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Every weekend camping last summer I listened to true crime podcasts on my drive into the woods. I regretted it every single time. Well, one weekend into Summer 2021 and I’m already keeping up with my bad habit. 

I finished People We Meet on Vacation and said to myself I need some crime and murder content in my life. Why? Because life isn’t always roses, sunshine, and romance. And because I’m fascinated by the whole true crime, murder thing. 

I’ve always been addicted to that content. I distinctly remember my first true crime experience. Joe and I walked through the door after a long day at elementary school. We got our after school snack and sat down on the couch. After fighting about the remote, Joe won (shocker) and turned on a true crime show. It was amazing. And I also slept on my parents bedroom floor for a week afterwards. 

It was worth losing that fight over the remote, because it spurred my interest in crime television and content. My go-to’s growing up: Bones, Criminal Minds, NCIS, SVU: Special Victims Unit, ALL of the CSI shows. It wasn’t until early college I discovered that BBC crime shows are far superior to the American variety. They’re typically an hour and a half episodes. The seasons have less episodes (like significantly), but the seasons will typically cover only one or two crimes, and the viewer gets to know the detectives more. The character development is more authentic and a lot less cheesy; the show has more depth. 

For YEARS people have told me to read Tana French. She’s Irish (you’ll soon realize my affinity for Ireland if you haven’t already) and essentially writes BBC crime shows in novel form. My mom and Jim picked me up a copy of In the Woods, French’s 2007 debut novel, and the first novel in her Dublin Murder Squad series. 

Naturally, I chose to dive into this one on the drive up to a recent camping trip in bear-country, wooded Wisconsin.

Synopsis: 

In the summer of 1984, the police search the Knocknaree woods after three children are reported missing. Adam Ryan is the only one found, shoes filled with blood and no recollection of what happened. Twenty years later, Adam Ryan goes by Rob Ryan and works as a detective for the Dublin Murder Squad. His past is his best kept secret. When Rob and his partner Cassie are assigned to investigate the murder of a 12-year-old girl in the same Knocknaree woods, memories resurface, relationships change, and the minds plays tricks.

What I Liked:

The book resembles a BBC crime drama in all the best ways. The detectives receive a good amount of character development and have clear changes throughout the course of the novel. I think a big downfall when it comes to American crime dramas is that the detectives are static. They may go through minor changes, but for the most part they’re always the same character from beginning to end. *Queue Horatio Caine putting on his shades before the credits roll.* The novel is from the perspective of Rob Ryan and it is as much about him and his relationship with Cassie as it is about solving the murder.

I’ve said it a billion times, but it’s set in Ireland and I really, really like that setting. Will read anything set in Ireland.

This book is about a whole lot more than crime-solving. I was surprised to see the novel take a pretty deep dive into psychology and the nature of psychopaths. I think French does a wonderful job bringing mental health into the story. She models it in characters and creates eerie conversations surrounding the intersectionality of psycopathy and murder.

MOST of the novel is tied up in a bow. It’s not a pretty bow. It’s a sad bow, actually, but feels realistic. The parts that aren’t tied up leave the perfect amount of space for the reader to interpret the novel. It leaves some unanswered questions, definitely. Normally this would frustrate me, but I’ve found myself wondering days afterwards what happened?! I’ve created theories in my head. I also think that’s the nature of crime and the nature of our memories and mental makeup. We don’t always get answers, no matter how much we want them.

What I Didn’t Like: 

This is a SLOW BURN. It’s quite lengthy, and it does take some getting into. The pace is extremely slow. I think the pace is perfect for what the story is, but I went into it expecting a page turner.

It also could be more chilling. GIVE ME CREEPIER CONTENT, TANA. I don’t want to sleep at night. Thanks!

Overall:

In the Woods is a crime novel following Rob Ryan of the Dublin Murder Squad. Twenty years ago, Rob (Adam) Ryan went missing in the woods and was the only child found. His memories are spotty and he avoids his past, but everything changes when he investigates the murder of a  12 year-old girl in the very woods his friends went missing. The novel is as much a conversation on the nature of psychopathy and an exploration of relationships under stress as it is a book about solving a crime. This one is a slow-burn, but overall a solid read. French’s new novel The Searcher is out now, and I’m excited to dive more into this Dublin-y, murder-y world. This one is a 3.5/5 for me! Grab it on Amazon or Bookshop if you’re looking for that murder-in-the-woods vibe.

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