Broken Harbor

A Novel

De: Tana French

Narrado por: Stephen Hogan

From Tana French, author of the forthcoming novel The Searcher, a New York Times best-selling novel that “proves anew that [Tana French] is one of the most talented crime writers alive” (The Washington Post).

“Required reading for anyone who appreciates tough, unflinching intelligence and ingenious plotting.” (The New York Times)

Mick “Scorcherˮ Kennedy is the star of the Dublin Murder Squad. He plays by the books and plays hard, and thatʼs how the biggest case of the year ends up in his hands.

On one of the half-abandoned "luxury" developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children have been murdered. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care. At first, Scorcher thinks itʼs going to be an easy solve, but too many small things can't be explained: the half dozen baby monitors pointed at holes smashed in the Spains' walls, the files erased from the familyʼs computer, the story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder slipping past the house's locks. And this neighborhood - once called Broken Harbor - holds memories for Scorcher and his troubled sister, Dina: childhood memories that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control.

©2012 Tana French (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“French ...[is] drawn not just to the who but also to the why - those bigger mysteries about the human weaknesses that drive somebody to such inhuman brutality. What really gives Broken Harbor its nerve-rattling force is her exploration of events leading up to the murders, rendered just as vividly as the detectives’ scramble to solve them.” [Entertainment Weekly (A- rating)]

“Broken Harbour is a novel, of course, but it's also a headline...it's good to see contemporary literature engaging a crisis that has had such an impact on the lives of so many. This is, in fact, what good literature does. It makes us look at our world and perhaps forces us to see what we have chosen to ignore.” (Los Angeles Times)

“Ms. French creates haunting, damaged characters who have been hit hard by some cataclysm...This may sound like a routine police procedural. But like Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, this summer’s other dagger-sharp display of mind games, Broken Harbor is something more... she has irresistibly sly ways of toying with readers’ expectations.” (Janet Maslin, The New York Times)

Just when it seems too long

I feel like Ms. French’s mysteries are about one long chapter too long. She is a tad repetitive in her stories. But somewhere in those last three long chapters my understanding of human nature, life or maybe just a literary parallels brings a very satisfying end to the story

Mental Illness in layered tales

Just dig in…
This author will open you up to chaos and make you think differently

Intense

Tana French does it again! Scorcher is a guy you want to hate but makes loads of sense on why he does the thing he does. This story was tragic and wild and still left me wondering. All in all I couldn’t stop listening.

Long but enjoyable

Rich characters developed chapter by chapter, congruent with previous books in this series. Well narrated

Not the best!

This slipped into the horror genre with too much detail and psychosis. Great performance but not up to the earlier work I devoured with enthusiasm. This was a bit of a slog.

Delightfully Atmospheric

Broken Harbor


A delightfully atmospheric, beautiful written and thought-provoking mystery.

SUMMARY
Michael “Scorcher“ Kennedy case solve rate makes him a star in the Dublin Murders Squadroom. He plays by the book and has now landed the biggest case of the year. Kennedy and his rookie partner Richie Curran are headed out to the crime scene on the Irish coast.

Broken Harbor, is a mostly-abandon luxury development that has gone belly up in the midst of Ireland’s economic free fall. Patrick Spain and his two young children, Emma and Jack, have been horrifically murdered. Patrick’s wife, Jenny, is headed to the hospital with serious knife wounds. Their kitchen is covered in blood.

At first, Kennedy thinks it’s going to be an easy solve. But then there are many small things around the house that can’t be easily explained: a half dozen baby monitors scattered around the house, smashed holes pepper the walls of a beautifully decorated home, an illegal animal trap in the attic, and files are erased from the family’s computer. Kennedy and Curran soon clash over the identity of the killer. What started as a slam dunk has gotten complicated

Broken Harbor was known as Brianstown before it was ever a development. It’s holds some of the best and worst memories of Kennedy’s life, his family used to camped there. All those traumatic memories come back to haunt him when he visits the estate.


“It doesn’t matter where you come from. There’s nothing you can do about it, so don’t waste your energy thinking about it. What matters is where you’re going. And that, mate, is something you can control.”

“Don’t fool yourself: we all have a cruel streak. We keep it under lock and key either because we’re afraid of getting punished or because we believe this will somehow make a difference, make the world a better place.”


REVIEW
BROKEN HARBOR is the fourth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series. It’s a delightfully atmospheric, beautiful written and thought-provoking mystery. It’s also commentary of sorts on the effect the Irish economic depression has had on the middle class. Unemployment and bankruptcy leading to humiliation, anxiety, depression and desperation.

Kennedy, with his experience and Curran’s empathic communication skills made their detective partnership feel real and authentic. Author Tana French’s character development is masterful; from the diligent detectives, to the Spain family members. And it doesn’t take you long to appreciate the cray-cray in Kennedy’s crazy younger sister Dina. French writes “crazy” superbly, but then she writes everything superbly. She is a fabulous writer and the story is brilliantly plotted.

Tana French was born in Vermont and has lived in Dublin since 1990. The first three Dublin Murder Squad books are In The Woods (2008), The Likeness (2009) and Faithful Place (2010), each winning numerous awards. I listen to the Broken Harbor audiobook and loved the read.

“Only teenagers think boring is bad. Adults, grown men and women who been around the block a few times, know that boring is a gift straight from God. Life has more than enough excitement up its sleeve, ready to hit you with as soon as you’re not looking, without you adding your drama.”

I really appreciate her writing style

I do think this book has a bit too much detail for my taste, but at the same time, I think it’s more believable then in the

Unsettling, nuanced crime mystery.

I was surprised and pleased by this book: it's my first Tana French. The place is evocative and basically a character in the drama, which is something that I generally appreciate. The characters are complex. Missing is the silliness in many crime novels: while a character's actions might be confusing at first, they're always believable. That's important.

The reading was for the most part strong, except for the voice of the Dina... reminiscent of a Saturday Night Live female character voiced by a male. So, an unintentionally comic effect, at least on this listener.

One of the best from Tana

This one is right up there with Faithful Place! I wasn't sure about this book, just like I wasn't sure about Faithful Place, but they are by far the best of the series! I absolutely love Stephen Hogan, I could listen to him read the ingredients off of cereal box and enjoy it! I cannot say enough amazing things about this book and the performance!

Broken what

I really enjoy these stories, but at the end there are still unanswered questions.