... part whodunit, part psychological thriller (à la Barbara Vine and Patricia Highsmith), and wholly successful ... As past and present crimes collide uneasily, French's plot twists and turns will bamboozle even the most astute reader, and the scene, close to the end of the novel, in which Cassie interrogates a suspect, will remain in your mind long after you finish the book. Because these characters are so well drawn, I almost wish French would write another novel about them, but a more sensible voice (my own) tells me that it wouldn't be the same and I should just be delighted to have found such a well-written, expertly plotted thriller.
... a superior novel about cops, murder, memory, relationships, and modern Ireland. The characters of Ryan and Maddox, as well as a handful of others, are vividly developed in this intelligent and beautifully written first novel, and author French relentlessly builds the psychological pressure on Ryan as the investigation lurches onward under the glare of the tabloid media. Equally striking is the picture of contemporary Ireland, booming economically and fixated on the shabbiest aspects of American popular culture. An outstanding debut and a series to watch for procedural fans.
... the intricate design of [French's] storytelling is something of its own reward ... French is a bit too infatuated with her hero, giving as much gravitas to Ryan’s sophomoric romping with his tomboyish partner as she does to his speculations about Katy’s odd family and unreliable neighbors. But if they don’t play well as romantic partners, Ryan and Cassie pull their weight on the job, yielding cleareyed insights into the many layers of life in small Irish towns ... Although [French] overburdens the traditional police-procedural form with the weight of romance, psychological suspense, social history and mythic legend, she sets a vivid scene for her complex characters, who seem entirely capable of doing the unexpected. Drawn by the grim nature of her plot and the lyrical ferocity of her writing, even smart people who should know better will be able to lose themselves in these dark woods.
A mystery? Yes. But In the Woods is much more than that ... I would be remiss if I did not note that French, in addition to the quiet, chilling psychological study that forms the bedrock of In the Woods, has crafted a first-rate mystery. It is as exquisitely told as it is wondrously plotted. Why does one read? To experience novels like this. Not to be missed.
... captures the sun-dappled idyll of an Irish holiday and locks it into an irretrievably damaged past ... The picture of small-town Ireland disfigured by political corruption is intriguing, but the novel's driving force is the relationship between the two detectives: Adam, smart and funny but faking it, and Cassie – brave, genuine and kind ... the perfect holiday read: from its opening pages, that lost summer of childhood is perilously close.
French expertly walks the line between police procedural and psychological thriller ... the reader is floored by the eventual identity and motives of the killer. A distracting political subplot involves a pending motorway in Knocknaree, but Ryan and Maddox are empathetic and flawed heroes, whose partnership and friendship elevate the narrative beyond a gory tale of murdered children and repressed childhood trauma.
... engrossing if melancholy ... heavy on psycho-drama ... When not lengthily bogged down in angst, a readable, non-formulaic police procedural with a twist. It’s ultimately the confession of a damaged man.
