Sam Tamaskan reviewed Broken Harbor by Tana French
Well-written mystery that has readers second-guessing themselves several times
4 stars
Content warning Review was kept vague but may still intuitively reveal some things in the story.
The book was very engaging during my travel to and from Denver (cross-checking my interests with major events that weekend'll give you an idea of why I was traveling). Despite the disorientation of flying on a jetliner, I managed to stay focused on the story during both flights, reaching those last paragraphs an hour before I landed back in Seattle. Oh boy, what a way to end it.
I admit, the novel does feel pretty cliché at times, with the clear-cut-and-dry detective with an open-minded rookie, the way Scorcher and Richie interrogate (feels very "good cop, bad cop" if you ask me), and how their supervisor interacts with them both. Nonetheless, the plot compounds itself over the 20 chapters, growing more complex as the two detectives investigate the strange murder. Not to mention how both of these characters develop as well as how non-cliché some of the incriminating evidence reveals itself. Michael Kennedy realizing that his entire life up to the end of this investigation was not always black and white, and that he essentially molds his cases and aspects of his day-to-day to make it as simple as possible, shatters his world as he comes to terms with some monumental parts of his personal life.
I'm not huge on these more standard mysteries, so it says a lot when a book like this has me roped in so tightly. Would recommend for those looking to read a good mystery for the first time.
