In the Woods Book Reviews

AUTHOR
Tana French
SCORE
4
TOTAL RATINGS
2,306

In the Woods by Tana French Book Summary

The debut novel of an astonishing voice in psychological suspense

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, stunning in its complexity, and utterly convincing and surprising to the end, In the Woods is sure to enthrall fans of Mystic River and The Lovely Bones.

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Book Name In the Woods
Genre Mysteries & Thrillers
Published
Language English
E-Book Size 3.33 MB

In the Woods (Tana French) Book Reviews 2024

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A Little Slow with a Solid Mystery. 3 Stars. Solid enough but a little slow and depressing. It seems to be a series starter but the group that we started out with imploded in a way that the next one will basically have to start over again. The mystery was very well done , though. French definitely did well with that. This will bring me back for the next one.

Irked. The story had me all the way until the end....SO disappointed.....

It was ok. It was an ok read. When I was done I had so many questions still. And from what I found reading the description of the next book in the series, I won’t get those answers at all. So this was it for me.

Incredibly beautiful language.. Incredibly beautiful use of language. French describes the natural world it a purely poetic manner, makes it integral character. Her human characters have warmth, humor and heartbreak and we live them all through her words. The is easily the best book I have read in a long time. More than a mystery, this is literature at its finest.

Suspenseful. Loved the book! But i was a but confused in the end

Plodding Narrative. Artful writing, character development long and boring, and the historical subplot anti-climactic. Need more than "dark woods" to frighten today's reader.

Loved it!!!. Age 19 when I read it. And it was my first mystery book, it's gotten me hooked

Hate/Love Relationship. First of all, this book was such an amazing read. It was beautifully written, had all the perfect vibes for a murder mystery, and really had me drawn in. Took me a few chapters to really get into it, but after a hundred pages or so, I was hooked. Sped through the book and spent an entire evening trying to finish it so I could get to the bottom of the mystery. Well low and behold, you get NO ANSWERS to the biggest mystery of the story!! I’m left feeling a bit cheated like I was strung along the whole entire book. Still would recommend, but I’d say don’t even bother reading the last few pages

Amazing book. One of my all time favorite books. The show doesn’t do it justice in the slightest.

In the Woods. This is a story that can definitely get to one. Early on, I found myself liking the characters and especially the investigators in our mystery. Yet there was something infinitely immature, wounded and fragile about them with terrifyingly evil presences... real? Imagined? ...lurking in the shadows that one could only wish could have been seized and plucked out. But, faithful to and typical of the nature of grief, we readers could only go through it one step at a time until we reached the other side. It is a sad story in the way that life is something sad with the realization the some things cannot be changed nor some things undone. And, though life goes on, some choices destroy potentials as well as brighter paths. Our task? Keep our eyes focused lest we, living yesterday, lose the life that remains.

Into the woods. Long drawn out, kept reading because i needed to know what happened to the missing kids, never happened, cant understand why this author did not give you answers about what happened in those woods! Couldn't have been more disappointed.....

Well written, slow burn, ends with disappointment SPOILER ALERT. Spoiler alert - you don’t get an answer to the biggest question of all, what happened to the friends who disappeared in the 80s. Definitely a slow burn book and ends with disappointment. The main character is like able but then essentially blows up the good things in his life. I really enjoyed the story but was so very disappointed with the falling out between the main characters, no answer to the big question, and then the one “responsible” for the death of Katy is pretty much continuing to live life with no consequences. This story could have been so easily nicely put together with the main characters in a relationship and then solving everything else.

Boring. Characters somewhat developed but not relatable

In the Woods. The reader is captivated from the beginning. The author paints the characters so the reader finds them real and most of them likable. The many twists and turns and speculations keeps the story moving quickly. I was disappointed at the end but accepted the truth of it. Well worth the read .

Exhausting. Arduous and circuitous long-telling of a short story….only my need to finish what I started got me to the end.

