Many readers discover French through her 6-novel series called the Dublin Murder Squad. I first read her one-off novel, The Witch Elm (https://www.margueritereads.com/home/the-witch-elm-by-tana-french?rq=tana%20french) , and was really blown away by the high quality of writing, characterization, and plotting. When The Searcher came out, I snapped it up, eager for more of her excellent work. To my great delight, The Searcher was the first of a trilogy, followed by The Hunter, and now, at last, the third and final book, The Keeper. Please read reviews for The Searcher here (https://www.margueritereads.com/home/the-searcher-by-tana-french?rq=tana%20french) and The Hunter here (https://www.margueritereads.com/home/the-hunter-by-tana-french?rq=tana%20french).

Our focus is on Cal Hooper, retired Chicago detective, seeking a fresh situation, a place of natural beauty where he can build the last act of his life. He settles in rural western Ireland, fixing up a rundown cottage, developing his woodworking skills to pick up some money, and engage in an enjoyable use of his time. In the previous novels, he begins a relationship with a local widow, Lena, and takes a fatherly interest in a teenager, Trey, working together on furniture projects. His neighbor, Mart Lavin, an aging sheep farmer, pulls Cal into local situations, creating a conflict for Cal, who is pulled between putting down roots, and also wishing to remain at a remove. Cal must navigate the complexities of local conflict, with families who go back generations, and a culture he often finds confusing. Lena tries to keep apart, not wishing to be drawn in to the local squabbles, creating tension in her relationship with Cal. Both Cal and Lena are trying to help Trey work her way toward adulthood, and wish to keep her from local influences.

All of these goals are tossed upset when a local, beloved young woman dies under questionable circumstances. Rachel Holohan is found dead in the local river, proven to have ingested antifreeze, leaving no suicide note. She is the fiancée of a wealthy local fellow, whose father has grand designs for developing local farmland, a plan not widely known, and not likely to find favor with local farmers. French examines the complexities of such development, as adult children move away from home, disinterested in the farming life, and seeking the advantages of cities. Many of the area’s stone walls are in fact ancient, and the names of fields and structures hearken to a distant history. The struggle is common in rural areas, between preservation and development. French also reveals the tangled web of community and relationships, how these can be used for mutual support, insidious manipulation, and private gain over the greater good.

So much more than excellent mystery, French unveils the dynamics of a rural Irish community, how decisions are made, how they should be made, how lives are saved, or ruined. Cal Hooper and Lena Dunne are fascinating characters, easily carrying the reader through the trilogy with their intelligence and compassion. The Keeper was a satisfying end to this trilogy, and I highly encourage you to read all three novels.