The Searcher (novel)

The Searcher
Author	Tana French
Genre	mystery, thriller, western
Publisher	Viking Press
Publication date	October 6, 2020
ISBN	978-0-7352-2465-0
Followed by	The Hunter

The Searcher is a mystery novel by American-Irish writer Tana French. It was published by Viking Press on October 6, 2020. The plot follows former Chicago police officer Cal Hooper, who has moved to a rural village in Western Ireland, as he investigates the disappearance of a local teenager.

Plot

Cal Hooper, disillusioned with his work as a Chicago police officer, moves to Ardnakelty, a small rural village in Western Ireland, to live a more quiet life. Cal is befriended by his talkative neighbor Mart Lavin and twelve-year-old Trey Reddy, an outsider in Ardnakelty. Trey convinces Cal to investigate the disappearance of her older brother, Brendan.

Already suspicious of Cal, the people of Ardnakelty, including Mart, are unhelpful in his investigation and warn him not to interfere. Cal eventually discovers that Brendan was involved in a Dublin-based drug ring. Mart confesses that he and a group of Ardnakelty men confronted Brendan while he was on his way to meet with members of the drug ring. The confrontation resulted in a fight and Brendan was killed. The men buried Brendan in a bog.

It is also revealed that Cal left his job as a police officer after his partner shot a Black teenager. Cal corroborated his partner's story that the teen was reaching for something in his pocket, even though Cal was uncertain that was true.

Cal tells Trey what happened to Brendan, and she promises never to act on her knowledge.

Background

French has stated that The Searcher was influenced by the American genre of western fiction, and that the title of the novel is an allusion to the 1956 film The Searchers, directed by John Ford.^[1]^[2]

Publication

The Searcher was published by Viking Press on October 6, 2020.^[3]^[4] French has stated that she finished her first draft the novel on February 28, 2020.^[5]

French had published seven novels before The Searcher, including six in the Dublin Murder Squad series of mystery novels.^[1] In 2024, French published a sequel to The Searcher titled The Hunter, which takes place two years after the events of The Searcher.^[6]

Reception

The Searcher received mixed reviews from critics. Maureen Corrigan of NPR praised the French's slow-building plot and eerie prose, stating that The Searcher "may be her best yet."^[7]

Several critics noted the moral ambiguity and failures of the criminal justice system that French explores in the novel.^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12] Some, such as Laura Miller in Slate^[9] and Constance Grady in Vox,^[10] expressed a wish that French had confronted these themes more deeply.

References

^ ^a ^b Alter, Alexandra (2020-10-04). "With 'The Searcher,' Tana French Ventures Into New Territory". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
^ "Review | Tana French's 'The Searcher' nods to John Ford's famous Western with the story of a loner on the hunt for a lost teen". Washington Post. 2020-10-05. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
^ THE SEARCHER | Kirkus Reviews.
^ "The Searcher by Tana French". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
^ "Tana French has a new book on the way. She promises it's less depressing". EW.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
^ Merritt, Stephanie (2024-03-11). "The Hunter by Tana French review – a master of her craft". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
^ Corrigan, Maureen (October 6, 2020). "An Outsider Is Drawn Into The Quest To Find A Missing Teen In 'The Searcher'". NPR. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
^ "Tana French's 'The Searcher' Is An Ambiguous Morality Tale". Observer. 2020-12-30. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
^ ^a ^b Miller, Laura (2020-09-29). "History Catches Up With Tana French". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
^ ^a ^b Grady, Constance (2020-10-07). "Tana French's The Searcher is a cop novel for the restorative justice era". Vox. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
^ "Closeness and Cruelty: On Tana French's "The Searcher"". Los Angeles Review of Books. 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
^ Maslin, Janet (2020-10-05). "Tana French's Irish Western Features a Retired Lawman and a Missing Boy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[:0-1] Alter, Alexandra (2020-10-04). "With 'The Searcher,' Tana French Ventures Into New Territory". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[2] "Review | Tana French's 'The Searcher' nods to John Ford's famous Western with the story of a loner on the hunt for a lost teen". Washington Post. 2020-10-05. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[3] THE SEARCHER | Kirkus Reviews.

[4] "The Searcher by Tana French". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[5] "Tana French has a new book on the way. She promises it's less depressing". EW.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[6] Merritt, Stephanie (2024-03-11). "The Hunter by Tana French review – a master of her craft". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[7] Corrigan, Maureen (October 6, 2020). "An Outsider Is Drawn Into The Quest To Find A Missing Teen In 'The Searcher'". NPR. Retrieved August 27, 2024.

[8] "Tana French's 'The Searcher' Is An Ambiguous Morality Tale". Observer. 2020-12-30. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[:1-9] Miller, Laura (2020-09-29). "History Catches Up With Tana French". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[:2-10] Grady, Constance (2020-10-07). "Tana French's The Searcher is a cop novel for the restorative justice era". Vox. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[11] "Closeness and Cruelty: On Tana French's "The Searcher"". Los Angeles Review of Books. 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[12] Maslin, Janet (2020-10-05). "Tana French's Irish Western Features a Retired Lawman and a Missing Boy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

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