Book giveaway: The Secret Place by Tana French

[TinaMumsnet]

'I know who killed him.'

Could these few words, posted on a notice board in an exclusive girls' boarding school, be Detective Stephen Moran's passport to the Murder Squad?

We’re really excited to be giving away 300 copies of The Secret Place this week. Beautifully written and drenched in suspense, we haven't been able to stop talking about this book here at MNHQ.

Click here to find out more, and apply for a copy.

This giveaway is sponsored by Hodder.

Tweet using #TheSecretPlace.

yes i thought some of teenage slang was a bit off too, but that must be quite hard to do naturally. the text speak in the text messages jarred too i thought - most of hte teenagers i know use smart phones and have unlimited messages and it's jsut as quick to type the full word as it auto-completes

I am here to admit defeat. I've got about half way through and I realise I don't care who did it or why. I liked the alternating chapters but none of the characters have me engaged enough to want to find out who did it or why.

The language of the teenagers jars a bit - it may be realistic but it doesn't read that way to me.

My husband read it before me as he is a very fast reader and always looking for things to read. I'll be asking him to fill in details just so I know. He did say that he expected more to be made of the supernatural stuff and it's not and that there isn't a twist at the end so he knew from early on who did it and he was right.

Sorry just hasn't hit the right now with me.

Finished reading The Secret Place at the weekend - wow! I couldn't put it down. I loved the contrast between characters and the split storyline of the detectives and the schoolgirls. I could definitely see this being dramatised for TV (hopefully). I'm on the lookout now for more from Tana French and can't wait to read her other books

As a teacher, I have to say that I usually avoid reading books about teenagers during the summer holidays, but I can never resist a free book and found that I really enjoyed this. The characters were compelling and the intensity of the timescale really pushed the plot along. Even when I had worked out who killed him and why, I really enjoyed discovering the way that the detectives worked it out.

Like others, I found the supernatural stuff detracted from the story rather than added to it. It was difficult to see why it was necessary. This is a great portrayal of how relationships between some teenage girls can be both amazingly supportive and horrendously destructive at the same time. They didn't need to be witches for this to happen.

I have already passed this book on to someone else to read, so definitely would recommend to others.

I took the book with me to read on holiday.
I do like mystery/detective stories, and the tagline did intrigue so I was happy to receive a huge book to read at my leisure.
I did enjoy it and thought the basic story was very good. I liked the way it switched between the detectives and the girls and how it was split between the 2 different points in time. I took a while to figure out who had done it so that kept the suspense up a bit.
I also thought that the way the girls had turned into themselves and were sort of stuck in their own little world was very well described.
What I did not like so much was the language used - it jarred a bit on occasions. Both the teenage slang and how the detectives spoke detracted from the ease of reading for me. A few times I found I had to re-read a sentence several times to make any sense of it.
Also, I wasn't too sure about the supernatural thing. I thought it was a great idea but then it wasn't developed further at all and was left hanging really. I think the fact they can turn lights off did not add to the story and could easily have been left out. It did not add to the motive for the murder or the circumstances.
Overall, I still think I'd recommend it to others, but with the precaution that some of the writing is a bit odd.

After the quirky packaging, the promising plaudits from major authors and the hype on the inside front cover; I was expecting something much more. I didnt feel the suspense and the killer wasnt a surprise after all, I kept an open mind in the hope that I was wrong and a twist would be thrown in at the end but it wasnt.

I didnt really warm to any of the characters and the interplay between the two detectives didnt work for me. Like others have mentioned the supernatural material seemed unnecessary to the story and at one point I did go back to the synopsis thinking I hadnt realised it was that kind of book. If this had been promoted as young adult fiction I would have approached the book with a different view and thought it was OK for that category. I will probably pass it on to my daughter and she might feel the suspense more being new to thrillers and closer in age to the girls in the story.

It is an OK book but I wouldnt pass it on to someone saying you must read this book, its fantastic. Its shame that it didnt live up to the hype.

So (with some spoilers)

I liked that the book ended with the beginning (Holly about to go to Stephen).

I liked that it kept me guessing to the end. Including doubting that it was even though theyd basically told me it was.
And the doubt was because theyd already convinced me it was , but then it wasnt. So I wasnt certain of anything up to the end really.

Id have liked a chapter on the actual incident, to make it clearer - as the key event was just skipped?

I liked the alternate chapters idea, and the way the 2 viewpoints met and even overlapped.

I got the feeling the final chapter was partly for the people who have read a previous book and know Mackey as a character already.

I think there is a strong suggestion there that he has engineered the whole thing planting the seed of the idea to Holly for helping Selena by talking about her possible problems in the future with her undiagnosed condition. And I think the reason is he knew there was an unsolved murder that involved his daughter and her friends in some way.

And he saw this as a way of getting it solved? Maybe not explored fully towards the end though?

