02 Apr Book Review: In the Woods by Tana French

Tana French is one of those authors who doesn’t just write crime novels—she creates deeply immersive character studies wrapped in mystery. In the Woods, the first book in her Dublin Murder Squad series, is a psychological thriller that blends police procedural elements with a haunting, literary exploration of memory, trauma, and the secrets that refuse to stay buried. It is both a gripping whodunit and a slow-burning examination of a detective unraveling under the weight of his past.

What’s it about?

The novel follows Rob Ryan, a detective in the Dublin Murder Squad, who is called to investigate the murder of a twelve-year-old girl named Katy Devlin in a small town outside Dublin. She is found at an archaeological dig site near the woods, her body carefully placed, her injuries suggesting something far more sinister than a random act of violence.

But there is something about this case that makes it different for Rob. The crime scene is the same location where, twenty years earlier, he and his two best friends disappeared into the woods on a summer afternoon. Hours later, Rob was found standing in the clearing, his shoes soaked in blood, unable to remember anything about what had happened. His friends, Peter and Jamie, were never seen again. Their disappearance remains unsolved, and Rob has spent his entire life trying to keep that past buried.

Now, as he and his partner, Cassie Maddox, begin their investigation into Katy’s murder, Rob is confronted with the eerie similarities between the two cases. Is it just a coincidence that another child has been killed in the same place? Could the crimes be connected, or is his mind playing tricks on him? As he delves deeper, his carefully maintained composure starts to crack, and the case that is supposed to be about Katy starts feeling like a doorway back to the past he has spent his life avoiding.

The investigation is full of dead ends and misdirections, but Cassie and Rob begin to uncover the complex dynamics within Katy’s family. Her father, a prominent politician, is wrapped up in a heated battle over plans to build a motorway through the town, and tensions are high between the developers and the locals. There are also strange details about Katy’s ballet training, her ambitious mother, and her withdrawn sister, Rosalind, whose eerie calmness unsettles both detectives.

As the case progresses, Rob becomes increasingly obsessed, not just with solving Katy’s murder, but with unlocking the memories that have been buried inside him for twenty years. His past and present begin to blur, and his reliability as a detective—and as a narrator—starts to unravel. His friendship with Cassie, once his strongest anchor, begins to fracture under the weight of secrets and unspoken tensions.

In true Tana French fashion, the novel does not wrap everything up in a neat bow. One mystery is solved, but the other—the disappearance of Rob’s friends—remains just as hauntingly unsolved as it was at the beginning. By the end, Rob is left with more questions than answers, and the novel leaves the reader with an unsettling sense that not all stories have resolutions.

What This Chick Thinks

A psychological thriller disguised as a murder mystery

While In the Woods is structured like a traditional police procedural, it is far more focused on psychology and character than on the mechanics of crime-solving. The novel is about trauma and how the past seeps into the present, shaping people in ways they don’t always understand. The central mystery is compelling, but what makes the book truly gripping is Rob’s slow unraveling as he confronts the ghosts of his childhood.

An unreliable narrator done right

One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is Rob’s narration. From the beginning, it is clear that he is not entirely trustworthy—not because he is lying, but because he is repressing. His missing memories, his deep-seated need for control, and his flawed self-awareness make him one of the most compelling but frustrating protagonists in a crime novel. As he gets closer to the truth, his self-sabotaging tendencies become almost painful to watch, but they feel real.

The partnership between Rob and Cassie

One of the highlights of the novel is the dynamic between Rob and Cassie. Their relationship is one of deep friendship, trust, and unspoken emotional undercurrents. Unlike many crime novels that force a romantic subplot, their bond feels organic and complicated. Cassie is one of the best written female detectives in the genre—sharp, competent, and completely uninterested in being anyone’s sidekick. Their friendship is the emotional heart of the book, which makes its breakdown all the more devastating.

The haunting, atmospheric writing

Tana French’s prose is stunning. She has a way of describing places and emotions that makes everything feel vivid and deeply immersive. The woods themselves are a character in this book—ominous, shifting, and filled with half-buried secrets. The novel is steeped in melancholy, and the writing perfectly captures that feeling of nostalgia and unease, of childhood memories that never quite fade but also never fully reveal themselves.

Final Thoughts

In the Woods is not a crime novel that offers easy answers, and that is what makes it so powerful. It is unsettling, thought-provoking, and deeply absorbing, blending mystery with literary depth. The ending will frustrate some readers, but it is also what makes the book linger in your mind long after you finish.

If you love crime fiction that is as much about human psychology as it is about solving a case, this book is a must-read. Just be warned—it is not the kind of mystery where everything is wrapped up neatly. Instead, it is the kind that leaves you with a sense of unease, wondering about all the things that remain hidden just beneath the surface.

Rating: 9/10

Try it if you like

• The Secret History by Donna Tartt – A literary mystery with deep psychological themes and an unreliable narrator.
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn – Another dark, atmospheric thriller that explores trauma and the complexity of memory.
• Broken Harbor by Tana French – If you love her writing style, this is another brilliant and haunting entry in the Dublin Murder Squad series.