Though Tana's Dublin Murder Squad books do, in my mind, constitute a series, "The Hunter" is the second book in a series of a more traditional fashion—here we have a whole cast of returning characters, continuing and developing storylines, and layers of context and depth added to some of the relationships established in book one.

As always, I loved the way Tana set the scene for us. Even though the Ardnakelty setting wasn't entirely new, she still managed to fully immerse me in the world for a second time with her detailed descriptions and robust character work. There is really nothing I love more than slowly building tension.

But I will say, the plot of book #2 took a WHILE to get going. The exposition was important, no doubt, but I think we could've gotten to the meat of the plot—ya know, the murderrr—a bit faster. Once things actually started happening and the pace picked up I was hooked, as I knew I would be. Tana never lets me down, but she certainly does make me work for it some times.

Pick this series up if you love Tana already or if you're into a more atmospheric and slow-burn type mystery that turns more on subtle revelations and intricate town politics than on an action-packed plot. And if you haven't tried ANY Tana yet, I'm not sure what you've been doing.