This was an unstoppable book for me. Fascinating. I enjoy Tana French`s writing style very much. The Witch Elm is both mystery and family drama, infused with a thrilling, twisty plot.

The protagonist is Toby, a young man who I did not much like in the beginning because he seemed rather shallow and took his privileged life for granted. However, as this complex story unfolds, he will be shocked to learn how often he never bothered to notice or think about the feelings and plights of others.

There are a couple things that happen along the way that I felt were less than believable, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this stand alone novel (it is not about the Dublin Murder Squad).

: very near the end, when Toby winds up in a physical fight with Detective Rafferty? Toby was no match for the detective! That really threw me, and so I did not much favor the ending. And what exactly did Rafferty say to start the fight?

Another question: how did Hugo know how the murder was carried out?