In The Woods – Book #17

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| Title | In the Woods |
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| Author |Tana French |
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| Genre |Adult Mystery (Ireland) |
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| Pages |429 |
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| Publisher |Viking |
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| Copyright |2007 |
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Synopsis (from web-site)
A gorgeously written novel that marks the debut of an astonishing new 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.

Why I read It
A highly regarded mystery from Ireland, plus my library had it.

What I Thought About It
I am of two minds. First of all the book was excellent in both writing and plot. I enjoyed the characters and found the mystery believable. On almost every other scale this book would have been a homerun. Here is the rub, or the second part. This book told two mysteries centered around the lead character, which in and of itself is fine, but it only solves one of them at the books end. That is especially grating given the sequel revolves around a secondary character so I do not expect an answer from it either. I get it is the author’s right to tell the story as they see it, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling frustrated. That said book 2 is in my to read pile at home right now.

Mormon Mentions
None

Author Biography

Tana French grew up in Ireland, Italy, the US and Malawi, and has lived in Dublin since 1990. She trained as a professional actress at Trinity College, Dublin, and has worked in theatre, film and voiceover.