"An engrossing thriller replete with family drama, psychological intrigue, cunningly-plotted deeds, authentically complex characters and a tree-lodged skeleton at its root."
An engrossing thriller replete with family drama, psychological intrigue, cunningly-plotted deeds, authentically complex characters and a tree-lodged skeleton at its root.
With a good job, adoring girlfriend, loyal mates and wealthy family, Toby is a privileged sort whose life implodes when he’s badly beaten by thieves who break into his Dublin apartment. Left with some speech and mobility impairment and memory loss, Toby decides to move into the rambling family home to be with his terminally ill genealogist uncle. Soon after, while Toby struggles with the trauma and effects of the beating, a skeleton is found inside an ancient wych elm in the garden, and it’s not long before detectives find a connection with Toby.
The gritty, authentic portrayal of family dynamics centres around a set of bickering cousins, whose bitter teenage experiences rear their heads as a truly multi-layered mystery unfolds. Toby being a quintessential unreliable narrator adds further tension to the tale, with unexpected twists coming to the very end. This character-driven crime thriller sure packs a powerful paranoia-fuelled punch.
One night changes everything for Toby. He's always led a charmed life - until a brutal attack leaves him damaged and traumatised, unsure even of the person he used to be. He seeks refuge at his family's ancestral home, the Ivy House, filled with memories of wild-strawberry summers and teenage parties with his cousins.
| Primary Genre | Crime and Mystery |
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This gripping tome with a very slow fuse culminating in a spectacularly explosive, unexpected ending chronicles the transformation of the protagonist, Toby, as he sees his life unravelling before him.
Tana French is the author of the six books in the critically acclaimed 'Dublin Murder Squad' series. 'The Wych Elm' is her first standalone crime thriller.
It recounts the story of Toby, a socially privileged young white man who, after a night out with friends, is brutally beaten and left for dead, when he disturbs two burglars.He gradually has to come to grips with the fact that the future he presumed would be his is now unlikely to be so. He takes on the care of his terminally ill uncle Hugo at the family estate as he convalesces.... Read Full Review
For me the best books are the ones where I just can't work it out. Hats off to Tana French - my inner detective just couldn't keep up!
From the very first chapter I knew this was the kind of book where the writing was so good that it didn't matter if there was no plot at all - I would still be wrapped up in it. But there were plots within plots. It's not the typical crime novel, although there are twists and turns and things you just don't see coming. It is something much more. Tana French really gets inside the minds of the characters, so much so that they actually seem like real people. There are so many strands of plot that you are left wondering what is the main plot but this a good thing as everything seems so intriguing. At the beginning of the story, Toby is involved in something dodgy at the gallery where he works and I found myself thinking "OK so this is interesting.... Read Full Review
One night changes everything for Toby. He's always led a charmed life - until a brutal attack leaves him damaged and traumatised, unsure even of the person he used to be.
The Wych Elm features in the following genres: Crime and Mystery, Books of the Month, Books with reviews by our Reader Review Panel, Book Club Recommendations, Thriller and Suspense, Fiction, Recommendations
Paperback, Hardback. £9.89, down from the £10.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Wych Elm was written by Tana French and published by Penguin Books Ltd
The Wych Elm has 513 pages
£9.89, reduced from £10.99. In Stock.
