RaveThe Washington TimesIt’s hard not to be charmed by Frank Mackey, who’s equal parts brogue and noir: confident and mordantly wisecracking, a little bruised and delicate in places, amiably boorish, not much for following the rules. He might be straight out of the hard-boiled imagination of James M. Cain but for his Irish accent and idioms ... Ms. French has Cain’s uncanny gift for first-person narration and the delineation of sharp, distinctive characters - as well as the noir-ish preference for moral ambiguity. She also has a superb ear for dialogue and the rhythms of colloquial speech ... Those who read for the plot may be disappointed by Faithful Place, but those who value psychological complexity and vivid characterization, who aren’t afraid to have their generic expectations turned inside out, who like their thrillers with a strong regional and literary savor, owe themselves the pleasure of Tana French.
