Tana French Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of Dublin Murder Squad Books
| In the Woods | (2007) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| The Likeness | (2008) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| Faithful Place | (2010) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| Broken Harbour | (2012) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| The Secret Place | (2014) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| The Trespasser / Intrusion | (2016) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Publication Order of Cal Hooper Books
| The Searcher | (2020) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| The Hunter | (2024) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
| The Witch Elm | (2018) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Early and Personal Life
Although she was originally born in America, Tana French moved over many countries across the world as a child including Ireland, Malawi and Italy. This was due to her father being an economist involved in resource management internationally, which was spread over much of the developing world. It was only in 1990 that she was to finally settle in Dublin, a city which she now deems as home. She first attended Trinity College in Dublin as she became trained in acting, ultimately giving her an insight into characterizations and creating inner dialogues.
This was to inform much of her writing as it allowed her to develop her protagonists with far more depth providing greater substance. Many have commented on this over the years, as it’s this trait which has helped pave the way for much of her critical acclaim. French also managed to develop this talent through her voice-over work too. Retaining dual citizenship, Tana French holds both Italy and US passports. Now married with a daughter, she currently lives in Dublin where she continues to write to this day. Focusing on crime novels, primarily with her Dublin Murder Squad series, it is her surrounding environment which inspires her.
Writing Career
It was the year of 2007 that was to be her initial debut with the novel ‘In The Woods’. Apparently inspired when seeing some woods and thinking ‘what happens if someone never returned from there’, she sought to explore the emotional impact of such a tragedy in the aftermath. This proved to be a winning formula that gained her a number of awards, as well as securing her a place on the bestseller list that year, both in paperback and hardcover.
With a lifelong affinity for mysteries, she created a writing career based upon her primary love. This theme has continued over her crime series of novels and they have been compelling not only to her, but her readers as well. With both character and intrigue within her repertoire of talents, she has offered a distinctive protagonist for each one of her Dublin Murder Squad novels. With over four books in total and a fifth one currently being released, she shows no signs of stopping.
Not only has she gained the approval of her readers, she’s also grabbed the attention of her critics too, who’ve continued to heap praise on her work. There’s even been talk of a cinematic adaptation at some stage as well, although this is only speculation at the moment. She has over eight awards in total coming from across the world as she’s achieved international recognition too. These continually reach the top of the bestseller lists and she’s also written for and been featured in respectable publications such as The Guardian.
Her success seems to be going on as her appeal grows daily.
Broken Harbour
With this novel, the fourth in the ‘Dublin Murder Squad’ series, Tana French opens upon the setting of a ghost estate just outside of Dublin. Dilapidated and forgotten, with unfinished buildings and abandoned homes, a father and his two children are discovered to be dead. The mother is taken into the intensive care unit, which all leaves the important signs that a case is underway. Step-up Scorcher Kennedy who is the Murder Squad protagonist of this particular novel as he’s assigned to the case, being a high-star detective with a stellar reputation.
Partnered with Richie, they first arrive on the scene with the belief that this case is going to be open-and-shut; father killed the children and attempted to kill the wife before killing himself, just another unfortunate recession casualty. As they look closer though, they find that there’s too many loose ends for this to be the case, discovering that everything might not be as it seems. The death of Pat Spain and his family really isn’t all that simple.
To add to all that, Scorcher appears to be having troubles at home as well, as the case appears to have awoken some memories in his sister Dina from their childhood in Broken Harbour. In-between her having a breakdown and the pressure of the case, Scorcher finds himself between a rock and a hard place. With everything falling down around him, it appears he has a fight on his hands in keeping it all together.
Can they solve the case and find out the truth behind the death of the family? Will Scorcher be able to keep his sister together for the duration of the case? What will become of Scorcher himself as the events unfold in Broken Harbour?
The Secret Place
This is the latest novel from Tana French, it being the fifth in the ‘Dublin Murder Squad’ crime series of novels. In it French takes her readers to a Dublin girls’ boarding school, where a card with the photo of a murdered boy from years before is discovered with the words ‘I know who killed him’ captioned upon it.
With that a new case is underway in the normally peaceful and leafy suburbs of Dublin. Enter Murder Squad investigator Stephen Moran, an eager new recruit to the unit who gets his break when Holly Mackey, a sixteen-year-old from the boarding school, brings him the captioned photo-card. It was put up on ‘The Secret Place’; a school pin-board for the girls to attach all their secrets anonymously, which is usually prone to gossip, but this time finds itself with something more extreme.
Opening up the case once again, Moran steps onto the scene with partner Detective Antoinette Conway in tow. It is then that they submerge themselves into the private underworld of these schoolgirls, as they uncover the truth behind the lies found within their clique as they get to to the bottom of the case. There is also one Detective Frank Mackey who will stop at nothing to distance his daughter from the unfolding events. Will they manage to solve the case in time? Can they separate the facts from the fiction? What will become of their time in ‘the secret place’?
Book Series In Order » Authors »
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I discovered Tana French about 6 months ago. Just finished A Secret Place and am looking forward to the last Dublin Murder series. Can’t wait to move on to the other ones!!
I have read all Ms French’s books except Searcher. I didn’t realize it came before Hunter. I am obsessive about reading in order. I listen to them on Audio… I love hearing the Irish accents! I am 56th on the list waiting for Searcher!
It is worth the wait.
Love your book and was recently re-aquainted with them.
I will read all of them.
Are you still writing? I certainly hope so.
Virginia
I just finished Tana’s latest book, The Hunter. So excellent, wonderful plot and characters! There was a very nice review in today’s New York Times. It is a sequel to The Searcher, so that one should be read first.
ms french…recently read The Searcher .I have lost the art of conversation after 50 odd years out of Ireland and when I read your book it brought me a lot of joy. Sean
i enjoyed the Seacher almost as much as much as Into the Woods!!!!
Ms. French has an amazing ear for dialogue, a clear attachment to place (Dublin and environs), and her novels unfold with many plausible (and implausible) plot twists and complications. I’m in the middle of ‘Faithful Place’ and while there are links to previous stories and characters, the narrator’s voice in each of the ones I’ve read so far is quite different and so well developed–it’s not the just plot that keeps the reader turning the pages.