And that is backed up by the new bit on the back of the book in the shops, which strangely makes it look like Mackey is the main character?

I actually quite liked the supernatural side of it. It never took over too much from the basic whodunnit storyline, and it added a nice other-worldly feel to the whole thing.

I'll definitely read more of her books :-)

Possible spoilers below

Thank you again for sending me this book. It's exactly the sort of thing I would normally read and was really looking forward to getting stuck in.

I found the book very easy to read and was engrossed immediately. I used every minute of free time to read it over a few days!

Overall, I enjoyed it. I really really enjoyed the first 350 pages - the setting, the relationship between the girls - and the boys, the detectives and their relationship, the individual interview with the girls in particular.

I glossed over the supernatural bits as it's not my thing but it didn't really interfere with the main flow of the book for me. I was a bit disappointed that the culprit was obvious for the last 100 pages or so of the book and expected a major twist that never came. The rationale for the killing was ok but could have been stronger too and I would have liked all 8 to have remained suspects for longer.

The packaging, cover and PR campaign has been really well done and I have found it very eye-catching.

I shall read 'In the Woods' now too....

Thrilled to be a winner with such an exciting looking book. One of the most striking covers.
I did find it too long, although my partner solved that by skimming over some pages and reading it in less time than me! I've been fascinated by the supernatural in my time, but it was explored too much.
This was an insight into boarding school. This comprehensive girl would have had some difficulties!
I liked the countdown to sleazy Chris having so many months, days, etc, left to live. Kept me interested!
Thanks mumsnet.

Just finished!

At first I wasn't sure whether I'd actually persevere with this book as it didn't instantly grab me. However, the more I read the more interested I became and wanted to find out who killed him.

I enjoyed the alternating chapters and the countdown to Chris Harper's murder, but agree with others who've said the teenager speak isn't quite right. "Er hello, do teenagers actually like seriously speak like that all the time?" Also, the supernatural bit was odd and, for me, somewhat extraneous.

It's not the type of book I'd usually read, although saying that it kep me gripped far better than othe 'whodunnits' I've read.

Ok - just finished & have to say that as someone who gets through books very quickly, this seems to have taken ages to read. So I have to say it was too long & seemed to go over a lot of ground repeatedly.

I have read one other Tana French book - Faithful place - & loved that one so can only think it was the length that bored me.
However the theme of the book was excellent & with about 100 pages less would have been perfect.
Love being part of the book club & really appreciate receiving a copy especially when it is so eye catching
I will now get the other Tana French books that I gave missed.
Here's to the next book club book
Auntie laraine

Thank you for the book. It isn't something that I would ordinarily read but really loved it. The countdown, the characters relationships, the alternating chapters and especially the way the story slowly played out. I will look forward to reading more of tana french's work in the future.

Loved the cover and the anticipation but I also found the book a bit bulky and rather over long and wished it was shorter. The plot moved slowly and I lost interest somewhere before I got to the middle, but I did persevere and finished the book. I like the chapters alternating between the ‘now’ from the detectives point of view and the lead up to the murder from the girls side and the countdown to the murder. Not sure about the supernatural bits, whether it was really necessary for the plot.

Thank you for my copy. I let DH read it first so some of the feedback is from him! It's not my usual sort of read but I enjoyed it, found it a little slow going at the beginning but once I got into it (about half way through) really wanted to read to the end and was staying up to finish the chapter etc. I quite enjoyed the alternating chapters, I thought that worked well.

Like other reviewers we couldn't really see the point of the "magic", seemed to be no reason for it and then it just went away, DH in particular was bemused by it. DH found some of the teenage speek a bit distracting but I coped ok. I liked the two detectives and their growing relationship, thought that worked really well.

I think I would recommend it to a friend if they liked that type of book.

It took me a while to finish the book, and I am normally a very quick reader. I agree with many of the previous posts that the supernatural element didn't do much to enhance the story, but I did enjoy it and I will definitely read Tana French's other work now.

This is the first book I've read by Tana French so can't compare it to her others.

It was a very long book so it took me a while to wade through it, I think it could have been made a little shorter (and the teenage 'totes adorbs' towie spk) without losing any of the plot but I still enjoyed it.

It kept me guessing until the end and in going to keep an eye out for other ebooks by Tana French.

Thanks for sending a copy to me :)

This is the first Tana French book that I have read and I was not at all disappointed, in fact it has made me want to read the other books she has written - although it didn’t start well… I started to read and was confronted by the ‘modern speak’ teenage girls (eg. OMG etc.) and really hoped that it wouldn’t continue like that. But now, I couldn’t tell you whether it did or didn’t, the book had me gripped and I couldn’t wait to find out who had done it and why. The girls, in their different groups, was very realistic and brought back memories of schooldays. The mixture of detectives and the way they bounced off each other was very creative and I really wasn’t expecting the way that ended either. All in all although I couldn’t read at my usual rate, due to buying a house at the same time, I thoroughly enjoyed all the stolen hours in which to read what I could. A great read.

