Tana French is at her best with this fourth Dublin Murder Squad book. She is a writer who can not only tell a thrilling story full of damaged and fascinating characters, but she can also make me cry with a mystery. Yes, I cried at the end of this story.

I hate to compare French to anyone else, because she writes prose that is poetic, nostalgic, and heart poundingly tense at the same time; but I can't help it. It's as though--especially in this book--she is channeling Ruth Rendell's most uncomfortable psychological moments with Barry Maitland's most copper, police procedural moments. It's a perfect combination for me and I will be re-reading this often while I wait for her next book.

And a quick note on the audiobook narrator, Stephen Hogan: he does a spot-on job. His accents are varied and easily identifiable, but never hammy. He has a terrific deep, low tone that can be eerie in one line, and vulnerable with the next.