Couldn’t finish. Couldn’t get into this at all. I normally can read a book in about two days. In three weeks I barely am 20 percent through. I give up.

In the Woods. Horrible book, horrible ending and a waste of time!

In the Woods. Excellently crafted

Long ride. Too much read for nothing 😒 Mystery never solved .

Loved it!. Loved the characters. You feel like you know them. Hard to put down. Can’t wait to read all of her books. Definite 5 star

Overall Ok. Easy to follow with the many flashbacks and how main character views himself but readers are left hanging at the end with no definite answer on one of the main plots throughout the book.

Great Start. This novel starts with a chilling situation that really grabs the reader. The characters are well developed and interesting in their own right. About halfway through, however, the whole story bogs down with uninteresting situations, boring discussions about alcohol and smoking, lots of flowery prose and an unsatisfactory ending all of which prevent me from reading any further in the series.

Disappointing.. Will try not to spoil plot but It was a bit boring throughout and leaving reader hanging was a let down.

In the Weeds. Promising story though it could have been told in half the words. In this murder/thriller genre, I’m reading to find out ‘what happens next’. The author gets way too bogged down in description rather than forwarding the plot. I found myself skimming chunks of the book to get to the stuff that mattered. A generous red pen would have made it a much better story. Wouldn’t recommend.

Slow read. Started out intriguing but slowed down too much in the middle. No closure on one of the main characters. I forced myself to read it all.

Best book I’ve read in a long time.... I read this book in a day in and a half while camping. The writing is incredible and luxurious, the characters are rich and believable, and I didn’t want to leave French’s world when it was over. The end, as well, impressed me and upset me so much I couldn’t stop talking about it for the rest of the camping trip.

Love!. This is such an amazing book! Loved everything about it. I listened to it on audible and it's purely captivating.

Good Read. Excellent writing and story telling. Left a few loose ends, but I'm hoping for a book that wraps things up at some point and goes back to Rob Ryan. Good book.

Poetic and suspenseful. Tana French is that rare combination of skillful writer of memorable scenes and characters as well as an expert at spinning the web of a murder mystery. And you will be caught in that web until the very end.

Unsatisfying. The main question you want answered isn’t answered, which left me feeling unsatisfied.

Utterly captivating. Utterly captivating from the moment I picked it up until the last page. Great read.

In. The woods. First Tanya French book I read. I loved it.

That ending tho!. Started a little slow, got really into it, and then that ending though!

Three times the charm. This is a slo burn of a novel which is more about the psychological outcome for Detective Rob Ryan. His past has significant impact on the current situation in Knockaree. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting; it thought it would be more of a police procedural. Despite the rough entry to this much loved series, I’m willing to continue reading the Dublin Murder Squad.

Not my favorite but still good. Overall I love French. Her later books a Faithful Place and Broken Harbor were awesome! This book was a little bit difficult to follow, it is different in not making a hero as great as other books make their heroes out to be. However, I liked how the ending was a lot different then what you would expect. The book dragged on a little

In the woods. Such a disappointment. It was compelling and worth the effort for 2/3 of the book. The final chapters seemed like they were written by a different author.

