The Casual Vacancy and The Keeper

Two novels, two wordsmiths.

It’s such a pleasure to read books written by J. K. Rowling and Tana French. They’re both master craftsmen of words, language, and plotting, and I always look forward to their latest works.

But while I’ve read all of French’s, The Casual Vacancy, Rowling’s first book for adults, was never at the top of my list. Finally, I read it and of course I wondered what took me so long.

These two books share some common themes like the dynamics of living in a very small town; developers wanting to buy or steal the land; and the way that politics gets dirty quick. One is a standalone, one’s the third in a trilogy and both are recommended.

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling

Pub date: 2012

How I read it: Audiobook

Narrator: Tom Hollander – unsurprisingly the actor did a smashing job. Love him.

Tags: small town life, developers, England

In a nutshell: The small parish of Pagford suffered a tragedy when councillor Barry Fairbrother unexpectedly died. Or is it an opportunity? And was Barry – or anyone else in Pagford – exactly who they seemed to be?

The town’s divided between the people who want to help the poor and save their homes and those who want to tear it all down and to hell with them. The election to replace Fairbrother’s vacant seat (the casual vacancy) is driving the town mad.

Writing: Rowling has every aspect of writing a novel down pat. The Casual Vacancy is equal parts scathing and soothing. She’s so good at the tiny minutia of daily life and created a large cast of intertwined characters of all ages. She also designed a town so small it’s claustrophobic.

There were strokes of luck, dodges that worked, hunches that paid off, and Simon gave great weight to these when totalling his score. They were the reason he kept faith with his stars…Scams or shortcuts, leg-ups and back scratches – everyone was at it.

And another thing: They turned this into a show, a three part miniseries of the same name. I need to watch it.

Bottom line: I loved it and if it were twice as long that would’ve been fine with me.

TW: If I included trigger warnings in my reviews I’d let you know that this includes suicide and cutting.

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The Keeper by Tana French

Pub date: 2026

How I read it: Audiobook

Narrator: Roger Clark – his voice is all rich and gruff and Irish. His portrayal of Cal and Mart, two of my favorite characters, is a beautiful thing and he expertly matches the brilliance of the author’s prose and the poetry of Irish phrases.

“You’re not a blow-in,” Bobby says. “You’re not local, like, but you’re… You were at Moynihan’s with the rest,” he says. “You were in the roola boola down the pub.”

This is the third book in the Cal Hooper trilogy, wrapping up The Searcher (2020) and The Hunter (2024). Clark narrated all three.

Tags: small town life, developers, Ireland

In a nutshell: Cal Hooper is an American in Ireland, but he’s no ‘blow-in’ – he’s part of the community now. He was a cop in Chicago who retired early and moved, kinda on a whim, to Ardnakelty, a small village in western Ireland.

Cal’s got a fine woman, an unofficially adopted teen daughter, and a group of men he drinks with at the local pub. All’s well enough until trouble comes. One of the self-important men in town is trying to buy up farmland with no respect for the families who work it. And when his son’s fiancé turns up dead, there’s a mystery to be solved.

Sidenote: I think I’ve said it before in another review but Ireland in French’s novels is a character herself. I can see it through her words, and it is so…freaking…beautiful.

Writing: Hear me out: I don’t think there’s been any improvement in French’s writing since her first novel, In the Woods – because to me she began fully formed, with plotting, dialog, and description all perfectly realized. She’s been that good all this time.

And another thing: Mart is eminently quotable.

If there’s interestin information floating about, I wouldn’t mind having a look at it myself. What for? I won’t know it til I see it, sure that’s the point. One step ahead boyo, that’s my favorite place to be.

I laughed out loud at this gem where he reprimands Cal for saying ‘Hey, we got this.’:

“Quit being American for fuck’s sake,” says Mart. “You’ll give me the sick. You’re in Ireland now; follow the local customs. We don’t give fuckin’ pep talks.”

Bottom line: You will never go wrong with a Tana French novel.