So… what to say about Tana French’s, BROKEN HARBOR? I think the first order of business is what to say about Tana French as a writer. What makes her one of the best things going in contemporary suspense/crime procedurals is that I can’t decide which of her four novels is the best of the lot. Each outing of her pen brings something stunning to recommend it as the favorite.

While all four novels stand alone, they can be strung together by the continuation of a non-narrating player from each book turning up as the main character in the next one. In the case of BROKEN HARBOR, I have to recommend, for full effect, that the reader take in FAITHFUL PLACE as a prerequisite (no hardship there, it’s wonderful.)

Don’t misunderstand me, you don’t need to meet Mick ‘Scorcher’ Kennedy in the third book to understand what’s going on in the fourth − the story carries all and you will be riveted to the plot to the last page. It’s only that to completely appreciate the trick Ms. French manages here, you have to see Mick Kennedy in his habitat, first from the observer’s side of the bars. Here’s a hint: you won’t like him. He abrasive, uptight, and a speedbump to what Frank (FAITHFUL PLACE’s protagonist) needs to get done.

But seeing the world through Mick’s eyes, with Mick’s past roiling right behind them, well, let’s just say that everything seems to make a little more heartbreaking sense.

This is not a light book, but the weight is distributed evenly – and beautifully. Read it for the story. Read it for the words. Read it for the insights. BROKEN HARBOR, like every one of her others, is my favorite Tana French novel.