From Goodreads: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.
My Thoughts:
In The Woods was an atmospheric novel that kept me guessing until the end. As you can see from the summary, there is a mystery that is slowly unwinding and intertwined with the current case of a murdered girl. Not only was this a mystery though, in my opinion it was also a character study on Rob Ryan and the person he used to be, is now, and will become all being shaped by the events of the summer of 1984. Wow, for this being a debut novel it was awesome! French's main character, Rob, is simultaneously likeable and unlikeable as well as being a complete mystery for me as the reader. I never quite knew what he was going to do next as well as what his thought processes were with some of the choices that he made. I was instantly caught up in this tale and the author's writing. I knew all along that she was leading me somewhere but I didn't see the ending coming whatsoever. And while I was a bit disappointed (those of you who have read the novel will know why), I still realized that I really enjoyed this book. I HAVE to read more by this author and soon :) Highly recommended in my opinion!
My Rating/Recommendations: 4.5 out of 5 and recommended!
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I just got this book in the mail the other day and I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteBridget- I bet that you'll enjoy it...you'll have to let me know what you think of the ending when you read it though :)
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh, this sounds very creepy!
ReplyDeletehttp://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
Naida- It was such an interesting book. It was a great debut by this author!
ReplyDeletethe cover, premise, and your review have me FROTHING to read this. i love suspense novels!!!
ReplyDeleteBooklineandsinker- It is definitely worth picking up...I can't wait to read her other book The Likeness.
ReplyDeleteThis is very different from the kind of book I usually pick up, but it sounds like something I shouldn't miss!
ReplyDeleteI have got to got to got to get to this one!
ReplyDeleteI really need to get to this one!
ReplyDeleteSeriously--I wish I had seen this review just one week ago! I was at the used store and they had this one for $1!! I passed it up even though I've seen it around and now I'm regretting it (inventory doesn't stay there since everything is used and continually moving).
ReplyDeleteI've heard others say they were disappointed in the ending as well.
Love the description but I've heard that you never find out what happened to Rob so I may just skip this one.
ReplyDeleteNymeth- I think it is more of a literary thriller than anything but it was good.
ReplyDeleteLisa- You should definitely pick it up and then share your thoughts when you finish with it :)
Amy- Same goes for you...I want to hear your thoughts when you read it.
Trish- Awww...I think it is something that you would enjoy too. The ending though still gets me though...
Ladytink- Yeah, you can't go into this one looking for everything to be wrapped up in a big bow at the end because it doesn't happen.
Nymeth- I think it is more of a literary thriller than anything but it was good.
ReplyDeleteLisa- You should definitely pick it up and then share your thoughts when you finish with it :)
Amy- Same goes for you...I want to hear your thoughts when you read it.
Trish- Awww...I think it is something that you would enjoy too. The ending though still gets me though...
Ladytink- Yeah, you can't go into this one looking for everything to be wrapped up in a big bow at the end because it doesn't happen.
I ran out of library time on this one and didn't get to it...kicking myself!! Loved your review so much Sam that I'm requesting it again. I MUST READ IT!!
ReplyDeleteWow! 3 years later and I finally read and loved this one!!! Just wanted to let you know that I gave you a shout-out too for leading me in the right direction with this author!!!
DeleteStaci- LOL! I run out of time with my library books constantly...and end up checking them out again too :) Hope you enjoy it though!
ReplyDeleteYou are a much better reader than I am:). I loved this novel until the end spoiled everything and now I can't think about this novel without feeling immense disappointment.
ReplyDeleteJess- Not a better reader...I was pretty mad at first :) But the overall writing made this such a worthwhile read. Plus, I loved the atmosphere the author created even if I didn't love the ending.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a great mystery/detective novel. Although it was a good story (even though you kind of knew who was the culprit, it was fun to watch Rob figure it out), even more it was just great writing. Lots of great imagery and emotion, character development and analysis, and really good comic lines. I loved it.
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