The Men in the Trees

by Marsh Myers

Meryl Panagos is barely out of high school, living on her own and struggling to raise a young son in a small Oregon town. Although Meryl has a good job at a friend’s comic book store, it’s still difficult to make ends meet or even find time to talk to the handsome university student who keeps hanging around. Then Rose Washington answers her ad for a roommate and it’s like a wish come true. A retired school teacher, Rose is happy to help cook, clean and even babysit when needed. But Rose has secrets — including a preoccupation with the surrounding wilderness and a century-old legend which may be more ominous than it first appears.

341 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2014

About the author

Marsh Myers: author, artist, photographer, filmmaker, unapologetic nerd, sworn enemy of raisins.

YA book titles:
His Life Abiding (2013)
The Men in the Trees (2014)
My Summer (with Robots) (2018) My Summer (Under a Crescent Moon) (2021)
My Summer and the Song of Cicadas (2024)

Work in Progress:
The Osiris Circle, Book One: The Trap Room Ghost

Miscellaneous Titles:
The River Years: A Memoir from the Muddy Banks of Lee's Ferry (2022, as editor)

Laughing Boy Books:
An affiliate of Bookshop.org specializing in comics, graphic novels and nerd fandoms.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book by Marsh Myers and I decided to get it after I read and enjoyed his first. Comapred to His Life Abiding, The Men in the Trees is a more adult story, clearly written for an olderaudience. The female heroine (Meryl) is a young mother whose new roommate appears to be a kindly old school teacher but has some peculiar ambitions & and history of involvement for get rich quick schemes. Meryl is dubious at first but quickly becomes embroiled in the roommates quest due to her own sense of curiosity and a little bit of personal greed. In a sense, The Men in the Trees is 2 books. The part is Meryl's sad personal story which explains how she can fall under the influence of the older woman. Part is a thriller which takes the reader into the midst of the Oregon wilderness & combines history with legend, something this author did well in his first book too. I appreciated not only the slow build up of the mystery but that the book didnt stray into becoming another paranormal romance despite the presence of 2 male characters after Meryl's attention. Its a good book and I would recommend it!

[Melany Choke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm very happy to recommend The Men in the Trees by author Marsh Myers. I bought this book after having some chats with Marsh here on GR and got interested in the story after reading some of the background info he posted on his blog. I dont wanna give away too much of the plot becuase I hate spoilers myself but it revolves around a young woman whose new roommate has showed up at her door quite unexpectedly. As they two women get to know each other the main character (Meryl) grows suspicious of the older lady's motives for comingto Oregon. The plot, which revolves around a story in a 19th century children's school book which turns out to be based on fact, leads these two women, Meryl's young son, her ex-BF and new friend on a search through the wilderness. Needless to say, this is where they encounter 'the men in the trees.' The story unfolds quite naturally and builds suspense well. What I really appreciated was the strong female role in Meryl. Sometimes girls in YA fic are portrayed poorly, but Meryl's smart, strong and imperfect. She makes mistakes and learns from them. she wants to be a good mom but struggles a little to even be an adult. It's a very compelling story and I enjoyed it thoroughly!!! Well done, sir!

[Paul Winston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd agree with the other reviews on this title. The Men in the Trees is a real keeper! The characters are interesting, the dialogue is clever but credible. The teen (early 20s) characters feel like real people to me rather than stereotypes i often have to endure in YA fic. I've never read another book that dealt with mysterious animals living in the Pacific Northwest (aka Bigfoot), but I'm sure they're out there. Still, author Marsh Myers put a really clever spin on them, providing glimpses into what appears to be a secret stone age culture and explaining how these creatures could remain hidden from humans so effectively. The real strength of the book is the characters however, led by the main character of Meryl who's overcome a lot in her life and has a real inner strength that a reader will really appreciate. Read this one!!!

[Paula Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished The Men in the Trees by Marsh Myers last night and loved it! It just recently became available as an ebook for the very reasonable price of $2.99 so I snapped up my copy. It's a great story to curl up with on a rainy night (which last night was!) and imagine mysterious creatures creeping 'round the house in the dark. Great fun with a complicated but endearing female protagonist (Meryl). I really enjoyed how Myers made her a credible young woman who you see struggling both with her personal life but also with the amazing supernatural events that slowly engage her. It's always annoyed me a little when young women in YA paranormal fic seem to just shrug off amazing stuff like it's no big deal. In the Men in the trees however, you see the characters struggle, fight, despair and ultimately succeed. I recommend this book highly!

