This is my second time reading ‘Broken Harbour,’ but this time I’m reading it with Tana French’s other books, in publication order. Her books sometimes have plot holes you could drive a truck through; in this case, it would seem that the sole survivor of a family slaughter ought to be the first suspect, but it never occurs to Detective Scorcher Kennedy and trainee Richie Curran until late in the book. But two French characteristics draw me in: her keen sense of place and her emotional intelligence. Brianstown, AKA Broken Harbour, is a half-built planned community that collapsed in the 2008 recession, taking Jenny and Pat Spain’s domestic dreams with it. French’s vivid description of their shared descent into madness parallels the miserable decline of the seaside community, without stereotyping either the people or the place; the result is a story that pulls you along despite the improbable plot points. Even the minor characters—the neighbors the Gogans and Scorcher’s sisters Dina and Geri—have something important to contribute. And the topical theme—recession and broken dreams—is fresh and edifying, even all these years later.