Beastmomma

From goodreads: 

Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy, the brash cop from Tana French’s bestsellingFaithful Place, plays by the book and plays hard. That’s what’s made him the Murder squad’s top detective—and that’s what puts the biggest case of the year into his hands.

On one of the half-built, half-abandoned "luxury" developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children are dead. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care.

At first, Scorcher and his rookie partner, Richie, think it’s going to be an easy solve. But too many small things can’t be explained. The half dozen baby monitors, their cameras pointing at holes smashed in the Spains’ walls. The files erased from the Spains’ computer. The story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder who was slipping past all the locks.

And Broken Harbor holds memories for Scorcher. Seeing the case on the news sends his sister Dina off the rails again, and she’s resurrecting something that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control: what happened to their family one summer at Broken Harbor, back when they were children.

Pages: 450 (Hardcover)

Rating: 8 out of 10

Source: Checked out from the library

Date Completed: January 22, 2013

When the Partners and Professors book club selected Broken Harbor by Tana French for the January read, I was excited to not read something heavy and depressing.  When I read the summary, I expected it to be a sad, but quick read.  I did not expect to be terrified and disturbed as I got sucked into the story and kept turning the pages.  I read most of this book while I was on vacation.  A story about a family that gets murdered and the complex relationships that are revealed in the course of trying to solve the mystery does not mesh well with extended time with the family.  Because I was jet lagged, my sleep schedule was off anyway.  I found myself thinking about the story, the characters, and trying to figure out what happened instead of trying to get on a regular sleep schedule. 

When I found out what happened, I was SHOCKED and HORRIFIED! At our book club meeting, not everyone had finished the book.  As we revealed what happened, the faces of the people who had not finished the book reflected my disbelief.  Some books affirm your faith in the goodness of humanity; this book makes you wonder what the fuck is wrong with people.  In spite of my intense reaction, I thought the story was compelling.  I was surprised with the various plot twists and liked not knowing what to expect at the start of each chapter. 

I am counting this book for the following challenges: 

• 2013 Global Reading Challenge: The book takes place in Ireland, so I am counting it for Europe
• 2013 Chunkster Reading Challenge: The book is 450 pages, so *just* qualifies as a chunkster
• What's In a Name Three: I am using it fulfill the body of water category