[Trey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read his first book, enjoyed this one even more. I think I blew through it in two days. A tale of monsters and mysteries with a credible female protagonist who doesn't shrink like a violet but also doesnt act like a guy. As with Myers's first book, His Life Abiding, this novel is filled with interesting characters who seem mismatched at first but somehow find a way to blend. The novel has a relaxed pace but keeps the interest high with lots of twists. Great fun now matter how you slice it.

[Abby K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a single mom who finds herself wrapped up in a treasure hunt and a romantic triangle with the father of her child and a college boy who's a bit of a nerd. Good dialogue and intriguing characters each with their own secrets keeps the plot moving forward at a brisk pace. Recommended!

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Full of mystery and likeable characters. Myers has a way of slipping in surprising and delight bits of humor while developing a deep mystery.

[Tai B · Rating 5 out of 5]

a well written book by an indie author

[Joan Taggart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy books that start out in one direction and byy the end you've ended up in a place different from what you expected. This is the case with The Men in the Trees by Marsh Myers. From the first few chapters you are presented with some tantalizing clues as to what will happen next. There's a creepy old house in the woods, mysterious forest spirits which may be part of a dream or may not, a young woman struggling to make her way in a town she's new to. By the end of the novel, these things had all led me to a completely unexpected place and became a book with a lot of heart, some great characters and a unique story line. Of special note to me is the main character of Meryl, a young mother not even out of her teens. Not often do you see that in a fantasy / paranormal YA novel! But her treatment in the novel is empathetic and realistic and you can really grow to admire this young woman whose making the most of what she has. There are some elements of romance as well when Meryl finds herself awkwardly placed between a young college student she's interested in and the father of her child who abandoned them both a year earlier. All these plot points are all nicely handled and come together in a very entertaining novel.

[Katherine Babiarz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wrote a revie on this book, changed editions and my review went away! That's not good but this is the cover on the book I ordered from Amazon which is really striking so I wanted to use it.

I read Meyers's first book a while ago and really liked it (5 stars from me). This one not as much but that has more to do with my personal tastes as a reader than anything wrong with the book. This one is much darker and more adult than his first. I missed the sense of whimsy which was in the first novel. No whimsy here (granted, it would be out of place) although there are moments of humor. The novel has well crafted characters and another engaging storyline from this author! Good tension with a slow build up. The ending left some loose threads (intentionally I think) which some readers will probalby like and others not. Personally I don't mind if you come away from a book like this with some questions still in your head...... that's part of the fun!!

I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to Meyers's next which was previewed at the end of this one. Sounds funny and fun and should be out sometime in 2015.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about a young women who got in trouble in high school and now is raising a toddler in the town of Corvallis Oregon. To help with her rent she puts an ad in the paper for a roommate and the person who answers is a elderly former school teacher named Rose. Rose seems harmless enough until Meryl (the main character) begins to wonder about some of the things shes intersted in like old forest legends about a group of gold miners who disappeared in the willderness many years before. The book has several subplots which help flesh this main plot out, including the sudden arrival of Meryl's former bf and her bf-wannbe an university student she has befriended. All of these stories are woven together very skillfully into a story which will greatly appeal to ya readers without seeming like something youve read a 1000 times before. I recommend this book. It is available for @12.99 pb and $2.99 for kindle.

[Johanna A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Much enjoyedThe Men in the Trees which seems to have a more plausible plot than a lot of paranormal fiction. Though not called Bigfoot in the text it was clear these animals were based on those mythical legends and it was very interesting to me how the author wnt into their culture too. This is a very well written book and I think anyone who likes a good thriller will enjoy it.

[Roger C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I'm not a huge fan of young adult ficiton but was intrigued by this title. Bought a copy from Amazon and pretty much devoured it. A really interesting story, interesting characters and engaging dialogue. Really well done.

[Charlotte Stance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like any good thriller this novel builds the tension slowly, starting with what seems like a chance encounter between the two main characters to an ending where you wonder if certain things were just meant to be?? An easy and fun read from the first sentence to th last, loved it.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging characters, and a story based on some fascinating lore. Another home run from Marsh Myers!

[D K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Really enjoyed it!

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, funny, mysterious and at times creepy. A great YA thriller!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun easy read with great characters and dialogue.

[Kirstie · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun characters, clever dialog and a interesting back-story made this an exciting read!