When he was twelve years old, Adam Ryan went playing in the woods with his two best friends. He never saw them again. Their bodies were never found, and Adam himself was discovered with his back pressed against an oak tree and his shoes filled with blood. He had no memory of what had happened. Twenty years on, Rob Ryan - the child who came back - is a detective in the Dublin police force. He's changed his name. No one knows about his past. Then a little girl's body is found at the site of the old tragedy and Rob is drawn ...
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When he was twelve years old, Adam Ryan went playing in the woods with his two best friends. He never saw them again. Their bodies were never found, and Adam himself was discovered with his back pressed against an oak tree and his shoes filled with blood. He had no memory of what had happened. Twenty years on, Rob Ryan - the child who came back - is a detective in the Dublin police force. He's changed his name. No one knows about his past. Then a little girl's body is found at the site of the old tragedy and Rob is drawn back into the mystery. Knowing that he would be thrown off the case if his past were revealed, Rob takes a fateful decision to keep quiet but hope that he might also solve the twenty-year-old mystery of the woods.
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Add this copy of In the Woods to cart. $21.98, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2008 by Penguin Books.
I read constantly, a lot of mysteries and others, and I found Tana French so far out front of the pack that I truly couldn't believe it. This book is the best book I read all year. I immediately went looking for her other books and bought them. She is now my favorite author and hope she keeps writing. Her number two was as good as this one and I didn't think that was even possible. I just started number three. I am in heaven.
SeldomSeen
Sep 30, 2010
Something got lost In The Woods
I?m afraid, in my case, In the Woods, didn?t quite live up to the advance hype or my expectations. Though an intriguing character study of sorts, the story itself gets bogged down in past history and the plot moves down trails that simply peter out. Much is made of the protagonist?s experience as a boy, and one would expect that history to play a part?even a small part?in the resolution. One would be sadly mistaken in this case. The ending is standard boilerplate police procedural and any sympathy for the protagonist is flushed by his immature (and ultimately) unexplained attitude towards his partner. There?s some good writing in the woods, but all the loose parts just seem to rattle around without coming together.
quasar
Apr 2, 2010
lots of detail and atmosphere
This would be 4 stars for anyone who likes lots of detail, I prefer the 'John Grisham' spare style. There are several characters, most notably the narrator's landlady, who don't move the story forward and are a distraction. Still, it's an interesting mystery, with believable, human and flawed characters. I liked the ending - much like in real life, after the shock of even a horrific event, people go on with their lives.
CCMARTY
Oct 15, 2009
GOOD BOOK - EASY READ
This was a good, easy read. It read like watching an epoisode of a detective television show.
carriej
Aug 25, 2009
Good story - where's the ending???
The book was pretty good -- it's a mystery that keeps you on your toes - keeps the pages turning, makes you want more... but then, it leaves you completely hanging at the end. It really has no ending. It's like the author was under a deadline and didn't have time to think of a good way to end - so she just stopped. Pick a different mystery to read... one that doesn't leave you just as clueless as you started off.