Broken Harbor

Detective ÒScorcherÓ Kennedy keeps his cases at the Dublin Murder Squad under tight control, producing the squad's highest ÒsolveÓ rate. Stephen Hogan similarly takes control of this narration--hard and fast, leaving nothing to chance. Like Kennedy with his perps, it sometimes feels like a stranglehold. The murder of a lovely family in an isolated housing development brings Scorcher many questions and few answers, and each chapter ratchets up the suspense of possibilities. Hogan clearly plays Scorcher's rookie partner as an interesting foil to the veteran's hard line but without easing a rather incessant energy. The writing ebbs and flows, but Hogan makes small misses of subtlety, keeping this performance from perfect form. However, the crime, the suspense, and the ÒsolveÓ will keep listeners riveted. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 28, 2012
Edgar-winner French’s eloquently slow-burning fourth Dublin murder squad novel shows her at the top of her game. In a half-built luxury development near Dublin, a family of four is attacked and left for dead, with only the mother clinging to life. For Det. Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy, introduced in 2010’s Faithful Place, this is a case that makes—or breaks—a career. With his new rookie partner, Det. Richie Curran, Mick arrives soon after Patrick Spain and his two children, six-year-old Emma and three-year-old Jack, are discovered stabbed to death in their home, while mother Jennifer is taken to the hospital. The house, one of the few completed in the Brianstown development, is a bloody mess, and suspicion immediately falls on Patrick, who recently lost his job. The recession figures prominently, as Brianstown—once known as Broken Harbor—was abandoned by contractors when money dried up. Mick’s own childhood memories of Broken Harbor are marred by tragedy and intertwined with watching over his mentally unstable sister, Dina. As usual, French excels at drawing out complex character dynamics. 5-city author tour. Agent: Darley Anderson, Darley Anderson Literary, TV & Film Agency.