In the Woods

In the Woods Tana French 4/5	Published 2007 First Sentence "What I warn you to remember is that I am a detective."
Publisher's Description: A gorgeously written novel that marks the debut of an astonishing new 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. He is 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 12-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.
Dear Reader, Have you ever been disappointed by a thriller/mystery? Me too! This is NOT that. I can guarantee you that you'll enjoy this (even if just a little bit). Just look how cool that cover is?! Yes, this is a series and as I've stated before... I'm not that into those. I'm not even sure if I'll continue on with this series (The Dublin Murder Squad) but I'm glad I picked this one up. The most upsetting thing was that the underlying mystery won't be solved in this book (or maybe in any other? Not sure?) ugh, I feel jipped. The setting for this couldn't be cooler (and by cool, I mean perfect for a murder mystery), a nice little town in Dublin surrounded by a dark forest. While I was reading this, I could almost see the dew soaked air and the thick bands of fog masking the view. I'd expect everything to be damp all the time, but I'm not sure why. Setting aside, the characters had depth but holy smokes I wanted to choke them numerous times. I couldn't handle the love story - if I could change anything in the book, it would be that. I don't want to give anything away and be mad at me all you want if I destroyed this for you by mentioning it has a romance.  The mystery itself was really well planned out and executed. I was caught off guard and didn't "guess" correctly. I really want to know what happens with Ryan and his past, it almost seemed supernatural but how? That question alone is smart of French to do... holding back because who wouldn't want to find out that mystery? I was mostly reading this wanting to figure out what happened to him... who cares about the girl in the woods? Eh, whatever. I guess I'll have to pick up the next one at some point. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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