Ponder: The Searcher

Joining a book club is an activity I have been considering for quite a while. 

• Disadvantages: 
• Do I mind reading what other people pick instead of my own choices?
• Can I uphold a monthly time commitment?
• Do I want/need a deadline to finish a book?
•  Advantages:
• I would enjoy discussing books I have read with other folks 
• I'd gain what-to-read-next suggestions from real people instead of just a web site; I can still continue to read my own choices as well. 

I just learned our library has a "Good Reads Book Club" that meets every other month on the fourth Thursday at 7:00 PM. A slight downside is that there were two books for January, not just one. Hmm. If they meet every other month perhaps this is the pattern...? The picks for January were of the mystery genre and seemed interesting so I decided to read the first book and see if I wanted to read the second book. If so, I'd attend a meeting to see if I hit it off with the other members. 

On the library website, the blurb for the bookclub  read 

The Searcher and The Hunter by Tana French are the January books for the Good Reads Book Club. The books are the first two installments in Tana French’s Cal Hooper series. Join in person at the Civic Center Library in the Storytime Room on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m.

Unable to get both books in time for the meeting I bought The Searcher used from Amazon and checked out the second, The Hunter, from the library. Surely I can read two books in about 10 days, I hoped. This post is about The Searcher ©2020 by Tana French. I read it in about three days. It has more landscape and environment description than books I usually read, and so the pace is a bit slower; but I really liked the characters. I have tried very hard in my following review to avoid any spoilers.

Cal Hooper is a retired police detective from Chicago who buys and moves into a fixer upper bungalow in a quiet sleepy town in Ireland. He wants a life quieter than the one he had on the job in the city. Cal has a very garrulous neighbor Mart and is visited by a thirteen year old kid Trey who has a missing nineteen year old brother, Brendan. Trey demands Cal investigate and find what happened to Brendan. Cal helps in the search but feels his way about carefully. Cal is also leery about what approaches are acceptable in the country and what might alienate him from making progress. He is missing his forensic technology and high-powered computer backup from when he was officially on the force. Cal relies solely on his own experience and the input information he casually pries from locals. His manner in gleaning information from those he questions is impressive; it showcases his wisdom and people skills. 

The relationship between Cal and Trey is straight forward, no nonsense, and heart warming. The relationship between Cal and Mart is wry, bemusing, and complicated.  Cal is divorced and works hard to maintain a relationship with his adult daughter, still in America. All the relationships in this novel are well developed; they most certainly hold my interest and emotional investment. I will admit that, immediately after completing this book, I peeked into the first pages of the sequel The Hunter to see if the same characters play a role. I surprised myself to see how pleased I was to learn the answer was yes.

The disappearance of Brendan is the driver in this mystery but there is also a smattering of possible illicit drug intrigue, some slaughtered sheep, pilfering, and bodily injury type violence. Some of the violence and drug inferences I found a bit repulsive, but I guess there's gotta be some drama to hold the reader's interest. To divulge more details would hamper the reader's enjoyment as the author Tana French reveals the plot.

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience