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)

Good listen

I enjoyed this book very much. I listened to this while at work and it helped to pass the time. Really well written and mysteries are quite enjoyable. I guessed the end but it didn't hurt the enjoyment of the story. Not all mysteries are solved...that is somewhat refreshing in this day and age of everything being completed, wrapped up and delivered with a bow on it. I look forward to listening to the next book by this author!

Dissapointed

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Not much keeps the reader excited and moving forward.

What was most disappointing about Tana French’s story?

Great prose and writing but it has no tension.

What about Steven Crossley’s performance did you like?

He is a real pro. Wonderful character voices. If he were not reading this tedious book I would never have continued.

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

Don't bore me more.

Anti-climax

Narrator's voice forced and screeching in all parts but the main character . Ending boring.

Great start...

... I didn't care much for the ending. Found my self hurrying along with it. Then had to re read it in case I missed something? But I didn't. Kind of felt in finished.

As far as the narrater goes, he was really good there was just a little but of mouth noises going on at some points.

Great "read"

What did you love best about In the Woods?

Unusual story that really kept my interest.

Which character – as performed by Steven Crossley – was your favorite?

Rob Ryan, but, I like Cassie also.

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

We never really leave our past behind.

Any additional comments?

I read the next two books in the Murder Squad series and I think this is the strongest story. Recommended it to my husband.

good start, poor finish.

i enjoyed the majority of it. Was a bit disappointed with the main character as well as the last few chapters. One mystery was obvious (though the main character took the whole book to get it), the other mystery i felt cheated out of with no real solution.

Good story line with interesting characters.

Would you listen to In the Woods again? Why?

no, I don't listen to books twice

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

The beginning, the event that caused it all.

What about Steven Crossley’s performance did you like?

Very easy listening

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Good listen

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

Audiobook was just ok. Enough to keep me interested.

If you’ve listened to books by Tana French before, how does this one compare?

First book by Tana French

Did Steven Crossley do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Wasn't too crazy about narrator.

I wanted to like this more than I did

The story started off intriguingly enough but hit a few long dry patches throughout. The story was still well written enough to keep my attention overall. I feel this book could've easily been cut down and trimmed to fix the this problem. The performance was perfectly executed and is part of what helped keep my attention.

Definitely at least try the book it was worth the read overall.

Compelling

I loved this book. It has a somewhat unsatisfying but incredibly realistic ending, and I wouldn't change it for the world. The only complaint I have is that it was a tiny bit predictable, though the reveal was ultimately well handled. Rob is a character you're not sure you're supposed to like, which made him very human to me.