Toby always considered himself a lucky guy. Good family, got along with his aunts, uncles, and cousins, great job, excellent health, a sweet apartment, and a lovely girlfriend.Then, sometime around his 29th birthday, his personal Book of Job began. He was tested on every front, and after a burglary at his apartment left him seriously injured, he couldn't just rely on his wits anymore. He had to navigate challenge after challenge the hard way: stumbling and bumbling, with memory gaps making him v...

Edited, spoilers hidden 2/23/22 The setting is crucial in Tana French's *The Witch Elm*: an old family house outside Dublin, nicknamed Ivy House, where two generations ago a whole gaggle of siblings grew up, and then their kids came for summers, weekends, and holidays. Now, it's occupied only by the oldest unmarried uncle, slowly dying of a brain tumor. The real mystery kicks off halfway through *The Witch Elm* when a skull is found in a tree cavity by one of the grandkids. But maybe the mys...

DNF at 50%I spent ages agonizing over this review. I hate slamming authors I love. It feels like I'm stabbing a friend in the back. I absolutely ADORE Tana French. The Witch Elm is one of my all-time favorite mysteries. But, and it kills me to say it, The Witch Elm just didn't click for me.The Witch Elm moves away from the Dublin Murder Squad setup. This time, we follow Toby, a guy in his 20s working in an art gallery. He's the victim of a savage break-in and gets left for dead. A serious head i...

4.25 Stars* (rounded down)There's just something about that feeling I get before diving into another Tana French novel. It's calming, makes me want to curl up in a big, comfy armchair with a plush pillow and a cozy blanket. I just *know* I'm about to settle in for an in-depth read with highly intelligent, well-developed, and interesting characters, and I immediately prepare myself. I grab a nice warm cuppa, and before I know it, hours have flown by and I'm completely absorbed. That's exactly how...

The Witch Elm by Tana French, published by Viking Books in 2018. Luck. Toby's never really thought much about his, until now. Things have always come easily to him; he's always been able to charm his way out of trouble. But Toby's luck takes a nosedive. First, he gets into hot water with his boss, then his apartment is burgled, and he's beaten within an inch of his life. While his parents and his devoted girlfriend are a solid support system, Toby finds himself interrogated about the robbery, al...

NO SPOILERS....... safe to read....It’s a sin to spoil a Tana French novel.I’ve been reading Tana French since 2007. My memory is clear...I walked into “Borders” looking around...“Into the Woods” was a new release. I had never heard of the author - but liked what the inside flap said, took a blind chance, bought it... came home and inhaled it instantly. I became an ‘annoying’ book pusher. I was telling strangers off the street about the new mystery-thriller author Tana French and her amazing cha...

2 and 4 stars. If I could give this a dual rating, I would! Explanation of rating: I had 5-star expectations for The Witch Elm--Tana French is one of my favorite authors, and while I haven’t loved all of her books, I really enjoyed the most recent installments of the Murder Squad series. Unfortunately, my expectations were not met. There were parts of The Witch Elm that I loved, but others not so much. It’s hard to describe The Witch Elm--it’s part mystery, part thriller, part family drama. Pr...

Lucky and easygoing Toby is out with his friends, celebrating dodging a bullet at work that could have ruined his career. But after the night ends, he's nearly beaten to death by intruders, and his life is turned upside down. He winds up at Ivy House, caring for his terminally ill uncle and trying to recover from his own serious injuries. Then a skull is discovered in the Wych Elm – "The Witch Elm" by Tana French – pulling this masterfully written novel into the past, as the people involved look...

I can't believe I didn't love a Tana French book... the world is broken. I just knew I jinxed myself by writing that first paragraph in my review of *The Secret Place*.I keep trying to convince myself to bump this up a star because it's hard to believe Tana French can write anything that isn't amazing. It's definitely not a bad book, but *The Witch Elm* – French's first standalone outside of her *Dublin Murder Squad* series – just didn't have a lot of the stuff I've loved from this author.To sta...

After languishing for months in who-knows-where, my review is finally up at LARB! https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/t...#!If you celebrate Christmas, read it in line as you last-minute shop. If you don't, enjoy it with all the free time not having to worry about mulberries and double-sided tape and trees going up in flames affords you. ***********************************************Oooh, Goodreads Choice Awards Semifinalist for Best Mystery & Thriller 2018! What will happen?Oh, it will lose to...