In the Woods
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 shoes, 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 with chilling links to that long-ago disappearance. Now, with only snippets of buried memories to guide him, Rob has the chance to unravel both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.
‘A terrific debut…this scores very high marks.’ The Times
‘One of the most startling debuts I have seen any writer make: polished, assured, ferociously intelligent, at once very original and effortlessly engaged with the conventions of crime fiction. It has the psychological twists and the vaguely menacing atmosphere of a Barbara Vine novel and the lyricism and emotional intensity of French’s countryman Colm Toibin.’ Sydney Morning Herald
‘Sharply written and insidiously creepy, this is a mesmerising read that grabs hold of the reader from the very first page and doesn’t let go until well past two in the morning.’ The Times
‘A real show-stopper of a thriller… Author French tightens the tension slowly until squealing point; Ryan’s increasingly taut relationship with Maddox is woven cunningly around the crime plot. A splendid, page-turning debut.’ She
‘The characterisation is spot-on (Cassie Maddox, for one, simply leaps from the page), the dialogue pushes the story along, and the plot is expertly fixed onto the framework of the narrative.’ The Irish Times
‘A taut debut… Crime fiction at its best.’ InStyle
‘The most breaktakingly brilliant and close-to-perfect thriller I’ve read for a long time. I stayed up until three in the morning two nights running unable to put it down.’ Sophie Hannah, author of Little Face
‘Ambitious and extraordinary.’ Washington Post
‘Intelligent and beautifully written… An outstanding debut.’ Booklist (starred review)
‘A compellingly complex case with nuanced characters and a richly detailed sense of place.’ Kirkus Reviews
‘Harrowing… [French] sets a vivid scene for her complex characters… The intricate nature of her storytelling is something of its own reward… Drawn by the grim nature of her plot and the lyrical ferocity of her writing, even smart people who should know better will be able to lose themselves in these dark woods.’ The New York Times Book Review
‘The book’s plot and pacing are rock-solid, but its tender characterizations – particularly the deepening relationship between Ryan and his brainy, tough female partner – are what set it apart. Strong stuff.’ Seattle Times
‘Enthralling…beautifully written…an exquisite debut.’
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
‘Engrossing.’ Kirkus
‘The hunt for the killer of young Katy Devlin is brilliantly laid out, as is the unravelling of Ryan’s blocked memories… As creepily imaginative as it gets.’ USA Today
‘French expertly walks the line between police procedural and psychological thriller … Ryan and Maddox are empathetic and flawed heroes, whose partnership and friendship elevate the narrative beyond a gory tale of murdered children and repressed childhood trauma.’ Publishers Weekly ‘Like an explorer discovering a whole new territory, a reviewer coming upon a brilliant first novel feels the thrill of discovery, and so I did with In the Woods. This engrossing story is told by a young policeman… The interplay between detective partners, the portrayal of the people involved, the atmosphere of tension and suspicion is skilfully described while the reader’s attention is tightened and slackened with a masterly hand.’ Literary Review |
