Author | Tana French |
---|---|
Language | English |
Series | Dublin Murder Squad |
Genre | Mystery |
Publisher | Viking Adult |
Publication date | 30 January 2007 |
Publication place | Ireland |
Media type | Print (hardcover) |
Pages | 496 |
ISBN | 978-0-670-03860-2 |
OCLC | 191864570 |
823/.92 22 | |
LC Class | PR6106.R457 I52 2007 |
Followed by | The Likeness |
In the Woods is a 2007 mystery novel by Tana French about a pair of Irish detectives and their investigation of the murder of a twelve-year-old girl. It is the first book in French's Dublin Murder Squad series. [1] The novel won several awards such as the 2008 Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author, [2] the 2008 Barry Award for Best First Novel, [3] the 2008 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel, [4] and the 2008 Anthony Award for Best First Novel. [5] In the Woods and The Likeness, the second book of the Dublin Murder Squad series, are the inspiration for the BBC and Starz's 2019 Dublin Murders, [6] an eight-episode series.
Twenty-two years prior to the novel's events, twelve-year-old Adam and his two best friends failed to come home after playing in the familiar woods bordering their Irish housing estate. The Gardaí found Adam shivering, clawing the bark of a nearby tree, with blood in his shoes and slash marks on his back. His friends were never found and he was unable to say what happened to them.
Now using his middle name, Rob, he is a detective with the Murder Squad. His amnesia holds to the present day.
The plot of the novel circles around the murder of a twelve-year-old girl, Katy Devlin, whose case Rob and his partner Cassie Maddox are assigned to investigate. The body is found in the same woods where Rob's friends disappeared, at an archaeological dig site, and the coincidence is enough to make Rob nervous, though he insists to his partner that he is fine.
Katy's murder takes the pair along many lines of investigation. Her death might be related to her father's protests against the new motorway meant to go straight through the dig site, or one of the students on the dig might have attacked her. She might have been abused by her father or someone else in the family. She might have been previously poisoned over time. Or it might be related to the disappearance of Rob's friends.
During their investigation, Rob and Cassie spend the night together. They kiss, but do not have sex. Their partnership deteriorates and they are unable to get along the way they used to.
Rob goes back to the dig site alone, where all the students are frantically digging before the site is shut down for the construction of the motorway. He calls in the forensics team again, who discover the location of the murder in a shed to which only three people have the key. After some heavy interrogation, one of the suspects confesses, though his motive is far from clear.
It becomes clearer when the suspect mentions that he had been dating Katy's older sister, Rosalind. When questioned by Cassie, Rosalind denies any involvement in Katy's death, but she also makes a comment that Cassie is obviously sleeping with Rob. Cassie admits sleeping with Rob and promises to keep Rosalind updated on the case if she promises not to tell. Rosalind brags about the whole thing and how she got the murderer to come up with the idea. After this confession, recorded on a wire, Cassie arrests her and takes her in; but, because Rosalind was a few months from turning 18, the confession is invalid. She is released with a smug smile.
The Murder Squad Superintendent has learned that Rob is actually Adam Ryan and transfers him to menial desk work in the General Unit. He never returns to the Murder Squad. Cassie starts dating another member of the squad and eventually becomes engaged, leaving Rob heartbroken.
