Review: In the Woods by Tana French

What I warn you to remember is that I am a detective. Our relationship with truth is fundamental but cracked, refracting confusingly like fragmented glass. It is the core of our careers, the endgame of every move we make, and we pursue it with strategies painstakingly constructed of lies and concealment and every variation on deception. [pg 3]

In the Woods by Tana French
Penguin Books, 2007
Crime Fiction, 429 pgs


I am not sure where to begin with this review. In the Woods is not a mystery that had me rushing to turn the pages. Rather, I wanted to take it slow and savor every word. Tana French is a beautiful writer who appears to take great care with each word she writes.

The novel is dark and the subject matter heavy. A young girl is found murdered at an archeological site in Knocknaree, Ireland, and detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox are assigned to investigate. Detective Ryan knows he should not be on the case. At the age of 12, he had been the only one found after the disappearance of him and his two best friends in the very woods where Katy’s body was discovered. His shoes were filled with blood, and, to this day, he has no memory of what happened that fateful day. His past has haunted him off and on all his life, and suddenly, it is placed front and center. He wants to remember. And he and Detective Maddox, one of the few who knows about his past, are determined to discover whether a link between the twenty year old disappearances has anything to do with the recent murder.

Tana French’s gift lies not just in crafting an utterly intriguing story, but also in creating characters that are complicated and very much three dimensional, from the big players in the novel to the minutest of characters. The author did an amazing job of capturing the stress and tension an ongoing and high profile investigation like Katy’s murder brings with it. It weighed heavily on everyone involved, including the protagonist and his partner. The longer the investigation went on, the more dead ends they encountered, and even the closer they came to the truth, the more strain it put on them.

Ryan and Maddox had an extremely close relationship. The two were like siblings in many ways. They knew each other inside and out. They both carried their own baggage, and while they shared much about themselves, including some of their darkest secrets, they still held a few things back. This bond between them made them even better at their job in many ways, or so it seemed in the beginning.

Part of the reason I decided to read this book when I did was as part of an online book discussion. I got to it a little late, but one of the bonuses of online groups is that the questions and discussion live on after everyone else has set the book aside for something else. I thought about incorporating some of the questions and answers into my review, but that really wouldn’t work. Too many spoilers. I will say though that this book makes for good discussion fodder!

The ending seems to be the most controversial part of the book. Many people were left disappointed for reasons I’ll refrain from giving here. I actually quite liked the ending. I wish I could say more because there’s a lot I liked about it, but, well, you know how it goes. A little something called spoilers.

This is one of my shorter reviews for a book that deserves more. I can see why so many people have recommended this book, and you can bet I’m adding my voice to that chorus.

Rating: (Very Good +)

You can learn more about Tana French and her books on the author's website.

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