The Keeper

The apparent suicide of a young woman with a bright future tears apart the bucolic Irish village of Ardnakelty—as well as the painstakingly constructed new life of Chicago transplant Cal Hooper—in French’s atmospheric but sluggish final suspense novel featuring the ex-policeman (after The Hunter). Still regarded as an outsider despite living in Ardnakelty for three years and being engaged to local widow Lena Dunne, Cal has little desire to dust off his detective skills. However, with Lena feeling guilty about missing any warning signs when Rachel Holohan dropped by hours before her death, and Cal’s teenage foster daughter, Trey Reddy, convinced there was foul play, he gets sucked in anyway. He’s stunned when his discreet inquiries into Rachel’s life,­ beyond the well-known details of her imminent engagement to wealthy Ardnakelty heir Eugene Moynihan, ignite a dangerous firestorm. As dense with detail as the November drizzle that shrouds the Irish landscape, French’s plot doesn’t rev up until the halfway point. Though the serpentine final 100 pages are nail-biting, this will be best enjoyed by readers already familiar with Ardnakelty and its quirky cast of characters. Agent: Darley Anderson, Darley Anderson Literary. (Mar.)