Monday, August 13, 2012

BROKEN HARBOR

Author:  Tana French
Genre:  Police Procedural, 
Dublin Murder Squad Series #4
Published:  2012
Personal Rating:  4/5 (very good)
Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/
Stephen Hogan
Yearly Count:  69


The Murder Squad's head detective, Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy, is put on the case of a family of four that has been brutally murdered in Broken Harbor. 

I was excited to get to this book, as I knew it would have psychological aspects to the plot -- which I love.  And, it definitely delivered in that respect with several of the characters.  What wasn't delivered was the spark or surprise.  The police procedural process, the plot (and subplots), the characters and the setting all held together perfectly, and I thoroughly enjoyed and was engrossed in the story, but I felt it just ended on a dull note.  There definitely was an ending, and it provided good closure, I just wanted something a little more dramatic.  Maybe there was a little too much explaining and not enough doing.  I'm not exactly sure, but in the end I still thought it was very good audioread and look forward to next year's addition in this loose series.





16 comments:

  1. I've got to try French's work!

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    1. Bermudaonion ~ For as much as you read, I'm surprised you haven't read one yet!

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  2. Anonymous4:56 PM

    She is a great author. Got this on my list. Thanks Joy!

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  3. Anonymous6:13 PM

    I'm hoping to read this one in the next few weeks. I was kind of surprised that Scorcher was the protagonist, but looking forward to more of Tana French. She definitely has a unique way of drawing us into her Ireland.

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    1. Kay ~ I didn't remember him, so it didn't matter who the protagonist was going to be. :( I just went with the flow.

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  4. I just finished it last week and thought it was very good. Not as good as The Likeness, but an excellent read, yeah?

    I wonder who the next main character will be? I thought Frank would have an appearance, or at least a mention, but I didnt' notice it. And surely he'd run into Cassie. Scorcher's partner won't likely get to be a lead detective again, so it won't be him. There was a guy in the last book that I thought had potential. I didn't think it would be Scorcher because he was such an idiot.

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    1. Raidergirl3 ~ I agree, Likeness was my favorite and then this is second best. I don't remember the past characters. :( I do recognize Frank and Cassie, though. And now I'll remember Scorcher, but I don't think they stay in my head unless they are the leads.

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  5. I will be picking this one up soon! I decided to just jump into it without reading any of the other ones....

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    1. Staci ~ You don't need to read the other ones. They read like standalones. Happy Reading! :)

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  6. I have yet to begin her books, and I hope to remedy that before too long. I like the notion of having a different 'star' each book. This is kind of what Arnaldur Indridason has done in his two recent books, which I haven't been able to get hold of yet.

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    1. Nan ~ You don't have to start at the beginning. Choose one that appeals to you the most and start there. I've only read one by Indridason, but have a couple more on my TBR shelves. I enjoyed the one I read.

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  7. I'm hoping to get to this one next week. I think I liked Faithful Place the best, followed by The Likeness and then In the Woods. I only vaguely remember Scorcher and wonder if I'll like his role as the lead in this new installment. Too bad it wasn't a 5/5 for you!

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    1. Les ~ Yeah, I would prefer a 5/5 as well, but a very good audioread is a good thing. :) I hope it's all you hope it to be.

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  8. I just read this and had only read French's first book ,In The Woods, so I agree that they do not need to be read in order. Personally, I liked this better than In The Woods. I like the detailed writing and background of Ireland and the strong characters. Although the books tend to have so much detail that I do end up skimming at times. If Likeness was your favorite, I will need to go back and read that one.

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    1. Bonnie ~ I highly recommend The Likeness. :) It's much more thriller-like and really intriguing.

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