Broken Harbour cover art

Broken Harbour

Dublin Murder Squad: 4. Winner of the LA Times Book Prize for Best Mystery/Thriller and the Irish Book Award for Crime Fiction Book of the Year

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Broken Harbour

By: Tana French
Narrated by: Hugh Lee
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About this listen

 In Broken Harbour, a ghost estate outside Dublin - half-built, half-inhabited, half-abandoned - two children and their father are dead. The mother is on her way to intensive care. Scorcher Kennedy is given the case because he is the Murder squad's star detective. At first he and his rookie partner, Richie, think this is a simple one: Pat Spain was a casualty of the recession, so he killed his children, tried to kill his wife Jenny, and finished off with himself. But there are too many inexplicable details and the evidence is pointing in two directions at once.

Scorcher's personal life is tugging for his attention. Seeing the case on the news has sent his sister Dina off the rails again, and she's resurrecting something that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control: what happened to their family, one summer at Broken Harbour, back when they were children. The neat compartments of his life are breaking down, and the sudden tangle of work and family is putting both at risk . . .


(P)2012 Hodder & Stoughton©2012 Tana French Crime Fiction Modern Detectives Mystery Fiction Suspense Exciting Scary

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Critic reviews

I've been enthusiastically telling everyone who will listen to read Tana French. She is, without a doubt, my favorite new mystery writer. Her novels are poignant, compelling, beautifully written and wonderfully atmospheric. Just start reading the first page. You'll see what I mean.
The half finished housing estate with jerry-built boxes is eerily reminiscent of a J. G. Ballard dystopian setting - establishing atmosphere is one of French's many strengths. Gradually, an emotionally jolting story of love, obsession and madness is played out to incredible effect. Since her first novel, In the Woods, was larded with awards in 2007, French has garnered a huge legion of fans and they will be thrilled with this, her fourth and possibly best novel.
The most breathtakingly brilliant and close-to-perfect thriller I've read for a long time.
Tana French is one of those rare novelists who combine a gift for dialogue and characterisation, with suspense, intrigue and fabulous plotting. And she's a beautiful writer, to boot. A real treat.
Edgar-winner French's eloquently slow-burning fourth Dublin murder squad novel shows her at the top of her game . . . French excels at drawing out complex character dynamics
All stars
Most relevant
Excellent really enjoyed it, Hugh Lee narrated it very well it was like listening to a play, sorry when it finished.

BROKEN HARBOUR

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I have loved Tana French since her debut 'In the Woods' and feel that she is a much under rated writer. This was an amazing book made all the better by the outstanding narration by Hugh Lee - a reason in itself to listen. It's not often that my husband listens to audiobooks too but we were both completely gripped by this. It takes you on a long, gripping, journey and the listener is never quite sure where the plot is going. I did not want to stop listening and felt rather bereft when it ended. The only thing that stopped me awarding this 5 stars is one small aspect of the plot becomes a little dragged out but maybe this is just me being too picky!! 4 and three quarter stars.

Almost a 5 star listen

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Wow. Darn! I've finished the book! I've heard very many audio books, and enjoyed almost all of them but this had me totally in thrall. I was so engrossed in the last third I had trouble doing even the washing. I listen while driving to and from work, and at the weekend while doing the usual chores at home I would switch off the story if I need to interact with friends and neighbours. I avoided them all in order to listen... The narrator is the finest I have ever heard, his different voices melding with the characters so well that I forgot it was one person making them all, indeed I have no idea what his natural voice would sound like because his mastery of accent was so good. A true voice actor. The story? A murder mystery, yes, but from an unusual perspective, this is no ordinary tale. At one point I felt I could see the pattern and was almost disappointed, then the shape shifted and I was proved wrong, even the ending was unexpected. This is a book I would recommend without hesitation and will listen to again and again if only for the pleasure of listening to the sound of Hugh Lee's voice. Tana French gives her characters depth and veracity, genuine and believable dialogue and no cliches in sight. Oh yes, I shall certainly be looking out for more from both the author and the narrator. If you get only one book, pick this one.

Completely enthralling...

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The plot is great, the narrator does a wonderful job, but the listening is spoiled by the repeated, coarse, foul language used. Its unnecessary and really detracts from the enjoyment of the story.

Great storyline

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This is a wonderful haunted and haunting novel. It would be classified as crime fiction but it is so much more than that, whilst it does not lose pace the story is intricately woven together where the past and present resonate with each other. The author takes a horrific crime and gently and inevitably leads towards an understanding of the forces that can lead someone to commit it. None of the characters are cardboard cutouts and I found myself genuinely caring about what happened to them.



The narration is superb and enhances the enjoyment, I have enjoyed all the books that I have read/listened to by this author but this is, I think, the best so far.

I urge you to buy this book

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