Thomas Gaughan of Booklist gave In the Woods a starred review and hailed it as “...a superior novel about cops, murder, memory, relationships, and modern Ireland. The characters of Ryan and Maddox, as well as a handful of others, are vividly developed... Equally striking is the picture of contemporary Ireland, booming economically and fixated on the shabbiest aspects of American popular culture. An outstanding debut and a series to watch for procedural fans." [7] Publishers Weekly praised author French, saying she “... expertly walks the line between police procedural and psychological thriller in her debut" and that "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." [7] Kirkus Reviews said of the novel, "When not lengthily bogged down in angst, a readable, non-formulaic police procedural with a twist. It's ultimately the confession of a damaged man." [8]
Author | Tana French |
---|---|
Language | English |
Series | Dublin Murder Squad |
Genre | Mystery |
Publisher | Viking Adult |
Publication date | 30 January 2007 |
Publication place | Ireland |
Media type | Print (hardcover) |
Pages | 496 |
ISBN | 978-0-670-03860-2 |
OCLC | 191864570 |
823/.92 22 | |
LC Class | PR6106.R457 I52 2007 |
Followed by | The Likeness |
In the Woods is a 2007 mystery novel by Tana French about a pair of Irish detectives and their investigation of the murder of a twelve-year-old girl. It is the first book in French's Dublin Murder Squad series. [1] The novel won several awards such as the 2008 Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author, [2] the 2008 Barry Award for Best First Novel, [3] the 2008 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel, [4] and the 2008 Anthony Award for Best First Novel. [5] In the Woods and The Likeness, the second book of the Dublin Murder Squad series, are the inspiration for the BBC and Starz's 2019 Dublin Murders, [6] an eight-episode series.
Twenty-two years prior to the novel's events, twelve-year-old Adam and his two best friends failed to come home after playing in the familiar woods bordering their Irish housing estate. The Gardaí found Adam shivering, clawing the bark of a nearby tree, with blood in his shoes and slash marks on his back. His friends were never found and he was unable to say what happened to them.
Now using his middle name, Rob, he is a detective with the Murder Squad. His amnesia holds to the present day.
The plot of the novel circles around the murder of a twelve-year-old girl, Katy Devlin, whose case Rob and his partner Cassie Maddox are assigned to investigate. The body is found in the same woods where Rob's friends disappeared, at an archaeological dig site, and the coincidence is enough to make Rob nervous, though he insists to his partner that he is fine.
Katy's murder takes the pair along many lines of investigation. Her death might be related to her father's protests against the new motorway meant to go straight through the dig site, or one of the students on the dig might have attacked her. She might have been abused by her father or someone else in the family. She might have been previously poisoned over time. Or it might be related to the disappearance of Rob's friends.
During their investigation, Rob and Cassie spend the night together. They kiss, but do not have sex. Their partnership deteriorates and they are unable to get along the way they used to.
Rob goes back to the dig site alone, where all the students are frantically digging before the site is shut down for the construction of the motorway. He calls in the forensics team again, who discover the location of the murder in a shed to which only three people have the key. After some heavy interrogation, one of the suspects confesses, though his motive is far from clear.
It becomes clearer when the suspect mentions that he had been dating Katy's older sister, Rosalind. When questioned by Cassie, Rosalind denies any involvement in Katy's death, but she also makes a comment that Cassie is obviously sleeping with Rob. Cassie admits sleeping with Rob and promises to keep Rosalind updated on the case if she promises not to tell. Rosalind brags about the whole thing and how she got the murderer to come up with the idea. After this confession, recorded on a wire, Cassie arrests her and takes her in; but, because Rosalind was a few months from turning 18, the confession is invalid. She is released with a smug smile.
The Murder Squad Superintendent has learned that Rob is actually Adam Ryan and transfers him to menial desk work in the General Unit. He never returns to the Murder Squad. Cassie starts dating another member of the squad and eventually becomes engaged, leaving Rob heartbroken.
Thomas Gaughan of Booklist gave In the Woods a starred review and hailed it as “...a superior novel about cops, murder, memory, relationships, and modern Ireland. The characters of Ryan and Maddox, as well as a handful of others, are vividly developed... Equally striking is the picture of contemporary Ireland, booming economically and fixated on the shabbiest aspects of American popular culture. An outstanding debut and a series to watch for procedural fans." [7] Publishers Weekly praised author French, saying she “... expertly walks the line between police procedural and psychological thriller in her debut" and that "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." [7] Kirkus Reviews said of the novel, "When not lengthily bogged down in angst, a readable, non-formulaic police procedural with a twist. It's ultimately the confession of a damaged man." [8]