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Original Essays | December 12, 2009

Alexander McCall Smith: IMG The Courage of Others



I have recently written a novel about life in England during the Second World War. I felt some concern before I tackled this theme — the War... Continue »
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    La's Orchestra Saves the World

    Alexander McCall Smith

In the Woods

by Tana French

In the Woods Cover

Staff Pick

The only thing more exciting than a great thriller is a terrific debut by a great thriller writer! Tana French makes a tremendous splash with In the Woods, a harrowing mystery in the vein of Mystic River that wholly earns the comparison. I dare you to put it down!
Recommended by Hank, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

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, In the Woods is sure to enthrall fans of Mystic River and The Lovely Bones.

Review:

"Irish author French expertly walks the line between police procedural and psychological thriller in her debut. When Katy Devlin, a 12-year-old girl from Knocknaree, a Dublin suburb, is found murdered at a local archeological dig, Det. Rob Ryan and his partner, Cassie Maddox, must probe deep into the victim's troubled family history. There are chilling similarities between the Devlin murder and the disappearance 20 years before of two children from the same neighborhood who were Ryan's best friends. Only Maddox knows Ryan was involved in the 1984 case. The plot climaxes with a taut interrogation by Maddox of a potential suspect, and the reader is floored by the eventual identity and motives of the killer. A distracting political subplot involves a pending motorway in Knocknaree, but Ryan and Maddox are empathetic and flawed heroes, whose partnership and friendship elevate the narrative beyond a gory tale of murdered children and repressed childhood trauma." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"[French] sets a vivid scene for her complex characters, who seem entirely capable of doing the unexpected." New York Times

Review:

"A mystery? Yes. But In the Woods is much more than that....It is as exquisitely told as it is wondrously plotted. Why does one read? To experience novels like this. Not to be missed." BookReporter.com

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About the Author

Tana French grew up in Ireland, Italy, the United States, and Malawi. This is her first book.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
Hallesmommy123, September 5, 2009 (view all comments by Hallesmommy123)
I found the book anti-climactic. French does a good job giving you the ominous and creepy feeling of any mystery/thriller, but failed to deliver the punch. No rise and fall. It felt like I kept waiting for something to happen, but was disappointed because she didn't reward her reader with their patience.
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(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
lesnoces, October 1, 2008 (view all comments by lesnoces)
This is a wonderful book. It broke my heart.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780143113492
Author:
French, Tana
Publisher:
Penguin Books
Subject:
Suspense
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural
Subject:
Mystery fiction
Subject:
Murder -- Investigation.
Copyright:
Publication Date:
June 2008
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Pages:
429
Dimensions:
8.41x5.49x.99 in. .91 lbs.

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