The plot follows former Chicago police officer Cal Hooper, who has moved to a rural village in Western Ireland, as he investigates the disappearance of a local teenager.

Cal Hooper, disillusioned with his work as a Chicago police officer, moves to Ardnakelty, a small rural village in Western Ireland, to live a more quiet life.

[7] Maureen Corrigan of NPR praised the French's slow-building plot and eerie prose, stating that The Searcher "may be her best yet.

"[8] Several critics noted the moral ambiguity and failures of the criminal justice system that French explores in the novel.

[9][10][11][12][13] Some, such as Laura Miller in Slate[10] and Constance Grady in Vox,[11] expressed a wish that French had confronted these themes more deeply.