How reliable are memories...what we don't remember, and what we think we do? Tana French's latest novel explores how we determine what's true when we can no longer trust our memories.Toby is a lucky guy who has a tough time coping when his luck finally runs out. Dealing with PTSD, faulty memory, and lingering physical problems following an assault, his girlfriend Melissa and Uncle Hugo provide support and succor as his life spirals out of control.I ended up enjoying this book after slogging through the first third. This is a 300 page novel dragged out to over 500, but things pick up once we finally reach the actual mystery.Tana French is a master of crime writing and psychological mystery---lots of twists and turns and liberal sprinklings of red herrings. This novel has all that and more. My advice would be to skim through the beginning, and then pay close attention!

I’ve read a lot of reviews, and they talk about the plot. I want to talk about the writing. It is unbelievable! The psychological mind of the main character is revealed so realistically! It’s like the author went through the same transformation! We are taken on his journey of mind disfunction! We are feeling his frustration and weakness! We rejoice with his triumphs and recognizance. I was drawn in and could not let go!Outstanding writing!

I am a huge Tana French fan and have read and enjoyed all her previous books. She's a terrific stylist and has a fine ear for dialogue. For notes on plot and character development, please check other reviews, because mine is brief: this novel is one long dark downward spiral — not only the most depressing book I have ever read, but one with deeply unpleasant characters, moral murkiness, obvious plot points which other reviews insist on calling surprising, and about a hundred pages which a thoughtful editor could have cut without a pang. To me, this feels like exploring the furthest reach of the unreliable narrator – to no purpose.

I don’t understand the general lukewarm reviews for this novel. I’ve read all of Tana French, and this and Into the Woods are my favorites. I found it to be painstakingly detailed. I could see every facet conjured in my mind, what the characters look like, the house, his apartment, the hospital room—it was like I was there. The suspense was unbearable. My doubts about each character shimmered trust to mistrust throughout the book. I didn’t want it to end. The writing is so gorgeous and blurs the line between a thriller and high literature. It reminds me of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, but even more complex and nuanced.

Tanna in this book exaggerates the description of people and places anihilatingthe plot. Pity because her books quickly engaged the reader but this particular one makes for a tiring search for meaningI am abandoning Ms. French