In the Woods: A Novel

Tana French

May 2007 · Dublin Murder Squad Book 1 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

The debut novel of an astonishing voice in psychological suspense

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 Maddox—his partner and closest friend—find 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, stunning in its complexity, and utterly convincing and surprising to the end, In the Woods is sure to enthrall fans of Mystic River and The Lovely Bones.

Ratings and reviews

I'm always happy to see over 400 pages especially if I am enjoying it. This one could have been shorter by 100 pages easily. It meanders and much feels dragged out. Why spend 3 pages when 1 succinct paragraph would serve the story better. Oh well. I have loads more waiting to be read.

The storyline is inarticulate. Lot of side stories keep cropping up on the way. They are just to add to the atmosphere of the novel. All the stories are poorly told and have vague endings. Good opening but scrambled finish. Could have been written a lot more tightly.

beginning was great enough to get you hooked then the rest of the book your wondering what happened and she never tells. made us wait for nothing read through 630 pages for a murder unrelated. such a slow book going into descriptions and details unrelated and not useful for the ending .bull

About the author

“It has become increasingly clear that American-born, Dublin-based Tana French is the most interesting, most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years." (The Washington Post) Tana is the author of the bestselling In the Woods, The Likeness, Faithful Place, Broken Harbor, The Secret Place and The Trespasser. Her books have won awards including the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards, the Los Angeles Times Award for Best Mystery/Thriller, and the Irish Book Award for Crime Fiction. She lives in Dublin with her family.