Hard time with this review. I am HUGE Tana French fan.
Like many other reviewers, this was disappointing. I actually also just finished ‘The Witch Elm’ – which was worse than ‘The Secret Place’ – so that’s a positive?

I love Dublin Murder Squad, but this book was the nail in the coffin and I probably won’t pick one up again. (I might though, because I still believe French can make the magic happen.)

My vent list: What the heck was up with the girls being able to do ‘powers’ with lights. Who cares? It doesn’t add anything to the story. If she was trying to show more of a bond with the girls there are way better ways to do that. If not, I don’t get where it’s coming from.
What was up with the ghost of Chris? I get the detectives trying that angle to get the girls to spill, but it still didn’t add anything to the story.
The lingo of teenagers was cringy. I don’t speak ‘teenager’ but it was rough either way.

With all my venting above, I still finished the book. I’m still a sucker for a ‘who-dun-it’ and once I started the book pulled me in enough to make me want to finish.

Tana French’s writing IS magical. If you haven’t read any of her books before, don’t start with this one. Start from the beginning. You won’t be disappointed. Don’t let these negative reviews steer you away from her earlier writing.