Tana French books in order: The perfect reading plan for mystery lovers
Tana French is a talented American-Irish author and theatrical actress who rose to prominence through her debut novel, In the Woods (2007). Since then, Tana has written various stories in the series to critical acclaim. This article details the Tana French novels in order and other intriguing details about the books.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Do you need to read Tana French books in order?
- In what order should you read Tana French books?
- 1. In The Woods (2007)
- 2. The Likeness (2008)
- 3. Faithful Place (2010)
- 4. Broken Harbor (2012)
- 5. The Secret Place (2014)
- 6. The Trespasser (2016)
- 7. The Witch Elm (2018)
- 8. The Searcher: A Novel (2020)
- 9. The Hunter: A Novel (2024)
- Is The Hunter a sequel to The Searcher?
- Do you need to read In the Woods before The Likeness?
- Is the book In the Woods a series?
- Tana French’s new book
- Tana French’s standalone books
- What movie is based on Tana French's books?
In the Woods is a psychological mystery about the murder of a young girl and the subsequent investigation that followed. Tana's debut novel won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards for best first novel, quickly cementing her as a talented writer to keep an eye on.
Do you need to read Tana French books in order?
Since the author has released various books since her debut novel, fans want to know if reading Tana French novels in order is necessary. Speechify states that you can read the fictional novels in any order you wish, as each novel amongst the insightful books is a standalone case with a new investigator and case.
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In what order should you read Tana French books?
Readers widely love the Tana French series, but how many are there, and in what order were they released? Here are Tana French's books, in order from the original release date until the latest release:
1. In The Woods (2007)
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Tana's debut novel is set in a small Dublin town in the summer of 1984 and focuses on three missing children. Rob Ryan is the only child found, still alive in a traumatic state under mysterious circumstances. Following the murder of a child in the same woods 20 years later, Rob and Detective Cassie Maddox work together to try to piece the puzzle together.
2. The Likeness (2008)
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The Likeness is a follow-up to In the Woods but can be read as a standalone book. This novel focuses on the distressed detective Cassie Maddox battling in her career and relationship with Sam O'Neill. Cassie is investigating the murder of a young woman who has the same name as an alias she once used while working as an undercover officer.
3. Faithful Place (2010)
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Set in Dublin, Faithful Place follows undercover detective Frank Mackey as he grapples with his haunting past. When his high school sweetheart fails to show up for a secret plan to elope and leaves a note, he flees for Ireland to aid his aching heart. Years later, his devastating past catches up to him with some new disturbing twists and turns.
4. Broken Harbor (2012)
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Broken Harbor is the 2012 Los Angeles Times 2012 book prize winner that focuses on a dilapidated ghost estate outside Dublin where two children and their father are found deceased, and their mother is taken to hospital. Murder squad detective Scorcher Kennedy is put on the case to dissect where it all went wrong while trying to decipher confusing details pointing in different directions.
5. The Secret Place (2014)
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Detective Stephen Moran's hopes of joining Dublin’s Murder Squad are ignited once teen Holly Mackey brings him a photo of a popular boy who was found dead at a girls’ boarding school the year prior. Stephen joins detective Antoinette Conway to reopen and work on the case and try to make sense of the murder, with increasing suspicions placed on the mysterious girls surrounding the case.
6. The Trespasser (2016)
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In The Trespasser, detective Antoinette Conway realises that being part of the Murder Squad did not live up to her hopes. She experiences pranks and harassment while going through the motions of her job when they get a new case that seems like a lover's quarrel gone wrong. But as the investigation goes on, not everything appears as it seems.
7. The Witch Elm (2018)
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The Witch Elm focuses on a charismatic man named Toby, whose life took a drastic turn once he was beaten by robbers and left for dead. Now recovering from his inquires, Toby realises he may never be the person he once was. Taking refuge at his family’s ancestral home and caring for his dying uncle Hugo, he finds a skull at the trunk of an elm tree at their home, shaking up everything he once believed to be true about his life.
8. The Searcher: A Novel (2020)
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Former Chicago cop Cal Hooper buys a fixer-upper home in a rustic Irish village, leaving behind memories of his stressful former job and complicated divorce. He thought the idyllic Irish life would help, but once a local kid whose brother has gone missing persuades him to investigate the case, he uncovers that the small town holds dangerous secrets.
9. The Hunter: A Novel (2024)
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Carl Hooper's life is settling after his move to Ireland and unplanned assistance in investigating a missing boy. Cal is in a relationship with local woman Lena and is slowly helping socially inept teen Trey Reddy ingrain himself into society. When Trey's long-absent father comes back and has tricks up his sleeve, Cal and Lena must work to protect Trey while Trey seeks revenge.
Is The Hunter a sequel to The Searcher?
The Hunter picks up where The Searcher left off, showing how Cal's life has progressed since he was thrust into the middle of a missing child investigation while hoping to escape the stressors of being a cop. However, you can watch The Searcher and have it make sense without reading The Hunter prior.
Do you need to read In the Woods before The Likeness?
As mentioned, you can read any of the books mentioned above in any order you wish, as each book contains a different storyline. However, each book has links to its predecessor, so reading it in chronological order will help with context.
Is the book In the Woods a series?
In the Woods is the first book in the Dublin Murder Squad series. The series follows the murder squad as they tackle various crimes from the first novel until The Trespasser, but it can be read without reading the former books.
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Tana French’s new book
Tana French's new book, The Hunter: A Novel, was released in 2024. It follows the story of protagonist Cal Hooper, who moves to a small town in Ireland and is thrown into the midst of an investigation into a missing boy.
The successful author spoke with Esquire about the release of her new novel and stated The Searcher was supposed to be a standalone novel with no follow-up, but she began to ponder a follow-up on a potential next book. She said:
'So, I didn't do anything for a while. And when I emerged from that, and started thinking about the next book, I started realizing that I wanted to do more with that place and that world I'd set up, because The Searcher is kind of mystery software running on Western hardware.'
Tana French’s standalone books
Each of her novels can be read as a standalone book. However, her books The Searcher and The Hunter, which are closely linked but can also be read as standalone books, have no previous ties to the former books besides being based in Ireland.
What movie is based on Tana French's books?
Two Tana French books were made into movies, In The Woods (2007) and The Likeness (2008). The two books were merged into one story, and the movie Dublin Murders (2019) is based on them. The film received an IMDb rating of 7.1/10.
Tana French books are critically acclaimed crime novels that have gained millions of fans worldwide. Two of her highly-rated films being transformed into a movie proves how universally loved the author's books are, gaining more and more fans as she releases each new novel.
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