Tana french author biography in the back

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Writing is just an extension of that process. Her answer was:

“I don’t want to leave it.

Tana French Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Interview

Tana French talks about The Likeness, the sequel to her successful debut novel, In The Woods, and explores the characters in the book, their motivations, and how her experiences made them come alive.

Q: How has your background in theater helped you create your characters?

(more)

  • Jean-Luc Bannalec

    Jean-Luc Bannalec is a pseudonym.

    tana french author biography in the back

    She proudly stands beside such “modern mystery mavens” as Gillian Flynn, Carol Goodman, Kate Atkinson, and others.

    Check similar authors to Tana French here on our list.

    Hillary Kelly, critic and essayist, mentions in her essay: “Tana French is our best living mystery writer.”

    She is deservedly called the First Lady of Irish crime and is often compared to Agatha Christie and Patricia Cornwell.

    Tana French’s Writing Style

    Once you open one of Tana French’s novels, you’ll instantly feel the highly expressive and persuasive impact her writing produces from the first page.

    Use of Imagery and Setting Details

    Tana French masterfully uses figurative speech like idioms, metaphors, and similes to evoke the most powerful sensory experiences.

    She helps you picture a scene so vividly that you can’t but smell odors or see characters moving around you.

    We love to hear from our listeners!

    (Recorded on January 10, 2025)

    Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett
    Host: Marrie Stone
    Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)

  • Tana French

    In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad #1)
    3.78 avg rating — 437,959 ratings — published 2007 — 14 editions
    The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad #2)
    4.06 avg rating — 179,897 ratings — published 2008 — 3 editions
    The Searcher (Cal Hooper #1)
    3.80 avg rating — 160,711 ratings — published 2020 — 3 editions
    Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad #3)
    really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 132,143 ratings — published 2010 — 130 editions
    Broken Harbor (Dublin Murder Squad #4)
    3.95 avg rating — 109,777 ratings — published 2012 — 7 editions
    The Witch Elm
    3.58 avg rating — 109,671 ratings — published 2018 — 58 editions
    The Trespasser (Dublin Murder Squad #6)
    3.99 avg rating — 96,277 ratings — published 2016 — 5 editions
    The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad #5)
    3.85 avg rating — 94,156 ratings — published 2014 — 85 editions
    The Hunter (Cal Hooper #2)
    4.07 avg rating — 66,739 ratings — published 2024 — 38 editions
    Dublin Murder Squad Series Box Set (Dublin Murder Squad, #1-6)
    4.56 avg rating — 429 ratings — 4 editions

    Tana French: Life, Books and Facts You Didn’t Know

    Imagine an archeologist on a dig near a forest.

    Suddenly, a thought crosses the archeologist’s mind: what if three children went into this wood to play, and what if only one returned… what if this kid grew up and became a detective… and what if…

    As you might have guessed, the archeologist was Tana French, an American-Irish crime and mystery author.

    I think there’s definitely more to be said about the Dublin Murder Squad. Not without some help from a professional detective, of course.

    Quite often, she has long talks with the detective on retirement (a very talkative guy, she says). Although the first six belong to the Dublin Murder Squad series, they can be read as standalone as well.

    Tana French’s Awards and Contributions to the Literary World

    Here’s a full breakdown of the author’s awards and nominations.

    In The Woods

    • Barry Award for Best First Novel (won)
    • Anthony Award for Best First Novel (won)
    • Edgar Award for Best First Novel (won)
    • Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel (won)
    • IVCA Clarion Awards for Best Fiction (won)

    Faithful Place

    • Edgar Award for Best Novel (nominated)
    • Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel (nominated)
    • International Dublin Literary Award (nominated)
    • Anthony Award for Best Mystery Novel (nominated)
    • Irish Book Awards for Best Mystery Novel (finalist)

    Broken Harbor

    • Irish Book Awards for Crime Fiction Book of the Year (won)
    • LA Times Book Prize for Best Mystery/Thriller (won)
    • Goodreads Choice Award for Best Mystery & Thriller (nominated)

    The Secret Place

    • Irish Book Awards for Crime Fiction Book of the Year (nominated)
    • Goodreads Choice Award for Best Mystery & Thriller (nominated)

    The Trespasser

    • CWA Dagger Awards for Gold Dagger (nominated)
    • Goodreads Choice Award for Best Mystery & Thriller (nominated)
    • Irish Book Awards for Crime Fiction Book of the Year (won)

    The Witch Elm

    • Goodreads Choice Award for Best Mystery & Thriller (nominated)

    The Searcher

    • Goodreads Choice Award for Best Mystery & Thriller (nominated)

    Each of Tana French novels got to the NYT bestsellers list.

    She tried to pursue it, but that one archeological dig near the wood changed everything.

    It prompted a chain of what-ifs in her head.

    “I thought I could probably write one scene, and then another scene, and then – oh my God, I’ve got a chapter!” – Tana French

    That was when she realized she was serious enough about writing, so she turned down acting work offers and began her path as a crime author.

    Writer’s Path And The Best Writing Advice She Received

    The truth is that a “writer” budded in her from the very childhood.

    She’s been called a mystery writer for people who don’t read mysteries. Look for the artist, Just My Type. Tana French and Anthony Breatnach have two daughters.

    Is Tana French still writing?

    Tana French hasn’t announced finishing her writer’s career.

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  • Read-Alikes

    All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Tana French but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed.

    She emphasizes that dangers come from the inside, not from the outside.

    “Everything that stops us being animals is eroding, washing away like sand, going and gone.” – Tana French, Broken Harbor

    Her main characters are haunted by their past traumas. I don’t have any ideas for it right at the moment, but I definitely wouldn’t rule out coming back to it.”

    Can we expect the new Tana French book in 2023?

    Currently, there’s no information about any upcoming books by Tana French.

    She lives in Dublin with her family.

    Tana French joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about her latest novel, The Hunter. I keep meaning to e-mail my old acting teacher and thank him!
    How we choose read-alikes

    • Kate Atkinson

      Kate Atkinson won the Whitbread (now Costa) Book of the Year prize with her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum.

      We’ve stocked it with titles from our guests, as well as some of our personal favorites. world where madness seems very close.”

      Referring to an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Stephen King means the hormones-driven craziness of the teenagers in The Secret Place or Pat’s convictions concerning the house walls and the “animal” in Broken Harbor.

      Indeed, Tana French tears open the grave of complexities buried deep in human nature.

      All other novels have Irish protagonists.

      What books influenced Tana French as a writer?

      Apart from The Wind in the Willows mentioned above, she read It by Stephen King in her teens. The author divides his time between Germany and coastal Brittany, France. She is celebrating her 50-year jubilee in May, 2023.

      What is Tana French’s ethnicity?

      The writer has American, Irish, and Italian family roots.

      Who are Tana French’s parents?

      Mother – Elena Hvostoff-Lombardi, a housewife
      Father – David French, an economist for resource management

      What genre is Tana French?

      The author works with the “whodunit” subgenre of crime stories.