Reviews

Broken Harbor by Tana French

kandicekp_78's review against another edition

5.0

Great writing

I can't put down this series! Love it! On to the next one now! I'm sure I won't be disappointed

kristinhzta90's review

4.0

Another great read by Tana French! While the Dublin Murder squad series are labelled as mysteries, i believe they are written more like character studies. The mysteries are never very deep and the suspects are always limited, but she definitely threw a twist in this one that I didn't expect. I absolutely adore the way she makes the characters come alive.

I wasn't a big fan of Scorcher in Faithful Place, but you get to know what made him the way he is. At one point he talks about how he got his nickname Scorcher, but he remembers it completely different from Frank. That really shows how everyone perceptions are different. I actually went back to Faithful Place to reread about Scorcher and Frank's history.

Honestly, I still thought he was a pompous know-it-all for a good portion of the book, and I sympathized more with his rookie partner Richie. But, as the book progressed that allegiance changed and I found myself caring for Mikey and I felt like I understood him. At the end I really respected him. Bravo.

gabepants's review against another edition

4.0

Certainly not my favorite of the series. The Likeness definitely takes the cake. And Faithful Place is a very close second. That being said, it was still a very great read. French managed to make me feel for a character I had previously been conditioned to loathe, I still hated him but he made more sense to me. I was moved by this story and again she had me hoping for the salvation of characters long gone.

sebren's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

alishabuford's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

threegoodrats's review against another edition

5.0

I didn't love the way this wrapped up at the end, but it was such a messy case by the time we got through all the twists and turns there was no good way for it to go. There was as many dark secrets as I would expect from Tana French, but what I didn't expect was how creepy it was in parts. This family was murdered in a housing development that held many promises but didn't deliver and it felt like a ghost town. One of the victims had been obsessed with finding what kind of animal was in their attic and if anything is creepier than the predator you can't see and aren't sure even exists, I certainly don't know what it is.

goudaparanoia's review against another edition

3.0

Not my favorite but still not bad!

steller0707's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

jaci666's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

zoe_archambault's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

way too dark of a subplot that wasnt connected to the main story to make it worth to me. super unhappy with how the ending played out, though i will say i enjoyed the twist and didnt see it coming, the way it was then followed through with was excruciatingly dark and horrible to read. maybe im too sensitive to the subjects but then again i think this would make any sane person uncomfortable at least. read the trigger warnings. i wish i did honestly. i love tana and will probably keep reading her stuff, but girl what was this one
(spoiler) also the damn animal what was with that, why was there absolutely no closure

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Child death, Blood, Death, Gore, Body horror, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship

Minor: Gun violence and Drug abuse