Title: In the Woods
Author: Tana French
Genre: Thriller
Date Published: May 17th, 2007
Pages: 431
The Carpenter Confessions Rating: ★★★★★ (5 Stars)
In the Woods by Tana French is one of the most unusual murder mysteries/thrillers that I have read in awhile. While this book is a thriller murder mystery, it doesn’t have the usual tone of creepy and messed up feel. This book provokes emotions of confusion on every page and you never know what to believe. It makes you question, “Is anyone telling the truth?”. There are so many unknown and unexpected twists you’ll never be able to predict what comes next. It’s way more than worth the read if you like murder mysteries that will leave you asking so many questions. While being published in 2007, I didn’t discover this book until 2019 and so mad I didn’t find it sooner.
In the Woods takes place in Knockaree, Dublin with Rob Ryan being the main character, while having a first person perspective. Rob has a past in Knockaree but can’t seem to recall all the details of the terrifying night where he was found in the woods clinging to a tree with blood-soaked boots. There were also two other children with Rob that day but they were never found. Now twenty years later, Rob is a detective with the Dublin Murder Squad, trying to solve the murder of a twelve-year-old girl found in the same woods where he was found. Rob’s partner and dearest friend Cassie tries to solve the hauntingly similar case. Being transported from past to present, will Rob's fragmented memory be enough to have a chance at solving both cases? The Dublin Murder Squad is determined to figure out the killer but can Rob set aside his emotions from that day to solve this murder?
Tana French does such an impeccable job at setting the tone of this book to just feel overall mysterious. You read this book and won’t be able to put it down because you want to know what lies behind the unknown. She knows how to put the reader into question about every character. There is no way to be sure if the characters are who they say they are. Tana French was able to portray the male perspective of Rob and revealing every emotion and/or thought he had. You never have to wonder what he was feeling and/or thinking, she laid it all out for you to really get to know Rob personally. She makes this book feel like you’re the detective trying to put together every clue to solve these cases before it's too late.
All books have a downside to them no matter how great the book is. The only thing I was disappointed in this book is there were many questions left unanswered that you feel like it’s a cliffhanger. There is no sequel to this book as of now and I need these questions answered. With Rob not knowing the details of his past, it’s hard for you to know if what he recalls is real or if he just made it up. Overall definitely worth the read many times over.
Up Next:
February 21- The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
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