In the Woods: A Novel

Tana French

May 2007 · 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

Loved the beginning of this book. As the action intensified, I couldn't put it down. I was so let down by the ending. Nothing was explained, or if it was, it felt disjointed and rushed. Like she got close to the end and just gave up. I don't know if I'll try any of her books again, that's how disappointed I was with this one.

I actually have a hard copy of this book I'm not reading it on my phone or tablet and I'm only on the 3rd chapter right now but I've gotta say to anyone that may be interested in getting this book..u cannot decide whether it's good or not based on others opinions u must read it yourself. Think and decide for yourself ppl or you'll never know what u like/want.

Gawdawful!!! Have read tax handbooks that were better....508 pages was overly descriptive blither that could have been streamlined into something a heck of a lot better....can see why it only cost $2.88 for the download

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.