In the Woods: A Novel
May 2007 · Dublin Murder Squad Book 1 · Sold by Penguin
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About this ebook
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST THRILLER OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
“[Tana French is] required reading for anyone who appreciates tough, unflinching intelligence, and ingenious plotting.” —The New York Times
The bestselling first novel in the Dublin Murder Squad series, with over a million copies sold, that launched Tana French, “the most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years” (The Washington Post).
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 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 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 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.
Richly atmospheric and stunning in its complexity, In the Woods is utterly convincing and surprising to the end.
“[Tana French is] required reading for anyone who appreciates tough, unflinching intelligence, and ingenious plotting.” —The New York Times
The bestselling first novel in the Dublin Murder Squad series, with over a million copies sold, that launched Tana French, “the most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years” (The Washington Post).
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 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 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 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.
Richly atmospheric and stunning in its complexity, In the Woods is utterly convincing and surprising to the end.
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST THRILLER OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
“[Tana French is] required reading for anyone who appreciates tough, unflinching intelligence, and ingenious plotting.” —The New York Times
The bestselling first novel in the Dublin Murder Squad series, with over a million copies sold, ...
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Ratings and reviews
89 reviews
Sarah Lemler
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September 3, 2025
Most of what happens in this book is pretty obvious. At first I liked the main character, Rob Ryan, but his personality completely changes in the middle of the book and after he turns into a whiny jerk, I kind of lost interest. I kept on reading because I was still curious about what happened to his friend when they were children, but the book never completes that story line so I was just kind of disappointed.
Lisa Thompson
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December 1, 2020
I'm always happy to see over 400 pages especially if I am enjoying it. This one could have been shorter by 100 pages easily. It meanders and much feels dragged out. Why spend 3 pages when 1 succinct paragraph would serve the story better. Oh well. I have loads more waiting to be read.
Amritaa Ghosh
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May 17, 2020
The storyline is inarticulate. Lot of side stories keep cropping up on the way. They are just to add to the atmosphere of the novel. All the stories are poorly told and have vague endings. Good opening but scrambled finish. Could have been written a lot more tightly.
2 people found this review helpful
About the author
Tana French is the author of the bestselling In the Woods, The Likeness, Faithful Place, Broken Harbor, The Secret Place and The Trespasser. Her books have won awards including the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards, the Los Angeles Times Award for Best Mystery/Thriller, and the Irish Book Award for Crime Fiction. She lives in Dublin with her family.
Tana French is the author of the bestselling In the Woods, The Likeness, Faithful Place, Broken Harbor, The Secret Place and The Trespasser. Her books have won awards including the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards, the Los Angeles Times Award for Best Mystery/Thriller, and the Irish Boo...
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