In the Woods

A Novel

By: Tana French

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

Length: 20 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Anthony Award winner

Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel winner

Macavity Award winner

The bestselling debut, with over a million copies sold, that launched Tana French, author of the forthcoming novel The Hunter and “the most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years” (The Washington Post).

“Required reading for anyone who appreciates tough, unflinching intelligence and ingenious plotting.”—The New York Times

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 and stunning in its complexity, In the Woods is utterly convincing and surprising to the end.

©2007 Tana French (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc.

Critic reviews

"[An] ambitious and extraordinary first novel...rank it high." (The Washington Post)

"Part whodunit, part psychological thriller, and wholly successful...French’s plot twists and turns will bamboozle even the most astute reader.... A well-written, expertly plotted thriller." (NPR)

"In the Woods is as creepily imaginative as it gets." (USA Today)

not typical formulaic suspense/romance story!

this is the second novel i have read by Tana French and have been impressed by unforeseen twists in the plot--- usually, the intertwined mystery/romance/plot are highly predictable and the characters are very stereotyped---- love her books with their twists in plot and character development!!.....

Engrossing plot

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it is fairly well written with some things I see as flawed, but still, highly engrossing and entertaining.

What was one of the most memorable moments of In the Woods?

When Det. Ryan explains about his apt. & roommate, mostly because I found it improbable & annoying. Why didn't he just move?

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Good voice; nicely modulated, but I was put off by the fellow's interpretation of the voices and the emphasis placed on words & phrases. He was a bit over the top at times, and did not seem to understand female voices at all.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No, it is not a "moving" sort of plot.

Any additional comments?

Good book and worth the listen in spite of the somewhat annoying narrator.

SO AMAZING... except the horrid ending

Where does In the Woods rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the Woods is one of the better detective murder mystery stories I've listened to, with incredible character development and engagingly clever prose. However, the ending was completely unsatisfying and though I suppose it was realistic and true to the characters, it turned the whole book into a tease.

Would you be willing to try another book from Tana French? Why or why not?

Yes! If she can finish the book right, I love all of the writing components that put this book together.

Have you listened to any of Steven Crossley’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not.

The setting is IRELAND...

Would you listen to In the Woods again? Why?

Not really. Murder mysteries and police procedurals tend to lose interest for me once I know the details of the case.

What did you like best about this story?

Tana French has a remarkable gift for descriptive detail and interestingly flawed character...remarkable. It elevates a police procedural to the ranks of a literary novel the way, I felt, Allen Esken's The Life We Bury elevated what could easily have been a YA novel. I listen while working alone outdoors in a remote setting, which gives me the chance to savor her character and setting nuances without much distraction.

How could the performance have been better?

FOR GOD'S SAKE, learn to do an Irish accent! I repeat, the setting is IRELAND! There was absolutely no attempt at any form of regional accent--the narrator spoke in about the same fruity upper class Londoner accent throughout. Perhaps his day job is on the BBC news...? Unfortunately, I haven't been listening in order, so he suffered from comparison with the excellent Irish accents in books 3 and 2.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I don't see a film of this, really. I do think the Dublin Murder Squad series would make excellent TV fare, however. "Inquiring minds want to know," maybe?

Any additional comments?

I am pretty okay with French drawing out the denouement---this one was over an hour--but it works better when there is at least one plot twist or new piece of information that makes us go "Ahhh." Otherwise it just seems like she loves her characters (in all their flaws) so much that it's hard for her to say goodbye. There were plenty of loose ends, some of which could have been tightened.

In the thick of Tana French

This was my first Tana French book and I can’t go back to your run of the mill detective stories. Narrated by Steven Crossley with the smoothness and versatility of High Grant, the story thrills and delves like a frightening run in the woods as a kid. One minor disappointment in the plot nevertheless makes this an addictive listen.

C'mon man really?...

I googled some suggestions for "page-turners" and this was very high on a few different lists. Let me just say that first and foremost this piece of work surely IS a classic page-turner! It def lived up to that billing. But, and this is a very important "but," it never lived up to the potential it had hanging there for the taking the entire listen! It was right there! Just when you think "oh ya, here it comes baby!!!" BAM, nuthin'. But still entertaining at the same time...the whole time, all the way to the final sentence for cryin' out loud. Great book though. And I'm sure I'm probably missing "something" by not recognizing the artsy-fartsy qualities in the way the story finished, and believe me, I'm not looking for a Bruce Willis to come swingin' in with a battalion, a case of beer, and 3 blondes...I just wanted "more" I guess. Sorry for the blabber here..... Literally just finished and I'm spinning!

I love long books

Oh my! I really enjoyed this. It got a bit draggy at times but it was as quite interesting.

Characters are very well developed. I look forward to future books. I'm glad there are many.

I was disappointed that the accents as read by Steven Crossley weren't Irish. I know Ryan has a "Home Counties" accent but the other characters shouldn't.

interesting story.

good story. good narrative. good narration. I enjoyed this mystery very much. try it and see.

A little to real-world in the end

Ok, I like the book and I will read more of Tana French's work. It was very real world, but (not to provide any spoilers) was too much like the real world in the end.

Very Engaging

I loved the presentation of the story. And the story itself was intriguing, with a good sense if humor and gritty reality.