Tana French

Tana French

Tana French was born on May 10th, 1973 and is currently 52 years old. Tana French was born in Burlington, Vermont, USA. French attended Trinity College Dublin where she trained in acting.

Tana French is the author of the Dublin Murder Squad series which currently consists of 6 novels. The Dublin Murder Squad series started in 2007 with the novel In the Woods. The most recently released novel in the Dublin Murder Squad series was The Trespasser / Intrusion which was released in 2016. There are no upcoming novels for the Dublin Murder Squad series.

Tana French has also written the Cal Hooper series which has 3 books including The Searcher and The Hunter.

Tana French: Awards & Accolades

Tana French was nominated for the Crime Writer's Association Award, Dagger in the Library Award, in 2017. French's books have won multiple awards, In the Woods won the Edgar Award, Best First Novel, in 2008 as well as the Barry Award - Best First Novel in 2008, Macavity Award - Best First Mystery in 2008, Anthony Award - Best First Mystery in 2008. Broken Harbour won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Best Mystery/Thriller, in 2012.

The following novels by Tana French were nominated for these awards:

• In the Woods: Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Best Mystery/Thriller (2007).
• Faithful Place: Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Best Mystery/Thriller (2010). Anthony Award, Best Mystery Novel (2011). Macavity Award, Best Mystery Novel (2011). Edgar Award, Best Mystery Novel (2011).
• Broken Harbour: Goodreads Awards, Best Mystery and Thriller (2012). Dilys Award, Best Mystery Novel (2013).
• The Secret Place: Goodreads Awards, Best Mystery and Thriller (2014). Anthony Award, Best Mystery Novel (2015).
• The Trespasser / Intrusion: Goodreads Awards, Best Mystery and Thriller (2016).
• The Witch Elm: Suspense Magazine Awards, Crimson Scribe Award (2018). Goodreads Awards, Best Mystery and Thriller (2018).
• The Searcher: Goodreads Awards, Best Mystery and Thriller (2020).
• The Hunter: Libby Book Awards, Best Mystery (2025). Crime Writer's Association Award, Gold Dagger Award (2025).

Tana French: Lists & Other Mentions

• The Trespasser / Intrusion was a Richard & Judy Book Club 2017 Summer Pick.
• The Searcher was a Richard & Judy Book Club 2021 Winter Pick.
• The Hunter was the PBS Book Readers Club August 2024 Selection.
• The Witch Elm was a Dead Good Books: 100 Best Crime Books Of All Time Selection in 2020.
• Broken Harbour was a The Guardian: 50 Great Thrillers by Women Selection in 2019.
• Faithful Place was a Time Magazine: The 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time Selection in 2023.
• The Hunter was a Wall Street Journal: The 25 Best Mystery Novels of the Past 25 Years Selection in 2025.
• In the Woods was an NPR: Top 100 Killer Thrillers Selection in 2010.

The Dublin Murder Squad Series was listed on Audible's The Top 100 Book Series of All Time list in 2024.

Related Authors

Fans of Tana French also enjoy these authors:

1. Alex Kava, author of the Ryder Creed Series.
2. Dervla McTiernan, author of the Cormac Reilly Series.
3. Ragnar Jónasson, author of the Dark Iceland Series.
4. Robert Dugoni, author of the Tracy Crosswhite Series.
5. Val McDermid, author of the Inspector Karen Pirie Series.
6. Allen Eskens, author of the Detective Max Rupert Series.
7. Stuart MacBride, author of the Logan McRae Series.
8. Blake Pierce, author of the Riley Paige Mystery Series.
9. Jane Casey, author of the Maeve Kerrigan Series.
10. Andrew Gross, author of the Ty Hauck Series.

Tana French: F.A.Q