Faithful Place by Tana French

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First U.S. Edition edition (July 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780670021871
• ISBN-13: 978-0670021871

Flap copy:

Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was nineteen, growing up poor in Dublin's inner city and living crammed into a small flat with his family on Faithful Place. But he had his sights set on a lot more. He and his girl, Rosie Daly, were all set to run away to London together, get married, get good jobs, break away from factory work and poverty and their old lives.

But on the winter night when they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn't show. Frank took it for granted that she'd given him the brush-off--probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again.

Neither did Rosie. Everyone thought she had gone to England on her own and was over there living a shiny new life. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie's suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank is going home whether he likes or not.

Getting sucked in is a lot easier than getting out again. Frank finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind. The cops working the case want him out of the way, in case loyalty to his family and community makes him a liability. Faithful Place wants him out because he's a detective now, and the Place has never liked cops. Frank just wants to find out what happened to Rosie Daly-and he's willing to do whatever it takes, to himself or anyone else, to get the job done.

***

My thoughts:

5 Stars: Loved it

Tana French knocked her third book, Faithful Place, out of the park. It isn’t just any old whodunit sleuthing story, but a great, emotionally charged story about love, longing and dysfunctional relationships that definitely raises the bar in the mystery genre. Her voice is fresh and believable. The prologue completely sucked me and I had to buy this book. I don’t normally read prologues; they often seem weird and confusing to me so I skim the first few sentences, head straight for chapter one, then maybe I'll go back and read them once I’m committed. But not this time, not this one:

"In all your life, only a few moments matter. Mostly you never get a good look at them except in hindsight, long after they've zipped past you: the moment when you decided whether to talk to that girl, slow down on that blind bend, stop and find that condom. I was lucky, I guess you could call it. I got to see one of mine face-to-face, and recognize it for what it was. I got to feel the riptide pull of my life spinning around me, one winter night while I waited in the dark at the top of Faithful Place.

I was nineteen, old enough to take on the world and young enough to be a dozen kinds of stupid..."

Brilliant. Tana French does an outstanding job of setting the tone, setting up the main character, Francis Mackey, as the now long suffering middle-aged detective haunted by an event from his past.

“…Over more than half my life it had worn itself a nice little corner in my mind, like a bullet lodged too deep to dig out; I didn’t feel the sharp edges, mostly, as long as I didn’t touch.”

I couldn't help but fall in love with Frank Mackey, and find out his story. He's complicated, real, and oh so believable. The pacing was perfect and as the plot unfolded, I was on the edge of my seat. Flashbacks are handled skillfully and without confusion. Every character is rich and well rounded with their Irish slang and quick wit. I laughed. I cried. I wanted a pint of Guinness. I felt the full gamut of emotions on a visceral level.

Faithful Place wins a spot on my "favorite book" list, and Tana French as a new "must read" author.

Excellent story and highly recommended if you enjoy mysteries. And even if you don't. Enjoy!

Favorite Books of 2010

Reading is my favorite past time. My husband has labeled me a crazed bibliophile and rightfully so. I have stacks of books all over the house. I'm not talking bookshelves, or even neat stacks, but Jenga style stacks on the floor that sway with the slightest vibration. Our bedroom looks like a used bookstore. I love it, however he isn't too terribly fond of the clutter. He bought me a Kindle for Christmas in 2009 in an attempt to steer me in a more organized, neat, de-clutter direction. But no. I'm crazed. Completely. Totally. Now I purchase books on my Kindle first, and if I like them, I buy them in precious book form so they can take their rightful Jenga place with a book plate in them. I want to look at the cover art, smell the pages, feel them beneath my fingertips, hear the delicate sound as they turn. It's deeply satisfying to sometimes glance at a book, remember my favorite scene, wonder what the characters are doing now (kudos to the author so skilled at character development that they seem as real as you or I.) So what books did I read in 2010 on my Kindle that I absolutely had to buy...again?

Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor. A collection of three short stories about first kisses. The stories are original, wildly imaginative and beautifully crafted. Everything about these stories--setting, characterization, storyline, dialog-- is evocative of old world, magical folktales told 'round a crackling fire. It's Young Adult, but females of all ages will love this book. I've recommended it often and everyone that read it is now smitten with the author.

Faithful Place by Tana French This is a great murder mystery. Detective Francis Mackey-Frankie-returns home to Dublin after deliberately staying away for years when an old suitcase is discovered during the renovation of a house in his old neighborhood. The story is not only a whodunit, but a study in family relationships told with wit and charm as only the Irish can tell it. Great story with excellent characterization. I wonder about Frank even now.

I read only thirty books in 2010 (my reading has a job problem.)

Other books worth mentioning:

Darkbringer and Silksinger by Laini Taylor. Excellent reads, highly recommended. After reading Lips Touch, I just went out and bought these in hardback because I knew I'd love them forever. This author has another book due out sometime this year, Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I can't wait!

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins The final installment of the Hunger Games. Great. Can't wait for the movie.

The Wake of the Lorelei Lee: Being an Account of the Adventures of Jacky Faber,on her Way to Botany Bay by L.A. Meyer, the eighth book in the Bloody Jack series. While vacationing in Maine this summer we stopped by The Clair de Loon in Bar Harbor, the author's gallery and shop, and he autographed all of my books, and then some. I asked Mr. Meyer how long he planned to continue writing the series and how he might end Jacky's epic story. He said he'd keep writing as long as his publisher kept asking for more. He was tight-lipped with the details of how Jacky's story would end, but he did say her final book has already been written, and is locked safely away. Jacky Faber is such an epic character-opening with her orphaned on the streets of London after her family succumbs to the black plague on that dark day to sailing her own ship on the South Sea- and it would be so distressing if she just dropped off the map never to be heard from again. I'm so relieved there will be a proper ending to the story.

Speaking of endings, Karen Marie Moning's Fever series concludes on January 18th with the release of Shadowfever. O.M.G. I've waited three years for this. The 15th is my birthday and I've taken the week off to read it. What an awesome gift-to find out the truth about Barrons and see what crazy fate befalls our precious Mac. There's a launch party for the book in New Orleans, but how can you go to a party lasting a whole weekend and read? I was so tempted to go to NOLA, but I chose devouring the book at home.

So, what are your most memorable books of 2010? What are you looking forward to in 2011?