In the Woods

In The Woods by Tana French

Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Reprint edition (May 27, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0143113496

 

From Publishers Weekly
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

I have one word to say...  "wow".

This is my second read of 2009 and the second book that meets the criteria of being a "chunkster"... but I read this books a whole lot faster then I did the last book!

I needed this book to remind me that there really are good books out there that can still take me away and put me into their world!  This book grabbed me from the very beginning and never let go  until the end.

It's not a book I would normally read (I'm not a murder mystery reader) but a person who's opinion I admire (since she works for Laurie R King ) told me this was a really good book, I thought I'd try it.  Vickie, who is the person I  just mentioned , had long ago sent me an ARC of a Laurie R King mystery called Touchstone, which I also found to my liking.  All in all I need to add her name to the "it's your fault list". I do want to give credit where credit is due.

I am still character driven, and this book has good characters, with flaws, and that works well into the story.

Now I will pass on the same thing she told me... "In The Woods is a really good mystery book.  REALLY GOOD".  If it doesn't capture you right away I will be surprised.  This book is a combination of things that happened to 3 kids years ago that turned into a cold case, and a current case involving a murder of a 12 yr old girl. 

It's very hard to believe this is  Tana French's first book!  And I feel sure that you will find it hard to believe also! 

I think I need a lighter book to read after the last two books I've read... and something at least under 400 pages.  Maybe I'll read the "duck book" Chris got me to buy.. yeah.. that's the ticket!