In the Woods: A Novel (Dublin Murder Squad)
The bestselling debut, with over a million copies sold, that launched Tana French, author of the forthcoming novel The Hunter and âthe most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 yearsâ (The Washington Post).
âRequired reading for anyone who appreciates tough, unflinching intelligence and ingenious plotting.â âThe New York Times
As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.
Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddoxâhis partner and closest friendâfind themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.
Richly atmospheric and stunning in its complexity, In the Woods is utterly convincing and surprising to the end.
âRequired reading for anyone who appreciates tough, unflinching intelligence and ingenious plotting.â âThe New York Times
As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.
Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddoxâhis partner and closest friendâfind themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.
Richly atmospheric and stunning in its complexity, In the Woods is utterly convincing and surprising to the end.
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Community Reviews
Some stories leave me with a feeling that is almost a sense memory, intangible, yet impactful. In the Woods was a mysterious novel whose investigation explored not just the crime scene but the human condition. It slowly introduced me to its characters by showing me their relationship with each other through casual touch, tone of voice, and side glances. It told multiple stories and intertwined them seamlessly. Each story enriched the others. I didn't like Rob by the end of it but somehow that didn't matter. I didn't even get all the answers, but I'm ok with that. In the Woods is the kind of story that leaves you unsettled but sure.
I would say (before finishing the book) that I really enjoyed it. However, upon finishing it, I canât say that. This was a 430 page read, in which not ONE mystery or conflict got solved. The main plot did somewhat, but the initial first part that hooks you never gets explained or solved. The characters that you root for remain unresolved as well. I read some other reviews and it turns out it STILL doesnât get solved in the later books. Iâm upset with the author because I spent 430 pages on this book that does not have one satisfying end. It was overall a very dark book that might have been worth it if the ending had been written properly or somewhat put together. It did seem like the author didnât want to write anymore, so she stopped there.
Most of what happens in this book is pretty obvious. At first I liked the main character, Rob Ryan, but his personality completely changes in the middle of the book and after he turns into a whiny jerk, I kind of lost interest. I kept on reading because I was still curious about what happened to his friend when they were children, but the book never completes that story line so I was just kind of disappointed. I did really like the Cassie character though.
I adore Tana French. I read her newest (at this time) book, Hunter, and wanted to read more from her. I went back to her first novel, In The Woods, and flew through it. Iâm almost finished The Likeness and canât wait to read on. A must read author even if you donât love Mysteries.
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