In the Woods by Tana French

5.00/5.00

Published: 2007

Genres: Thriller/Mystery

Goodreads

In the Woods is definitely my favorite book of the year so far, and maybe even last year.

Many mysteries/thrillers I’ve read fall for two general traps. Either the mystery is obvious early in the story or it tries so hard to be unpredictable that it becomes overly-complex, unpractical, nonsensical, and riddled with more holes than my socks.

Others sound too lyrical. The author likes parallels and poetic prose, which is fine, but not at the expense of sense and pragmatism.

In case you haven’t noticed, In the Woods is a mystery/crime book. In Ireland, the elite (and fictitious) Murder Squad investigates, well, murders. Rob Ryan, a detective on this squad, narrates the story when he and his partner, Cassie, are assigned the case of a child murder. Found near the woods, it prompts memories about Rob Ryan’s childhood, with the unsolved disappearance of two children, and questions their validity.

In The Woods is beautiful and realistic. I wouldn’t call it a true detective story. Yes, it’s about solving a child murder, but I cared more about the characters, just like The Walking Dead is a zombie story but it’s more of a backdrop for the characters than the centerpiece itself. I like complex plots. I like complex characters more, and a character-driven book catches my interest more.

Rob Ryan is the type of character I love. Bit of an asshole, the kind of character who could easily be twisted into someone despised if told from a different perspective, but Tana French makes him more than sympathetic.

Each character felt real, even Quigley. No one was unnecessarily vilified. One of the reasons I dislike romance books is the simplicity of the characterization. There’s the dumb, slutty ex-girlfriend or the abusive douche boyfriend. There are the vapid girls who wear little clothing and are supposed to make the main character look unique and superior. The villain is a caricature. The love interest is sensitive, smart, tough, and kind, with a tragic backstory that is supposed to justify any flaws, whereas anyone else is left out as a “bad person.” It’s lazy, and I am grateful Tana French avoided it.

The ending carried a bitter pang with it, and anyone hoping for a happily-ever-after will be disappointed. It’s fucking sad, more in a hollow, lost way than a twisting knife. It’s easy to make a story about cancer or a tragic loss feel intimate and sad. It’s harder to make a book like this one affect you as deeply, and I think that’s one of its advantages. You don’t expect it.

In the Woods is the first in the series Dublin Murder Squad. The sixth and latest book in the series, The Trespasser, was published last year. Tana French is an actress and novelist, best known for her Dublin Murder Squad series.