This is the first Tana French book I have read and am currently halfway through it. The storyline so far is really good and I am enjoying getting to know the characters. I am going to do a more in depth review as I finish reading but want to say I am loving it so far and would love to read more by the author

I was very happy to have been sent a copy of this book as I have read and really enjoyed Tana French's other books. I did really enjoy it and found it difficult to put down. I liked the way it alternated between the present and the past and drip-fed the events leading up to the incident. The introduction of the Supernatural took me totally by surprise and I actually had to read back and made sure I had read it properly as it was so out of left-field. I don't think it added anything to the storyline as it wasn't explored deeply enough. The plot did have me changing my mind several times over who the murderer was and it didn't come as a massive surprise in the end. I was hoping for a massive twist but didn't feel I got one. I would recommend but it's not everyone's cup of tea. I think with a few tweaks it would sit better as Young Adult fiction. I loved the boarding school element of it and the characters- although Mallory Towers it was not! I would give it 4 out of 5.

Finished this yesterday. I struggled a bit with the first few chapters as I found Conway a bit cliched but once the book got into it's stride I really started to enjoy it.

I liked the alternating between the past and present and that we found out a little bit more to the story every 'past' chapter (along with the reference to how long until the victim's death). I also ended up enjoying the building partnership between the two detectives which I never expected to at the beginning of the book. I found the introduction of the supernatural into certain parts of the book a bit out of place and I think I need to re-read to make sense of that aspect.

Overall I really enjoyed this book so thank you for letting me try it and I'll be looking out for more Tana French books!

I loved this book it's one hell of a read and kept me gripped until the end well worth reading.

Thanks for the free book, MN. It's the first I've applied for and it arrived just after I'd gone on holiday, so it's taken me till now to finish.

It took me a while to get into it. The first 200 pages or so didn't grab me, perhaps because private girls' boarding schools in Ireland are so outside my terms of reference. However, that's one thing I love about reading, the way it can introduce you to different worlds. Indeed, Moran and even Conway found St Kilda's to be a world away from their experiences of school. I thought the way Conway had to be ballsier than the men in Murder was probably realistic. I loved the way she and Moran gradually began to build a rapport. I felt French could have been more imaginative when describing how the girls' body language gave them away under interrogation. It was often just a look, or a start, for example, which the detectives picked up on.

Spoiler Alert!
The supernatural didn't deter me. Wasn't it the explanation for how skinny, immature Rebecca could kill strapping Chris? I certainly didn't imagine she was the killer, before it was made obvious. She was the girl I identified most with! Most of the other teenagers were unlikeable, Finn was the only boy not preoccupied with sex, which as the parent of four boys around their age I don't find realistic. I think the uncertainty around whether Selena and Chris were the love of each other's lives made it more interesting. The twist in the final sentence - that Holly also had a relationship with Chris - made me come down on the side of him as a player, whereas previously I had believed in the intensity of his and Selena's love for each other.

Having not read other Tana French books, I didn't know the character of Frank Mackey and agree with the poster who said that the detail about his marriage in the last 100 pages or so are not vital to the plot of this book. Overall I enjoyed it the more I got into it and would recommend it to others.

Just finished this book it's took me ages to get through it firstly as it's a really long book that took me a while to get into and secondly as I've been really busy with the kids and every chance I got to read was getting disturbed. This said it was quite easy to get back into and remember who was who etc but as other readers have said it didn't really live upto my expectations I thought once it had set the scene and introduced the different characters I would grow to like it but this never happened! I can honestly say that I was glad when it was finished and might not have got there if a didn't have to give this feedback. Thank you for selecting me but it wasn't really my type of book I have passed it onto my neighbour and asked her to tell me what she thinks of it.

Not having read any books by Tana French before, I was pleased to hear I would receive a copy. I'd hoped it would arrive before we went on holiday but it waiting for me at the sorting office when we returned.

I found the book an enjoyable read although the detail of the hostility between the two groups of girls was far from pleasant to read about and I found myself wondering about the impact of their rivalry and bitchiness on the other girls at the school. The intensity and blinkeredness of teenage friendships is what I'd say is the overriding theme of the book, and how controlling that loyalty became for the girls involved. I found Holly rather frustrating and wanted to know more of her back story i.e. her history with Stephen.

My DH is now reading the book and is enjoying it too - as he went to a Catholic boys school himself he will probably read it somewhat differently from me.

I enjoyed the book, it has taken me a while to get to the end, so this is a very late review. I thought that Holly and her friends were well drawn characters and that their friendship provided a really interesting centre to the story. I thought the artwork and cover and all the PR stuff surrounding the book was very well done and it made me excited about starting the book. I did however think it was too long and it didn't live up to the PR hype for me. Having said that, this is the first Tana French book I've read so I will definitely be borrowing others from the library. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.