In the Woods - Wyrms.de

English language

ISBN:: 978-1-4447-5834-4

(1 review)

In the Woods is a 2007 mystery novel by Tana French about a pair of Irish detectives and their investigation of the murder of a twelve-year-old girl. It is the first book in French's Dublin Murder Squad series. The novel won several awards such as the 2008 Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author, the 2008 Barry Award for Best First Novel, the 2008 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel, and the 2008 Anthony Award for Best First Novel. In the Woods and The Likeness, the second book of the Dublin Murder Squad series, are the inspiration for the BBC and Starz's 2019 Dublin Murders, an eight-episode series.

2 editions

Kadomi reviewed In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1) by Tana French

Review of 'In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I immensely enjoyed this crime novel set in Ireland. Told from first person perspective, our narrator is Rob Ryan, who is on the murder squad with his partner Cassie, who is a rare occurrence as female detective in that unit. A murder investigation brings them to a suburb that bears (and rather misses) many memories for Ryan. In 1984 he and two 12-year old friends disappeared in the woods, and Ryan was the only child they ever found again, with a shoe full of blood and no memory of what happened. Now, near those woods, a 12-year old girl's body is found.

While the investigation is the heart of the story, it's also about Ryan and Cassie Maddox, who are both broken, flawed people. It's about their psychology and relationship as much as the investigation. At the end of the novel, I felt sad for our narrator, a certain sad …

I immensely enjoyed this crime novel set in Ireland. Told from first person perspective, our narrator is Rob Ryan, who is on the murder squad with his partner Cassie, who is a rare occurrence as female detective in that unit. A murder investigation brings them to a suburb that bears (and rather misses) many memories for Ryan. In 1984 he and two 12-year old friends disappeared in the woods, and Ryan was the only child they ever found again, with a shoe full of blood and no memory of what happened. Now, near those woods, a 12-year old girl's body is found.

While the investigation is the heart of the story, it's also about Ryan and Cassie Maddox, who are both broken, flawed people. It's about their psychology and relationship as much as the investigation. At the end of the novel, I felt sad for our narrator, a certain sad melancholy.

The whodunnit part is probably the weakest bit because I saw it fairly early, especially after receiving Cassie's history regarding psychopaths.

It's beautifully written, and I am looking forward to read further stories from Tana French.