The Secret Place

A Novel

By: Tana French

Narrated by: Stephen Hogan, Lara Hutchinson

Listen to the New York Times best seller by Tana French, author of the forthcoming novel The Searcher and “the most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years” (The Washington Post).

A year ago a boy was found murdered at a girlsʼ boarding school, and the case was never solved. Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to join Dublin’s Murder Squad when 16-year-old Holly Mackey arrives in his office with a photo of the boy with the caption: “I know who killed him".

Stephen joins with Detective Antoinette Conway to reopen the case - beneath the watchful eye of Holly’s father, fellow detective Frank Mackey. With the clues leading back to Holly’s close-knit group of friends, to their rival clique, and to the tangle of relationships that bound them all to the murdered boy, the private underworld of teenage girls turns out to be more mysterious and more dangerous than the detectives imagined.

©2014 Tana French (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"An absolutely mesmerizing read." (Gillian Flynn)

"A book full of giddy, slangy, devious schoolgirls who cannot be trusted about anything, at least not on the first, second, third or fourth rounds of questioning.... Part of this book’s trickiness is its way of letting characters hide the truth behind the smoke screen of language and let both readers and investigators gradually figure out who is lying." (Janet Maslin, The New York Times)

"There are echoes of Leopold and Loeb and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, but the language and landscape are unmistakably French’s, as is the way she excavates the past to illuminate the present." (O Magazine)

Disappointing + poor choice of narrators

Would you try another book from Tana French and/or Stephen Hogan and Lara Hutchinson ?

The biggest problem is the narration: Stephen Hogan was the voice of Scorcher Kennedy in Broken Harbour so I can't form an independent idea of who Detective Stephen Moran is. Lara Hutchinson's voice is pitched way too high and I can't hear or decipher half of what she's narrating.

Would you be willing to try another book from Tana French? Why or why not?

I love each and every Tana French novel I've listened to. Even those that I was unsure of at first, I've listened to again. This is the first to disappoint me, but I'm not finished with it yet so that may change.

Forget any coming of age book you've read.

This is the most revealing, truest, closest to the bone "Coming of age book".
The story is a masterpiece. You are divided immediately in your mind between a detective who needs a win and girls who are growing in the most natural way ever written. French is a masterful author. Every one of her novels are set to cut close to the bone. I have a terrible time waiting for her next and that's every time. Bravo

First 5-star ever!

I'm a picky listener, and have never given 5 stars until now. Anything by Tana French is going to be "good," but the story telling in this book is terrific. It is told from a number of points of view, which isn't so unusual, but the detectives tell the story from start to finish, while the girls around whom the tale is centered tell it from pre-history to the start of this plot. French is so talented that it isn't messy or confusing in the least. This is among the best books in the Dublin Murder Squad series. I hope to see these characters again. Dual narrators is effective in this book, and probably wouldn't work as well with a single voice.

Good, but not French's best

Any additional comments?

3.5 stars. My least favorite in the series so far, followed closely by its predecessor. This book returns to Stephan Moran (a young detective from French's third book, Faithful Place), and also brings back Holly Mackey (the daughter of Faithful Place's narrator, Detective Frank Mackey). A popular boy from the neighboring boys' school is found dead on the grounds of St. Kilda's, Holly's girls' school. A case that once looked open and shut turned into a conundrum, and about a year has passed with the murderer never found. Holly approaches Moran with new evidence that reignites the case and drives Stephen (currently working in cold cases) to Detective Antoinette Conway (the detective who failed to find the killer the prior school year). Moran sees this as his chance to finally make it onto the Murder Squad.

