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)

WONDERFUL STORY

This was one of the best stories I have read. I could not wait to get home from work so I could get back to this story. The characters are believable with their flaws as well as their atributes. Would recommend this book to anyone.

I crave truth. And I lie. (R. Ryan)

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

This is a must-read if you love mystery/psychological thrillers

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

It’s hard to review this book without revealing any big plot twists. Bottom line though is French knew how to get your mind and heart twisted with emotions along with her characters.

Which scene was your favorite?

The ending. (last couple of chapters) I can't really explain it though without giving away spoilers.

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

To quote the main character: "What I am telling you, before you begin my story, is this - two things: I crave truth. And I lie."

Any additional comments?

A psychological mind-f*** disguised as a murder mystery. If you like books that leave you feeling warm and fuzzy at the end you should not read this book. This isn’t a feel good read.An hour into the audiobook I was hooked. Ryan and Cassie were lovable right from the start. I love their sarcasm and quick wit. This book was so beautifully written, I felt as if I knew the characters personally. Tana French described these characters so deeply and intimately that I easily became emotionally invested in them. This book would not have been as strong as it was without the intense feelings for the characters. It’s hard to review this book without revealing any big plot twists. Bottom line though is French knew how to get your mind and heart twisted with emotions along with her characters. There’s not too much closure at the end but that adds to the creepy and eerie mood of the book. This is a must-read if you love mystery/psychological thrillers. I will definitely be continuing with this series!

Good first half

The performance was good and the book had a compelling story but it got frustrating mid way through. The narrator is a bit of a jerk, there are main plot points that depend on people completely misunderstanding each other, and the conclusion to the main crime was frustrating. There seems to be a major flaw in the way the case proceeds (semi-spoiler)- if the body of a murdered child is found at an archeological dig- wouldn't the police do a thorough investigation of all the supporting buildings straight-away?

I couldn’t stop listening

I thought this reading of Tana French’s novel In the Woods was so captivating. Through Steven Crossley’s voicing of each character I felt I was able to really connect to each character and understand them. As I have such a difficult time reading normally this was a perfect way for me to experience such a well written book. 5 stars!

Beautifully done

This book was so well done! I read a book recommendation site where someone wrote 'I envy people who have not yet read French's novels' saying that they get to experience them for the first time. I have to agree. In The Woods was gripping- Ryan, the narrator, was so incredibly human, that I even found myself justifying his faults. I finished it... Sobbing (but in all fairness, I am too emotional) and got online to immediately order 'Likeness.'

I think that the performance was done very well. There were several points where I became confused on dialogue- who was speaking, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Dublin Murder Squad is my new favorite series

For a debut novel, this is really good. The characters were vivid in my mind, and the story had a lot of twists and tirns to keep me guessing. The added bonus is that the reader was excellent, doing accents and voices for both genders very well. Loved it!

AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

Promising

Any additional comments?

I was very enthusiastic at the start of this novel, but in the end felt that it was overlong. French is an excellent writer and catches wonderful details in her characters' lives, as well as moments of humor. The narrator started off well, but some of his voicings, especially of young female characters, came to sound artificial and overdone. The main thing I look for in narrators are those that vanish, becoming the sound of the story. Trying too hard to create a particular voice for a character often doesn't work for me. All this said, I am looking forward to trying another Tana French mystery with a different narrator. I also can imagine this narrator being excellent in another kind of book.

Great

Kept my interest throughout ... had to listen to the last 2 minutes twice... not sure about that ending!

Enjoyed!

This book is a bit long but overall a good story. It started with a pretty good twist and the ending will surprise you. It will keep you interested pretty much through the entire book

Constantly gripping

Overall a wonderful book. The story was intriguing and the narrator was a delight to listen to. I had a hard time turning it off.