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When it comes down to it, not a lot happens in Tana French's third novel FAITFHUL PLACE. But hell, who cares when you write as immaculately as she does! Frank Mackey is an undercover cop in Dublin. You'll remember him as Cassie Maddox's mentor if you read THE LIKENESS. If you haven't, it doesn't matter. All you need to know is that he's your average tough guy policeman with a dysfunctional family life. Except, he isn't. Well, not totally. In FAITHFUL PLACE he spends a heck of a lot of time trying to bury the ghosts of his past and to deal with the family he's been avoiding for 20 years. What brings him back with the greatest reluctance to the family fold is the discovery of a suitcase and the body of a girl in a house in Faithful Place. Nineteen years ago, Frank was all set to elope to England with his girlfriend Rosie. But Rosie failed to turn up for their rendezvous, and Frank never saw her again. And that was the day he left his feuding family behind. And it doesn't look like that much has changed in Faithful Place, despite the gradual yuppification of the houses. The Mackey family are still at each other's throats and also can't understand why Frank legged it all those years ago. Frank's a policeman who's used to living close to the edge, so being warned off the enquiry by colleagues isn't exactly going to keep him away. It means, though, that he must decide whether to try to rebuild relations with his family, which is dominated by his domineering and manipulative mother and with his bullying father – now a husk of a man – still a looming presence in the background. The plot of FAITHFUL PLACE is good enough, but what kept me glued to the book is French's enviable ability to present settings and people so rich and real that you're convinced you know them. Frank and the Mackey clan rear off the page at you in all their vicious, grudge-ridden glory. Faithful Place itself feels like somewhere a visitor to Dublin might catch an accidental, fleeting glimpse of if they've lost their way exploring the bustling city. But this mythical street, where much of the action takes place, is a product of French's wonderfully fertile imagination. If you value poised and perfect writing, coupled with characters and a setting you can see and hear with the clarity of the best movie, read FAITHFUL PLACE. § Sharon Wheeler is a UK-based journalist, writer and lecturer.
Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, October 2010
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