In the Woods

A Novel

By: Tana French

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

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)

Will it ever end

A great thriller, well read and acted, but the book should have been abridged. I could/would have skimmed through parts if I were reading the book, but this isn't easy to do when you are listening.
My husband and I listened to this on a road trip, and the first half was great. My husband gave up after 16 hours.
I give it 4 stars because the story and reader were good, but would recommend it only to those that like lots of description and words, not those who like suspense and get eager to know how it will end!

Slow, quiet, cerebral, sad

I prefer more action, humor, and excitement in the books I listen to; but I had to give "In the Woods" five stars, because Tana French wrote it so beautifully. It proceeds slowly and quietly, without thrills and chills, to the ultimate solution of the murder mystery. The solution does not provide the happy ending that I wanted, but probably more accurately depicts real detective work in the real world. I like the reader, Steven Crossley, but it puzzled me that he never used an Irish accent, since the story takes place in Ireland. Also, it disappointed me that the protagonist -- the detective solving the murder -- never solved his own twenty-year-old mystery that had propelled him into police work in the first place. I recommend this book to people who value exquisite character development and lyrical writing, but maybe not so much to fans of the mystery-thriller genre.

great story, OK narrator

The story really gripped me, and, as I listened through, I found myself doing housework with the ipod on, taking the long way home to listen a while longer etc. I don't mind the ambiguous ending - it's what I've come to expect in modern writing (and TV!). What irked me was the narrators unfamilarity with Irish colloquialisms (the use of the word "sure" and "yer man", etc.) and Irish place names, which were often mispronounced. Hearing placenames familiar to me prounced so oddly took me right out of the story...

Compelling

This is one of the best audiobooks I've listened to in a long time. It was difficult to put down. I especially liked the fact that the characters seemed real and human, and not slick stereotypes. I also liked the fact that the author did not feel the need to have everything wrapped up like a neat little package at the end. Life isn't like that. In life, as well as in this book, even though there's a certain degree of resolution to an issue, questions remain, and the feeling of satisfaction often isn't 100%. The writing was gorgeous and added a richness to the story. I definitely want to see what this author does in the future.

Still in the Woods

This book starts wonderfully, then kind of meanders along for a long, long time! I liked it, but I'm not sure the plot ultimately warrants more than 20 hours of listening. French shows some fine language skills and develops her characters well; I'll certainly stay with this series for at least one more volume.

Not worth the Hype

What did you like best about In the Woods? What did you like least?

The narration was great. The story was seriously lacking.

Has In the Woods turned you off from other books in this genre?

Maybe.

What does Steven Crossley bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice made the book worth finishing.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

Any additional comments?

I had high hopes for this book since it won so many awards. The narration was great. The writing quality itself was pretty good for the most part. The characters were rich and believable. However, I don't think the author had a clue what she was going to do with the story until it was on the page, and it shows. There is far too much pointless prattling and people seem to have taken the authors rambling method of dealing with writer's block for creative twists and turns. Too much detail is given about all sorts of things that matter nothing to the story. Its just mostly filler. Blah blah blah. Ultimately this book is simply a let down. It had great potential that was just squandered. I truly do not understand why this book won the awards it did. The narration and the hope that something interesting was eventually going to happen kept me listening to the end but I now feel like I wasted my time.

Poor ending

What did you love best about In the Woods?

Good character study

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Really disappointed at the ending...left me hanging, with no hope...

What about Steven Crossley’s performance did you like?

Appropriate character voice

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Neither

Any additional comments?

Really started getting into the story, then I felt like the author just got tired of writing and gave in or up.

Un-put-down_able!

I stayed up till 1 in the morning because I had to finish listening! Crisp beautiful language, decent plot, nicely developed characters. Everything I want in a book. Immediately ordered the next one! So good!

Not my favorite

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The location.
The reading of the story

How did the narrator detract from the book?

His breathing. I could hear him breathe in long deep breaths before starting a sentence.

Do you think In the Woods needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It is a series, I'm going to try another before discounting the series.

Don't miss this novelist!

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

The story-line addresses fears of childhood, from the parents' and child's point of view and then how it all looks different years later. Listening to the central character deal with a trauma from his childhood piece by piece is a bit addictive.

Any additional comments?

Tana French has an amazing talent in developing her characters into someone you want to know and allowing you to see them as perhaps yourself. Highly recommend this work and this author!