In the Woods

Loved the book, couldn't put it down. But the ending was very disappointing. What's the point of a good mystery if the mystery is never solved?

I am giving this book two stars instead of one, because the author did keep me entertained for most of the book. I really only cared about one of the mysteries in this book, and it was that mystery the author decided to leave unsolved. I won't spoil the ending, if you want to call it that, but can only say this book doesn't have one. The story comes to a close, like a daytime soap opera. If the reader wants to find out what really happened, and actually I don't anymore, you'll have to tune in (and buy) her next book.

A twelve year old boy and his two best friends are playing in the woods during their summer holidays. Something happens: the two friends are never seen again and the boy who remains has no memory of the events.

Twenty years later, the boy is now a detective in the Dublin police force. A small girl's body is found in the same woods, and Detective Rob Ryan and his partner Cassie Maddox are the investigating officers. And so, for Rob Ryan at least, the contemporary murder investigation becomes intertwined with the earlier mystery.

From my perspective, it is the exploration of the past that provides the most interest in this novel. Some foolish choices are made and consequences, as always, need to be faced and accommodated. Ryan becomes understandably (and perhaps predictably) caught in his own past and this creates several problems for the current investigation. Yes, some readers will work out the answer (the `who', the `why' and possibly the `where') to the present murder quite early in the book. Notwithstanding this, I found myself engrossed in the novel as I wanted to know more about the past mystery.

This is one of those novels that is almost not big enough, in scope terms, to include all of the themes that the author wishes to explore. Paradoxically, the breadth of the scope means that the depth of coverage is sometimes uneven.

I would have given the novel 3.5 stars, but 3 stars was too curmudgeonly for a novel that kept me thinking outside the plot. So, and in keeping with the spirit of the season, I've given the novel 4 stars. It is a first novel, and I look forward to reading more novels by Ms French.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

While i will admit its a little slow and left me wanting, she writes very well and i will now read the next book The Likeness. If you are looking for action-this is not your book. But She gives us two mysteries and leaves us hanging with one. Hopefully she will shed light in the next book. If not, I still enjoyed this book.

Spoiler alert. Was really into the book, but the ending is a huge letdown. I can't believe we never find out what happened in the woods.