Tana French is one of my favorite authors in the mystery genre and I am always excited for her new releases. Her last book, Broken Harbour, still haunts me to this day! But I'm afraid The Secret Place was not quite the thrill ride that her previous efforts have been. 
 French is a master at creating well rounded characters with great voices. They practically spring fully formed into your mind after just spending time with them over the course of a few pages. Maybe it was the setting of a posh private boarding school for girls or just choosing teenagers as her main protagonists, but all of the dialogue, teen angst and everyday happenings in the school really dragged for me and made the book a bit less suspenseful. I didn't care for the lead detective Conway either (perhaps this was intentional, but I was still hoping for a reprieve before the book ended). 
 I will give French much credit though for never falling into the typical mystery cliches that bog down other books with unnecessary or unbelievable plot lines to try and beef up the readers emotions or to misdirect them. In this regard, French is unfailingly unique and inventive. And while this wasn't one of my favorites from her, I still greatly anticipate her next release!