Librarian Andrea Nelson recommends In the Woods by Tana French.
Back in December of 2023, I wrote a Library recommendation that deviated from the typical book review. I recommended everything Tana French has ever written. I wasn’t mocking the time-honored tradition of librarian book reviews; I simply could not decide which was my favorite. Since then, my husband Rod has urged me to pick a Tana French novel for the Community Library Book Club. Those of you who regularly attend our book club know that Rod doesn’t love every book we pick— he is not shy about pointing out plot holes or lack of character development. But even Rod agrees with me on this:
Tana French is one of the best, if not the best, contemporary novelist writing today.
Readers who appreciate captivating, lyrical literary fiction, but find themselves reaching for page-turning detective novels, will love Tana French. A master of cross-genre writing, she produces complex, layered works that flawlessly knit their identities as plot twisting mysteries and intense, character-driven psychological thrillers together without sacrificing either transformative, scene-setting imagery or exquisite, memorable prose.
They never short-sheet character development for shock value, yet shock they do. They surprise, twist, and turn from beginning to end. That said, they are not for everyone. Gritty and often heart-breaking, French pulls the reader into her protagonists’ emotions, memories, and even physical sensations so completely, the protective wall between reader and story might crumble from time to time.
The stories are as much about their complicated, flawed protagonists as they are about the haunting crimes at their heart. Prepare to feel things.
This brings me to In the Woods, my ultimate Book Club selection. In the Woods was Tana French’s debut novel. It became the first of six spellbinding books in a series informally known as The Dublin Murder Squad Series. Because some of the colorful Dublin Murder Squad characters show up in multiple books, trading off as the protagonists, those who read them in order get treated to a little extra insight into the characters’ relationships to each other.
In the Woods is less a conventional murder mystery than an excavation of memory, trauma, and the stories people construct to survive. The novel begins with a familiar premise: a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in a small Irish suburb. Detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox, partners on the case, have an authentic, developing friendship and concern for each other. But that’s where the trope ends— French quickly transforms the procedural framework into something searing and far more psychologically complex.
Rob’s growing obsession and dishonesty about his past personal connection to the case begins to strain his relationships within the squad, and – as similarities between the two cases reignite memories Rob had deeply buried – the emotional impact takes its toll.
About the author: Tana French, the daughter of an international diplomat, has lived in different countries. She ultimately settled in Ireland, and her books demonstrate deep Irish cultural influence, historical sensitivity and authentic voice. Occasionally, we are treated to quite colorful Irish swearing. Upon publication in 2008, In the Woods captured the attention of the international literary community, winning the 2008 Edgar Award, The Barry Award, and The Anthony Edward Award for Best First Novel. In 2019, BBC and Starz combined the storylines of In the Woods and French’s second novel, The Likeness (my 28 year old daughter’s favorite) to create a mini series called The Dublin Murders. If you watch it, please read the books first. Combining the stories changes them.