Not the detective story I was hoping for.. In The Woods was a detective story about Ryan and Cassie who were partners in the crime department. I had different preconceived ideas about the direction of this story given the opening prologue of three kids missing in the woods. Turns out the story was about Ryan twenty years later. He was the only known survivor from the woods. Tana rambled on and on about nonsensical stuff that was not pertinent to the story. She inserted plot theories creating one distraction after another. I kept thinking when are the detectives going to solve this crime instead of drum up all this dirt on the local residents. The story contained three mini plots working simultaneously in conjunction to the crime of Katy. The story began with introducing Adam and his two friends who were playing in the woods. Adam was found having no recollection of what happened to him or his friends. Twenty years later, Ryan is a detective and he claimed it had nothing to do with him wanting to solve his case. Coincidentally, a twelve year old girl was found in the same woods. Ryan worked the case hoping to trigger some memories of his own. This was quite appealing to me and I had hoped for the same of Ryan. I desperately wanted information as to the wearabouts of his two friends and the mystery behind his shoes and shirt. Apparently, Ireland had no crime scene investigation team to aid in the discoveries of the 1984 missing kids case. Tana paralleled these two cases by comparing how twenty years later with some high tech equipment and some experienced field investigators a crime could be solved. Yet, the efforts, resources, and clues were still slow in showing results. Until they could find something concrete that fancy equipment was of no use. A lot of components made up this story offering many layers. I needed a notebook to keep track of all the characters and who they were related to and who they worked for. Not to mention the environmental aspect of the story. The detective process was time consuming and really boring since most information led to nothing but more nonsense. I suppose this is typical in detective findings. Cassie's character became extensively developed yet I waited for Ryan's character to reach this same level of development after all this story was about him. Ryan's character had no business being a detective in my opinion. Tana pulled at my heartstrings in the beginning making me believe Ryan could be holding vital information about his friends and possibly link it to the current case in the woods. Instead, Ryan was a mess. He barely functioned as a human being let alone a working detective. I did not care for Tana's style or technique in this detective story. Her approach and delivery at times was filled with unnecessary distractions. I felt lured into the story by the concept of three kids missing in the woods to find out the case was unsolved and Adam became a detective unrelated to his unsolved case. I wish Tana would have provided Ryan's detective history prior to solving this case. Cassie's character had talent to profile people. She was by far the best character in the story. Sam was another great detective who seemed to gather evidence appropriately. Ryan unfortunately was preoccupied and mentally unstable. I found him incapable of reading people. He was easily manipulated.

Good read; great book. French is a wonderful writer. She has created full, real characters and a brilliant mystery story. Her imagery is vivid and her poetic writing evokes emotions. I could not stop reading this and cannot wait to start her next book.

Disappointing. Read this novel on the recommendation of a friend and came up seriously disappointed. Superfluous writing that doesn't add to the story leaves you wading through paragraphs trying to simply get to the meat of it. The guilty party was sadly obvious, and untidy finish at the end after 600+ pages left me angry and unsatisfied.

Great read. Well paced, interesting characters and an ending that was satisfying, without cliche.

Great, needs more answers though. Awesome book, and the follow up, The Likeness, is also great. Just don’t expect a lot of answers in the end!!

In the woods. An ending that included wrapping up the only part of the book I really cared about would have been nice. An open ending is not really an option for a mystery. U kind of want the mystery solved. That's why u keep reading. 😐

Meh. This book started off great and I was into it about 3/4 through and then it dragged on forever. I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened at the end and all the questions weren't even answered! So frustrating

Great read!. Insightful characters, masterful rendition of settings, active storyline.All a great recipe for a mystery.

Boring!. Wanted to stop reading because it was so slow but also wanted to find out what happened. Nothing happened!

The woods. Wish I had back the hours I wasted on this book! What a letdown! will never read another of this author's books.

5 stars the first 3/4 of the book. And then the ending was so disappointing!! I loved the heavy description and sense of mood in this book. I was totally invested in Ryan and Cassie’s stories and each of their trauma. I’m ok with what happens to them in their relationship, but there is so much that is left unresolved! The ending was so disappointing. We are led on for 700-800 pages of beautiful deep feelings and character history to end up no where in the end.

In the Woods. Great at times but I gave it three stars because of the ending.

In the Woods. Great book! Loved the story and the police techniques, especially the interaction between the partners. Would have liked a bit less focus on the alcohol.

In The Woods. The ending could have been so much more, it was untidy and inconclusive. The book had such high hopes, as the storyline was good, and building, until the end. It went out with a fizzle.

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Summary of In the Woods by Tana French

The In the Woods book written by Tana French was published on 17 May 2007, Thursday in the Mysteries & Thrillers category. A total of 2,306 readers of the book gave the book 4 points out of 5.

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