The Trespasser is the last in the Dublin Murder Squad series, and I am a big fan of the previous installments. You can read more HERE.
In each of these series, Ms. French uses a different member, or outlier, of the Dublin Murder Squad and tells the investigation from this new point of view.
In The Trespasser, Detective Antoinette Conway (formerly with the Missing Persons Unit) is a new member of the elite Murder squad and has not been welcomed kindly. So far, she has been stuck with thankless cases and has been the victim of vicious pranks, not to mention actual harassment.
She works well with her partner, Stephen Moran, who also seems to be her only friend. Their newest case looks like yet another by-the-numbers lovers’ quarrel gone bad. Until it’s not…as Conway and Moran, start to notice tiny cracks in the case. They are soon pressured by their superiors to arrest the obvious suspect and go further to try to thwart their investigations outside of the obvious solution.
I won’t give any more away, but do be warned, the first half of The Trespasser can be slow, but in a good way, as it smacks of realness — real squad room politics, lots of police procedural, and the endless suspect and witness interviews. Stick with it, as it suddenly becomes a fast paced race to an ending, which is so beautiful and perfect, that it makes up for some of the slower-to-read parts.
I really enjoy and admire Ms. French’s skill at creating utterly convincing characters who are simultaneously flawed and vulnerable. Her books remain some of the best in mystery writing.
Please do yourself a favor, and read all of Ms. French’s Dublin Murder Squad books – but be sure to start from the beginning – each installment sets the stage for the next. I’m going to miss this series but…
Ms. French has a new series which I haven’t read yet, so these are next ~~
But, wait, I have the newest Louise Penny book which, naturally, has to come first.
