"The Trespasser" by Tana French

Above: "The Trespasser." Tana French. 450 Pages.

Seeing the scene through Antoinette's paranoia, its easy to believe that O'Kelly wants her out. But, there are enough clues to cause doubt.

I completed reading this book today. "The Trespasser" is an Amazon 2016 book of the year.

Taking the easy way out.... here's the summary from Amazon.com:

In bestselling Tana French’s newest “tour de force” (The New York Times), being on the Murder squad is nothing like Detective Antoinette Conway dreamed it would be. Her partner, Stephen Moran, is the only person who seems glad she’s there. The rest of her working life is a stream of thankless cases, vicious pranks, and harassment. Antoinette is savagely tough, but she’s getting close to the breaking point.

Their new case looks like yet another by-the-numbers lovers’ quarrel gone bad. Aislinn Murray is blond, pretty, groomed to a shine, and dead in her catalogue-perfect living room, next to a table set for a romantic dinner. There’s nothing unusual about her—except that Antoinette’s seen her somewhere before.

And that her death won’t stay in its neat by-numbers box. Other detectives are trying to push Antoinette and Steve into arresting Aislinn’s boyfriend, fast. There’s a shadowy figure at the end of Antoinette's road. Aislinn's friend is hinting that she knew Aislinn was in danger. And everything they find out about Aislinn takes her further from the glossy, passive doll she seemed to be.

Antoinette knows the harassment has turned her paranoid, but she can’t tell just how far gone she is. Is this case another step in the campaign to force her off the squad, or are there darker currents flowing beneath its polished surface?

I've not been a "whodunnit" reader, but, I was put on to this book by TIMDT who has read all of French's books.

I couldn't put this book down.

Written in first person narration of Antoinette herself, the reader can see her sinking into paranoia, as she pursues the truth. Did the head of the Murder section, O'Kelly, put her on the case because he was trying to destroy her and get her out of the department? Or, did Murder chief, O'Kelly, assign her to the case because he knew she, unlike the other cops in the section, would be assiduous in going after the truth? Seeing the scene through Antoinette's paranoia, its easy to believe that O'Kelly wants her out. But, there are enough clues to cause doubt.

It is the brilliant subtlety of rolling out clues that challenge the brain that impel the reader to not put the book down.

There is a lot of Irish argot and colloquialism in the writing. It took me a while to get used to that... but, by 25% through the book, I was reading smoothly and quickly.

This is a good book!