In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad #1) in Crazy Challenge Connection

May 04, 2018 Anastasia rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: aussie-crime-lovers-challenge

In the Woods by Tana French is the first book in the Dublin Murder Squad mystery series. Three children go into the woods and only one is found, terrified and unable to recall anything of what has happened. Twenty years later he is a detective in the Dublin Murder Squad and is assigned a case where a young girl is found murdered in the same woods. The book was interesting but I found it drawn out and the narrator tedious and unlikeable. I felt let down that the initial mystery remained unsolved ...more

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Feb 26, 2016 Michelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime, thriller, fiction, shorn-shelf, ireland

This was a pretty intense novel. A little slow at times especially in the very beginning, but well worth the time it took to read.

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Mar 15, 2024 Olivermagnus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: coming-of-age, mystery, 2024, ireland, thriller, zmarch-24, x02

In the Woods is the story of two crimes which occur in the same Irish location twenty years apart. The crimes are linked by the narrator, Rob Ryan, a detective in his 30's who was the sole survivor of an assumed child abduction case, where the other two children are never found. All these years later he still can't remember anything that happened that day in the woods. His narration guides this story, so we get a deep look into his mind and the psychological effects of the trauma he suffered thr In the Woods is the story of two crimes which occur in the same Irish location twenty years apart. The crimes are linked by the narrator, Rob Ryan, a detective in his 30's who was the sole survivor of an assumed child abduction case, where the other two children are never found. All these years later he still can't remember anything that happened that day in the woods. His narration guides this story, so we get a deep look into his mind and the psychological effects of the trauma he suffered through as a child.

The current crime that involves Rob and his partner, Cassie Maddox, is the murder of twelve year old Katy Devlin in the very neighborhood Rob's friends were abducted from over twenty years ago. No one but Cassie knows Rob is "Adam Ryan," the lone survivor. Circumstance and evidence provide a tenuous link to the old case. Although it could cost them both their jobs, they decide to keep this a secret from the rest of the investigators because they believe it will have no bearing on the current case. Cassie grows increasingly wary of Rob's judgment but she keeps silent while they probe into the old case and look for parallels with the new. However, there is another possibility. Katy's body is found on an archaeological excavation site. The site is also the home of a future motorway and the politicians are adamant that the motorway will be built, despite the on-going archaeological work. The dead girl's father is head of the local anti-motorway group and has received several calls threatening his family.

I have mixed feelings about this book. In the Woods has depth of character, complex emotions, and a riveting story that I really enjoyed. Rob is our main character in this novel because the entire story is told in his first person narrative, but Cassie is also an equally important character. You see the friendship between Rob and Cassie, which is beautiful and filled with understanding. The characters are flawed but still very real and you find yourself wondering why they are making decisions that are obviously bad. There are some serious problems with the story that I won't go into for fear of spoiling the ending. Despite those issues, real sense of suspense made this a mostly enjoyable story. ...more

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Mar 26, 2017 Sushicat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: suspense, first-in-series, ireland

A young girl is found murdered on an the archeological site where a dig is underway to save what can be saved in the short time until the new road is built. The investigation looks into many different angles: the domestic situation of the girl's family, the disappearance of two kids many years earlier, the protests about the heritage destroyed by the new road and the tangles of land ownership and profits to be made or lost depending on where the road will finally be.

The story is told from the pe ...more

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Jul 15, 2018 Brandy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I couldn’t get through this book. Yes, I would like to find out what happened to the kids, but not enough to continue. I was bored. To be fair, I don’t think I gave it enough of a chance... but there are more engaging books that I could be reading.

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