crime. 

Broken Harbor is not a slasher novel. With the exception of the opening crime scene, there is no violence at all. What it is is a gripping, intricate, and psychological plot intertwined with complex, damaged, dedicated, and loving characters trying to do the right thing. What else could you ask for in a crime novel?

Happy reading. 

Fred

www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

French, Tana. In the Woods  

A girl is found murdered in the same woods where Rob Ryan, now a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad, was found 20 years earlier hugging a tree and covered in blood. Are the cases related? Highest quality police procedure crime novel.

Sjowall, Maj and Per Wahloo. Roseanna  

An unknown female body is found in the waters of Stockholm. It is up to Martin Beck and his Swedish murder department to carefully discover her identity and how she ended up in the canal locks. Absolutely the best police procedural series. (Previously reviewed here.)