The Trespasser is the sixth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French.    Whereas most detective/crime/mystery series follow the same narrative style, Tana French never does.    Each story is told from a different point of view and more than that, feels unique and somewhat daring.    This story is told by Antoinette Conway, a tough detective who does not give in to the attitudes and actions of her peers, building up a hard shell and a steady path toward doing her job well.

We sometimes wonder if the author has provided us with an unreliable narrator.    We only have her account and the dialogues to go on.    The murder story may appear simple, but there are always secrets and false assumptions.    Much of the mystery is unfolded in long interrogations, masterfully written.  The whole tale is a slow burn, a psychological puzzle that we are invited to follow.

After many paths to solve the murder mystery, Conway states:

“I was doing exactly the same thing as Aislinn: getting lost so deep inside the story in my head, I couldn’t see past its walls to the outside world. I feel those walls shift and start to waver, with a rumble that shakes my bones from the inside out. I feel my face naked to the ice-flavored air that pours through the cracks and keeps coming. A great shiver is building in my back.”

As readers we are led down a path that follows those stories inside her head, and as the truth is revealed, we finally can  see past the facades and breathe more freely too.     This book requires some stick-to-it-iveness to get to the finale, but its well worth the effort.    All of Tana French’s books are. 4.7 out of 5.0 stars4.7