Tana French (born 10 May 1973) is an American-Irish writer and theatrical actress. She is a longtime resident of Dublin, Ireland.[1] Her debut novel In the Woods (2007), a psychological mystery, won the Edgar,[2]Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards for best first novel. The Independent has referred to her as "the First Lady of Irish Crime".[3]
French attended Trinity College Dublin, and trained in acting. She settled in Ireland and has lived in Dublin since 1990.[1] French and her husband have two daughters.[6]
Novels
French was enthralled by both acting and writing since her childhood but eventually focused more on acting. She grew up reading mystery and crime novels.[7] She trained as a professional actor at Trinity, and she works in theatre, film, and voiceover.[1]
In her later 30s, her passion for writing was rekindled. She began writing her debut novel in the months-long lulls between castings;[8]In the Woods was published in 2007 to international acclaim and received rave reviews from many publications. Publishers Weekly[9] praised French, saying she "expertly walks the line between police procedural and psychological thriller in her debut" and that "Ryan and Maddox are empathetic and flawed heroes, whose partnership and friendship elevate the narrative beyond a gory tale of murdered children and repressed childhood trauma." It received several literary prizes, was a bestseller in hardcover and paperback, and has been termed a 'dream debut'. In 2014, Flavorwire included it in their 50 of the Greatest Debut Novels Since 1950.[10] As of 2015[11] more than one million copies of In the Woods have been sold.
The second novel, The Likeness (2008), presents the story of the first novel's co-lead, Cassie Maddox. It quickly achieved high positions on bestseller lists in various countries and stayed on The New York Times Best Seller list for several months.[12] In its reviews of the novel, Kirkus praised its mix of "police procedures, psychological thrills and gothic romance beautifully woven into one stunning story". In an interview with The Guardian,[7] French stated that Donna Tartt's The Secret History was an influence on The Likeness, opening up the "landscape of friendship as something worthy of exploration and something that could be powerful enough to trigger a murder."
The first six novels are part of the Dublin Murder Squad series.[13] After publishing The Trespasser in 2016, French published two standalone novels, The Witch Elm and The Searcher, both of which are also set in Ireland.[14][15] In June 2023, her publisher announced the release of her ninth novel, The Hunter, in March 2024.[16]
The first novel in the series is about the Irish detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox and their investigation of the murder of a 12-year-old girl. The case, with possible links to Ryan's own past, adds another dimension to the novel. In 2008, it won the best debut crime novel category for the Edgar, Anthony, Barry and Macavity awards.
Dublin Murder Squad series #2 follows detective Cassie Maddox and the circumstances surrounding the death of Lexie Madison, a young woman who is her doppelganger. Frank Mackey, the senior police officer running undercover operations, convinces Cassie to impersonate the dead woman and investigate her death. It was shortlisted for the first annual Ireland AM Crime Fiction Award in 2009.
Dublin Murder Squad series #3 features detective Frank Mackey keen to unravel the mysterious disappearance of Rosie Daly. The book was nominated for the 2012 International Dublin Literary Award.
Dublin Murder Squad series #4 is about star detective Scorcher Kennedy investigating the vicious killing of a father and two children in a ghost estate outside Dublin. Scorcher's personal life is tugging for his attention and he has a rookie helping him out with the case. It won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller (2012).
Dublin Murder Squad series #5 alternates between the points of view of detective Stephen Moran and student Holly Mackey. Stephen joins forces with the abrasive Detective Antoinette Conway to investigate the murder of handsome, popular Chris Harper, a student at St. Colm's School. The Washington Post named the book one of the five best thrillers of 2014.
Dublin Murder Squad series #6 has Antoinette Conway teaming up with Stephen Moran to pull a case that at first looks like a slam-dunk lovers' tiff, but gradually they realise there's more going on.
In 2015, Euston Films & Veritas acquired TV production rights. Sarah Phelps wrote the screenplay, which she based on both In the Woods and The Likeness, for the eight-episode series of Dublin Murders, commissioned by the BBC for BBC One and Starz, with RTÉ later joining the project. Filming commenced in 2018 in Belfast and Dublin[26] and continued in Dublin to late February 2019.[27][28][29] Broadcast began on BBC One on 14 October 2019, on RTÉ One on 16 October 2019, and on Starz on 10 November 2019.
