Christine's Reviews > In the Woods

Now this is my kind of book. This is the best book I have read in a very long time! In the Woods has been languishing on my list forever, probably because it has mixed reviews. I am thankful I finally gave it a shot.

Tana French writes beautifully, but in a way that does not hinder the flow of the story. The protagonist, young Irish cop Rob Ryan, tells the story in retrospect. This is done subtly with real-time Rob interjecting only sporadically until the end when he directly delivers the epilogue. I found this technique unique and refreshing. Ms. French pens a stunningly good character study in this novel, presenting her protagonist with profound depth, warts and all. Despite him bringing much of his misery onto himself, my heart couldn’t help but break for him over the last third of the book as he struggled to make sense of what was happening. I haven’t felt that invested in a character in a long while. Though I did not love Rob as much as I love Angela Marsons’ Kim Stone or Cody McFadyen’s Smoky Barrett, my emotions were every bit as wrapped up in him. I know I will never forget Rob Ryan.

Ms. French writes her characters with a great deal of psychological overlay. I looked up her “credentials” and was shocked to find she does not have a background in psychology. Yes, she is that good.

For readers who are interested in a quickly-paced, plot-driven mystery, you won’t find it here. This is a real slow burner, but one that kept me enthralled. The crime plot consists of two threads, one that took place over twenty years previous to the other. Are these events connected? This is a big question. Many readers who did not give the book a good rating had issues relating to a singular loose end in the plot. I usually don’t care for significant loose ends either, but I had no problem with the way this particular story evolved. The ending was true to the character of Rob Ryan; anything else would have been Hollywood. All the other issues were wrapped up beautifully.

I think Tana French writes masterfully. She has quickly risen to “must read everything” prominence on my to-read list. I strongly recommend In the Woods to everyone interested in a hauntingly compelling, character-driven, slow burner of a story. 5 ++++ stars.