Tana French is primarily known for her Dublin Murder Squad mysteries, but her stand-alone novels are just as memorable. Following 2018’s THE WITCH ELM, THE SEARCHER is a character-driven work that moves quietly and purposefully toward a haunting conclusion.

Cal Hooper, the protagonist of this edgy tale, is a fish out of water who has deliberately dry-docked himself in a remote Irish village. Originally from North Carolina, Cal spent a quarter-century as a Chicago detective before pulling the pin and retiring on the heels of a divorce, which he did not initiate and still does not understand. He purchases an abandoned cottage and is slowly making it habitable again, with the friendly and mild amusement of his neighbors who surround Ardnakelty, the row of businesses that pass for a village in the farming area.

"While there are a few surprises (including one major stunner), the primary emphasis here is on the ways in which people interact (or do not) as opposed to what occurs in a standard thriller."

Everyone is friendly but curious about the newcomer, particularly Mart, a crusty customer and Cal’s next-door neighbor, who takes Cal under his wing while attempting to show him the geographical, cultural and social lay of the land. However, Mart is also keeping an eye on the newly landed gentry from abroad, especially when Trey Reddy begins circling.

In the early years of adolescence, Trey is part of a family on the lowest rung of the social ladder in a village where everyone’s knowledge about the life of everyone else is a given. When Trey and Cal eventually meet, Cal discovers that Trey’s intent involves more than just becoming acquainted with a new neighbor. He is aware of Cal’s vocational background and wants him to locate his older brother, who went missing some years before. Cal’s reason for his departure from Chicago is to avoid encountering any such vestiges of his law enforcement job, but Trey’s insistence --- as well as Cal's growing sympathy for the 13-year-old --- leads him to investigate.

The residents of Ardnakelty are aware of Cal’s activities, and some, including Mart, attempt to quietly warn him off. Despite his own best efforts to the contrary, Cal just can’t let go of the issue; as a result, he puts Trey and himself in grievous danger. The placid quiet of the Irish countryside does not give up its secrets easily, and Cal is extremely close to becoming yet another unsolved mystery of the region.

THE SEARCHER won’t prevent French’s fan base from yearning for a return to the world of the Dublin Murder Squad. That said, the characters who populate this worthy book are as haunting as any she has presented thus far. While there are a few surprises (including one major stunner), the primary emphasis here is on the ways in which people interact (or do not) as opposed to what occurs in a standard thriller. One would be tempted to call this a coming-of-age novel for adults, given that Cal finds a way to adjust to his new circumstances, but ultimately it is a situational examination of a man approaching the twilight of his life and not going gently into it.

Newcomers to French’s work and established fans who are able to slightly shift their topical expectations from what she has written before will find THE SEARCHER especially rewarding.