Broken Harbour is a crime novel written by Irish novelist

Tana French Tana French (born 10 May 1973) is an American-Irish writer and theatrical actress. She is a longtime resident of Dublin, Ireland. Her debut novel ''In the Woods'' (2007), a psychological mystery, won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry aw ...

, originally published on 2 July 2012 by Hatchette Books Ireland. It is the 4th book in the ''Dublin Murder Squad'' series and was first published in the USA by Viking Penguin a member of the Penguin Group (USA). Tana French was honored with the 'Irish Crime Fiction Award' a bestseller list, eventually reaching the No.3 position. It was also listed in the 'Ireland AM Crime Fiction Books of the Year 2009–2013'. By April 2013, the book had stormed into the Irish book charts to occupy the 3rd position as a best seller. It was also listed in the 'Ireland AM Crime Fiction Books of the Year 2009–2013'.

Plot

In a ghost estate outside

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

– half-built, half-inhabited, half-abandoned – two children and their father are dead. The mother is on her way to intensive care. Scorcher Kennedy is given the case because he is the Murder Squad’s star detective. At first he and his rookie partner, Richie, think this is a simple one: Pat Spain was a casualty of the recession, so he killed his children, tried to kill his wife Jenny, and finished off with himself. But there are too many inexplicable details and the evidence is pointing in two directions at once. Scorcher’s personal life is tugging for his attention. Seeing the case on the news has sent his sister Dina off the rails again, and she’s resurrecting something that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control: what happened to their family, one summer at Broken Harbour, back when they were children. The neat compartments of his life are breaking down, and the sudden tangle of work and family is putting both at risk.

Characters

* Michael (Scorcher) Kennedy: Detective at the Dublin Murder Squad with an enviable reputation described as 'on the Murder Squad for ten years, and for seven of those, had the highest solve rate in the place' * Richie Curran : a rookie assigned to work with Mick. * Dr Cooper : Chief Medical Examiner * Dina Kennedy : Mike's younger sister, described as 'one of those old pen-and-ink sketches of fairies: slight as a dancer, with skin that never tans, full pale lips and huge blue eyes'. * Spain family : Patrick Spain (husband), Jennifer Spain (Wife) and children Emma & Jack- as the victims of the crime.

Reception

* ' Broken Harbour is a tale about the different facets of obsession and insanity, and it winds up to a finale that is almost too distressing. The best yet of French's four excellent thrillers, it leaves its readers – just like the Spains – throat-deep in terror. ' - ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' * ' Broken Harbour proves anew that (Tana French) is one of the most talented crime writers alive. '-

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

* ' Instated Ms. French as one of crime fiction’s reigning grand dames — a Celtic tigress. ' -

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

Awards and Nomination

* Dilys Award Nominee (2013) * Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller (2012) * Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Award for Ireland AM Crime Fiction Award (2012) * Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2013)

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.tanafrench.com 2012 Irish novels Irish crime novels Novels set in Ireland Works by Tana French Viking Press books