Promotional Information

Tana French follows her stunning accomplished debut, IN THE WOODS, with an equally compelling psychological mystery that confirms her place as one of the most exciting new voices in crime fiction.

About the Author

Tana French grew up in Ireland, Italy, the US and Malawi, and has lived in Dublin since 1990. She trained as a professional actress at Trinity College, Dublin. Her first novel, In the Woods, won the Clarion award in 2007 for First Fiction, and the Edgar in the USA in 2008 for best first novel. She works in theatre, film and voiceover and is a member of PurpleHeart Theatre Company.

Reviews

'An intricate and edgy top-notch psychological thriller.' -- Woman and Home 20080801 "Police procedures, psychological thrills and gothic romance beautifully woven into one stunning story" -- Kirkus 20080611 Praise for IN THE WOODS:'Tana French's IN THE WOODS is a terrific debut ... French's psychological insights into the damaged policeman's torment combine grippingly with the clammy atmosphere that surrounds the lethal woods. As an example of a novel in which the past returns to haunt the present, this scores very high marks.' -- Marcel Berlins, The Times on IN THE WOODS 20080611 'Lyrical and haunting' -- Scotland on Sunday on IN THE WOODS 20080611 'A real show-stopper of a thriller ... Author tightens the tension slowly until squealing point; Ryan's increasingly taut relationship with Maddox is woven cunningly around the crime plot. A splendid, page-turning debut.' -- She on IN THE WOODS 20080611 'A compellingly complex case with nuanced characters and a richly detailed sense of place' -- Kirkus Reviews on IN THE WOODS 20080611 French expertly walks the line between police procedurial and psychological thriller in her debut. -- Publishers Weekly on IN THE WOODS 20080611 'Beautifully written and elegantly descriptive, this is a true literary detective novel rather tahn a whodunnit' -- Irish Mail on Sunday 20080720 'An eerie thriller, perfect for holidays' -- Sunday World 20080706 'Creepily melding elements of Donna Tartt's 'The Secret History' and undercover police procedural, THE LIKENESS by Tana French, seduces from the start... A nifty tale of desire for belonging, as well as a cool thriller' -- Time Out 20080821 'French's second foray into the dark world of psychological crime more than proves she's the real deal' -- Daily Mirror 20080829 'Begin reading this and you won't want to stop' -- Choice Magazine 20080901 'Creepy stuff' -- Independent 20080829

Just months after the trauma of Operation Vestal - the murder investigation at the center of French's 2007 blockbuster debut and Edgar Award-winning In the Woods - Det. Cassie Maddox is drawn from her relatively tranquil job in Domestic Violence into a case that comes to threaten her very being. A woman, a literal dead ringer for Cassie, is killed in a village near Dublin. The victim's name is Lexie Madison, an identity created specifically for Cassie in an earlier undercover operation. Police conceal the death, positing a coma and recovery, and Cassie - serving as bait as she seeks the murderer - once again becomes Lexie, joining four fellow grad students living in a stately old mansion and sharing an intensely close, near-magical relationship. Acting with the reluctant approval of her boyfriend, Det. Sam O'Neill, who heads the investigation, Cassie grows to have as many questions about how Lexie lived as how she died as she sinks into her double's seductively appealing life in a search for the truth. French creates remarkably complex characters while gradually unpeeling the layers of her story in this rich and insightful psychological thriller. A stunner. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/08.] - Michele Leber, Arlington, VA Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.