Review located at http://pilethemon.blogspot.com/2008/1... ( )

In 1984 three young children go to play in the woods of Knocknaree, outside of Dublin, At tea time only one is found, clutching a tree and his shoes filled with blood. 20 years later this survivor is a Murder detective and is called to the scene of another crime in the woods of Knocknaree, this time the killing of a young girl. Rob Ryan and his partner Cassie Maddox begin the investigation intent on finding the child-killer, and along the way discover quite a bit about what had happened that summer so long ago. Incredibly creepy - made me sleep with the light on more than once! And ultimately unsatisfying ending, but a great ride nonetheless. ( )

This Edgar Award winner isn't tied up w/pretty paper & a bow. I stayed in the woods for a couple of weeks. There are unresolved questions at the end of the novel, which is admittedly, frustrating, but adds to the depth of the story. I would say that women readers more so than men will be able to predict where things are running amok. ( )

I read this book after reading Ms French's subsequent novel, "The Likeness" which I loved. "In the Woods" is a dazzling read though I agree with some of the comments by other reviewers that the police work was a bit unreal and chaotic. It seemed as if the team, Cassie Maddox and her partner Rob Ryan, accused virtually everyone they interviewed with the murder of 12 year old Katy Devlin. Aside from that , this is still a great Irish thriller , and highly recommended. ( )

In the Woods, by Tana French is a mystery story focused on the ancient woods of Knocknaree, Ireland.

The success of this story is in the way French channels ancient history, recent past, and the present time into a whirling storm of sharp images, well defined characters, artifacts, and objects, all jostling amid roaring emotions. Archaeologists discover a recently murdered young girl on an ancient altar stone as they rush to complete their research before a deadline. Local residents are pitted against government bureaurocracy over a new highway planned through the ancient woods. An unsolved mystery involving the disappearance of two young children in the 1980's looms large in the mind of the main character, our detective, as he was the one child left behind that day.

I thought this story was overwrought as I was reading it, although I now see that the patterns woven by French are intricate as a celtic knot, confusing up close, but once you step back, beautiful. The main character Adam Robert Ryan is emotionally scarred by the childhood event and suffers amnesia about that day. He and his partner Cassie have an easygoing relationship, and are known as a very good team. The fact that Ryan does not reveal his involvement in the earlier unsolved case with the Murder Squad boss leads to the dissolution of the partnership. Cassie, a psychologist and a profiler takes the case so he can possibly recover from the amnesia, especially if the cases are linked.