Detective Antoinette Conway and her partner, Stephen Moran, seem doomed to continue working mainly the domestic deaths on the Murder Squad. Their newest case doesn't appear to change that trend, but little things just aren't adding up. Detective Breslin has been assigned to "assist" Antoinette and Stephen, but he seems determined to get the case closed quickly. Did Aislinn Murray's boyfriend, Rory, murder her or is there something more sinister at work?

THE TRESPASSER is the sixth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series and the second book pairing Antoinette and Steve together. THE TRESPASSER can be read on its own merits but THE SECRET PLACE shows how they first evolved as partners in the Murder Squad. I would suggest starting with THE SECRET PLACE as the background history gives more credibility to Steve's sometimes outrageous brainstorming suggestions.

Tana French is a master at taking characters and wringing out their every secret, showing us the good and the bad. Antoinette is not an easy character to like. Her prickliness, while completely understandable due to the workplace harassment she has endured, makes her unlikable for large chunks of the story. Steve, on the other hand, is almost spineless at times and it took one specific scene late in the book before he finally clicked as a character for me. And yet, I couldn't stop reading! That skill is the magic of a Tana French novel.

The mystery seems simplistic, but that's before Tana French puts her twists into the plot. I figured out a part of the plot twist, but Tana French still had some surprises in store. And oh, the ending...the ending of THE TRESPASSER is perhaps one of my favorite endings for a crime thriller ever! I can't say more because of fear of spoiling it for others but suffice to say that I was thoroughly satisfied with the conclusion of THE TRESPASSER.

Tana French is one of my favorite authors in the genre for a reason. Her stories are richly detailed, with well- drawn characters and intriguing plot lines. If you love crime thrillers, try a taste of Ireland with Tana French's THE TRESPASSER!

Book Summary

In bestselling Tana French’s newest “tour de force,”* 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 catalogue-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 Antoinette's road. Aislinn's 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?