Broken Harbor by Tana French

Veteran murder dectective, Mike Kennedy, and his rookie partner, Richie Curran, are dispatched to a multiple murder in Brianstown, formerly called Broken Harbor. What they encounter is a housing development that never developed: houses half finished, shells of houses and only a few that are inhabited. In addition, they find a family, father, mother and two children murdered…that is until they start feeling for pulses and find that the mother, Jenny Spain, is still alive.

What readers also find is that Mike Kennedy has a history with Broken Harbor, because in his youth he vacationed there with his family. It is also where his mother committed suicide on the last day of vacation when Mike was 15.

Mike’s got both a good and bad reputation in the department. He takes Richie under his wing and as they work the case together, they gel. Richie’s strengths augment Mike’s and they progress…or do they?

Tana French is one of the more ‘literary’ mystery writers, getting into the psychology and philosophy of the protagonists. Slow going in the beginning, the plot thickens and readers get drawn into the story and the characters until you want to keep reading to get to the conclusion. The unforseen conclusion is satisfying.

Broken Harbor is a bit long, but once invested, it’s worth the read.