While book 4 suffered largely from an unlikable lead detective (its plot and writing were nonetheless excellent), this book has a very sympathetic detective POV narrator. But Moran's character, depth, sensitivity, calculated demeanor, and longing to reach the Murder Squad is only half the story. Literally. The chapters alternate from French's typical first person detective point of view to a third person observer in flashback, exploring life at St. Kilda's, the friendships of Holly and her three closest friends, and the events that lead to the murder. Where this book falls short of French's earlier work is the hints of supernatural (which feel a bit out of place) and the grating talk of the teen-aged girls (likely fairly accurate, in many instances, but the proliferation of OMG and adorbs and duhs make the book feel longer and make the reader anxious to return to the Moran chapters and escape the pettiness and shallowness of the flashback chapters). Thankfully, the flashbacks are only about half terrible dialog (again, likely accurate, but no pleasure to read), and the present day chapters are tempered by interaction between Conway and Moran. When things finally come together, the book is quite good, with a return of Detective Mackey in all his cunning and wit and deviousness (and his willingness to do anything for his daughter), and the window into him is sharp and clear. If the final confession scene strains some credulity with a return of supernatural themes, the final chapter (a flashback coming full circle and ending with Holly heading up the street to Moran's office to give him the evidence), is sweet and poignant and heart-wrenching, bringing back that effervescence of youth and the inevitability that what feels like it will last forever fades.

My favorite of the Dublin Murder Squad mysteries

What did you love best about The Secret Place?

I have enjoyed most of French's Dublin Murder Squad books, but this one is my favorite. I found the stories that wove around the girls to be more interesting, and less focus on the Detectives worked better for me as well. More action, less introspection. The girls were quirky, a touch of possible paranormal kept it fresh. The actual perpetrator wasn't revealed too soon, and it was a bit of a surprise. Not what any of us, or the principles, would have guessed.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Selena, because she was a mystery, but one with a great deal of heart. I, too, believe, that she was just what Chris needed. He was not pleased with the persona he was building, or the reputation he had managed to acquire. He wanted to be different, but didn't know how to not be what was obviously now expected of him. I think he was on the road to learning how to do that. Too bad they didn't have a chance to explore that further. There was never any real explanation of why Selena was different, why she started out so mystical -- maybe it was her Catholic upbringing -- the stories of the saints that she related to. At the end I was just hoping that she didn't end up a mental case. Julia frustrated me, with her refusal to acknowledge that Selena probably would benefit from counseling.

Which scene was your favorite?

In Holly's kitchen with her father, when her mother came home from visiting with a former school friend. Holly realized that her friendships COULD last forever, but would take on a different form and different reality.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The video of Selena and Chris, it revealed so much about their relationship and the potential that it held.

Any additional comments?

I though French spent more time developing all of her principle characters in "The Secret Place", than I recall from earlier books. This was more of an ensemble cast than the others. And each character got to play an important role; you started feeling like you almost knew them.

Didn't want the story to end!

Great twists and turns along with a story line that reminds you of your childhood friends. Could be my favorite Tana French yet!

3.5

Unfortunately I didn't love the narrators for this book. Understandably the main narrator, a male, sounded very forced trying to talk like a 16yo girl. And I didn't love the female narrator either :(
Other than that the story was good. Add in a little high school drama to make one reminisce. Unexpected twist at the end.

Good Book

It wasn't my favorite Tana French book, but it was still a good one. It was hard to tell who everyone was with all the jumps between the female student characters.

Series is not for me

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I struggled to finish this novel as well as the previous one in this series.

Would you recommend The Secret Place to your friends? Why or why not?

A friend loves the series. I would not be critical when discussing my experience with the last two books from this author. I would offer this as a "pot luck" choice for those who want to listen from outside the U.S. Series.

What three words best describe Stephen Hogan and Lara Hutchinson ’s performance?

Narrators not on my list of favorites. Mr. Hogan should not do female voices, terrible at best.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

Any additional comments?

Folks, as Mentioned above, I have a friend who loves the series. Maybe reading this novel would have been easier for me...

Average

I alway like the twists in tana's books but this one was all names and I kept losing track. I dont really know what happened in the end... Narrators were great, worth a listen if ur a fan...might just be me....