In the Woods (2007)

I liked this pretty much, but definitely didn't love it for several reasons. One is that I never quite believed the voice of the main character - it never felt like a man's voice, for some reason. I wonder if other readers felt that way. Also, I thought the book was too long and there was too much angst and introspection (again, the main character). Toward the end I just wanted it to be over. ( )

La primer novela de Tana French. La historia de una investigación policial que trae reminiscencias a uno de los polícias a raíz de un viejo crimen sin resolver en el que se había visto envuelto de niño.
La trama policial, es donde se desarrolla el análisis de los personajes. ( )

My first Tana French book was "Faithful Place" - another Dublin Murder Squad mystery (these have a diverse group of characters who investigate murders). I thoroughly enjoyed it so I thought I would start with the frist one. This was her debut novel and it is extraordinary! A murdered child is found near the place where two other children disappeared, presumably murdered, years earlier. The two detectives who are assigned, Ryan and Maddox, have their own haunted pasts and secret entanglements. Will their respective pasts interfere with their ability to solve this crime, will it color their judgment, and will their separate pain and the stress of the investigation bring them together or drive them apart. The plot is brilliantly executed and will provide even the most seasoned armchair detective with plenty of twists and turns. Her characters are intricate with complex interactions. And she builds their relationships and emotions expertly as she develops the serpentine plot to its height of deflection before she resolves it. A psychological page turner that will hook you in and hold you to the very end. I see why this one launched her career. ( )

Nice "murder mystery" as far as the genre is concerned, though I could have done without the romantic side plot. Is it even possible to find a book without?
Two main mysteries, the one from the past, still unsolved and the current one, which plays out well and satisfactorily without an "American ending". Interesting and kept my attention, so I will try the others in the series. ( )

SPOILER AHEAD: I can't believe I wasted hours of my life reading this tripe! The male half of the detective team is the narrator and about as big a wimpy and whiny drama queen as you could ever imagine (re-reading my review of her other book, apparently this is all I can expect, so I doubt I'll make the mistake of getting another one) There is a murder to be solved--that of a 12-year-old ballet prodigy. But the whole basis of the book begins with three 12-year-old best friends going into the woods and only one returning, nearly catatonic, covered in someone else's blood, and (of course!) with no memory of what happened. This little survivor grows up to be the sad-sack detective who is investigating the recent murder that happened in the same woods. There is some occasional mention of a mythical "bogeyman" type monster that lives in the woods, and periodically this miserable detective imagines he sees creepy slithery things from the corner of his eye, that of course no one else can see.
***SPOILER***
And guess what! The entire premise that the book is based on? Yeah, never gets an answer. The kids' bodies are never found, the woods are razed to make way for a highway and no dark creepy howling "things" are unearthed. The detective is punished for his stupidity in handling the case, he thinks he might be in love with his (now former) partner, but she WISELY has married another detective instead. What a miserable sack. I can only assume that in the British Isles, wimpy whiny helplessness is admired in both male and female protagonists, because it happens too often to be a coincidence. Awful book. Criminal waste of my time. Two stars is generous. ( )