The Secret Place by Tana French

THE SECRET PLACE is the fifth installment in The Dublin Murder Squad series.

Readers of this series will recognize Stephen Moran as a minor character from an earlier installment.  This is one of the things Ms. French does that has become a signature of hers - bringing in earlier minor characters and allowing us to watch their development at her skillful hands.

Stephen Moran is the perfect cop for an investigation involving an upscale girl's school.  He possesses the charm (both natural and manufactured - as the need presents itself) to help lead investigator, Antoinette Conway, connect with girls in a way to get information they've been withholding for over a year.  

Though the book is over 400 pages, the story actually follows the investigation during only one day.  The scenes are moved along with flashbacks telling a story with  adroit twists most readers won't see coming.

Nobody, NOBODY, can take you down a road, have you believing one thing with absolute certainty only to slip you down a side alley where nothing is what it seemed just a minute ago!  I am over the moon about Tana French's newest novel.  She just keeps getting better and better.  Her keen observations into human psyche are unparalleled and turn what you might think of as a police procedural into a psychological murder mystery.

Disclaimer:  an arc of The Secret Place was provided by the publisher.  No review was promised and the above is my unbiased opinion.