01 Apr Book Review: The Trespasser by Tana French

Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series is not just about solving crimes; it is about the detectives themselves—their psychology, their relationships, and the way cases take a toll on them. The Trespasser, the sixth book in the series, is no exception. This time, the story focuses on Detective Antoinette Conway, a character who has appeared in earlier books but now takes center stage in an investigation that feels both intensely personal and frustratingly complex. It is a novel about isolation, sexism, manipulation, and the hidden motivations that drive people to lie, even when the truth seems obvious.

What’s it about?

Detective Antoinette Conway is tough, sharp, and one of the few women on the Dublin Murder Squad. But after years of working in an environment where she is constantly underestimated, harassed, and excluded, she is starting to wonder if the job is even worth it anymore. The only person she trusts is her partner, Stephen Moran, who is one of the few detectives who does not treat her like an outsider. Together, they have been assigned a steady stream of routine cases—burglaries, domestic disputes, and other low-priority investigations that do not exactly make for career-defining work.

Then, one night, they catch what seems to be a straightforward domestic homicide. Aislinn Murray, a young woman with no criminal record and no history of trouble, is found dead in her home, the victim of what looks like a lover’s quarrel gone wrong. She was beautiful, polished, and seemingly ordinary. All signs point to her boyfriend, Rory Fallon, who was supposed to have dinner with her that night. He is nervous, inconsistent in his story, and seems like exactly the kind of guy who might have lost his temper and done something awful.

Conway has seen this type of case before. Women like Aislinn turn up dead all the time, their murders barely making the front page because they fit a familiar pattern. The squad wants a quick resolution, the higher-ups are pushing for a conviction, and her superiors are practically handing her an open-and-shut case. But something about it does not sit right with her.

As Conway and Moran dig deeper, they begin to realize that Aislinn was not the simple, passive woman she appeared to be. She had secrets—about her past, about the people she associated with, and about something she was planning just before she died. The more they investigate, the more the case starts to shift, moving from a domestic killing to something much more intricate.

At the same time, Conway starts to feel the pressure from within the squad. Her colleagues are openly hostile, treating her like an inconvenience, questioning her instincts, and making her doubt herself at every turn. She begins to wonder if they are just trying to push her out of the force, or if they actually have a reason to want this case wrapped up without too many questions.

As the novel unfolds, Conway and Moran find themselves in a game of manipulation, trying to sort through layers of deception while also questioning who they can really trust. The case is not about what happened that night in Aislinn’s home—it is about what led her there in the first place, and the connections that no one wants them to see.

What This Chick Thinks

A detective novel that is as much about the detective as the crime

Unlike traditional police procedurals that focus on the mechanics of solving a case, The Trespasser is just as much about the person investigating it. Conway is a fascinating character—angry, guarded, and unwilling to play the role of the friendly, cooperative detective that her male colleagues seem to expect. Her perspective makes the novel feel intensely personal, as every decision she makes is weighed down by the knowledge that she is constantly being judged, challenged, and undermined.

The atmosphere of paranoia and isolation

One of the novel’s biggest strengths is how well it captures the tension of working in an environment where you do not know who is on your side. The pressure Conway faces from her own squad is just as suffocating as the case itself, and the way French builds that atmosphere makes the book incredibly immersive. You feel her frustration, her exhaustion, and the way her job wears her down day after day.

A slow burn that pays off

This is not a fast-paced thriller, but the slow, methodical unraveling of the mystery is what makes it so compelling. The deeper Conway and Moran dig, the more the case begins to shift, and by the time the truth is revealed, it is clear that nothing was ever as simple as it seemed. The resolution is satisfying without being overly dramatic—it is the kind of ending that lingers, making you think about how easily narratives are shaped by those in power.

A nuanced look at justice and bias

At its core, The Trespasser is about how easy it is to shape a case to fit a convenient narrative. The novel explores the biases in law enforcement, how certain victims are treated differently based on how they are perceived, and how personal agendas can interfere with the truth. It does not present easy answers, and that is part of what makes it such a thought-provoking read.

Final Thoughts

The Trespasser is a complex, gripping novel that blends psychological depth with a compelling mystery. It is not just about solving a crime—it is about the cost of doing the job, the toll of constantly having to fight to be taken seriously, and the blurred lines between justice and self-preservation.

If you enjoy crime fiction that is more about character than action, this one is well worth picking up. It is tense, layered, and completely absorbing, proving once again that Tana French is one of the best in the genre.

Rating: 9/10

Try it if you like

• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins – A psychological thriller that plays with perception and unreliable narrators.
• The Killing Lessons by Saul Black – A dark, gripping crime novel that delves into the psychology of detectives and killers alike.
• Broken Harbor by Tana French – Another entry in the Dublin Murder Squad series that explores a case with deep psychological implications.