In the Woods Dublin Murder Squad Series #1 by Tana French
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Web ID: 15625605Good character studies and plotting mostly
I'm late to discovering the Dublin Murder squad books but I'd heard about Tana French particularly since this one won several prestigious awards. I was mostly pleased with the novel and it kept my interest throughout. The juxtaposition of the past trauma and present murder in the main character Rob were well done, and the flashbacks were a good way to tell his mixed recollection and emotions about both events. The internal struggles of Rob felt very real as a wounded soul trying to find stability in his emotions and relationships. The other main characters Cassie and Sam were truly fleshed out people with their own motivations and history that were good counterparts to Rob's. What I liked: - The interactions between the main characters and story arc about how they changed over time - The police procedurals and department intrigues - Multiple pithy comments from the main character about events and people - Some memorable side characters that were fun, including some of the dig team - Complex family dynamics in Rob's past as well as the grieving family - Nice slice of life in a rural working class Irish community on the outskirts of Dublin - Archeology and public domain disputes as side plots - Good pacing, dialogue, and plotting - Morally grey characters without clear distinctions of good and bad in any - I fall on the side of respecting the lack of resolution in the second of the murders. That was frustrating to read but more realistic given all that had occurred. You did learn some things that didn't contribute to it, and that was important. It would have been worse to have a "band-aid" solution tacked on in the last chapters. What I didn't like - Characters who do stupid self destructive things that even they can see a better solution to - Rob and a significant relationship primarily - One of the aspects of the major plot twist was easily predictable and surprising that the other characters didn't react more actively to their observations than Rob - I'm not a fan of child murder cases in general - Most of the grieving family is presented relatively one-dimensionally until the end On the whole, I'm liable to read others in the Dublin Murder Squad books if they come my way, but I doubt I'll seek them out.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Had potential
It started off slow but I kept reading anyway. It was getting good towards the middle but there were a lot of random “whodunit.” The ending was not what I expected and there was no closure for the main character. So I almost feel like it was pointless to base the book around his life if it doesn’t tie together in the end.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Well written, good story, ending bit disappointing
Well-written, interesting book. Just not a fan of the unresolved mystery at the end.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Excellent
This is exactly what I always hope a thriller / suspense book will be. The details, the characters that were flawed and fascinating and my favorite choice by an author-to leave something unresolved. It's a brave choice that I love. I don't like books that have endings that are too tidy. French gives us an intricate puzzle and intriguing characters. Definitely a must read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great book
I really enjoyed reading this book, In The Woods. While reading this book, I enjoyed it because it had a good plot line which made me want to read more of it. The beginning was really good because it gave me an eerie feeling reading about how that boy was gripping the tree with blood-soaked clothes. The mood of the story was almost frightening. Many sections of the book were really descriptive and they also had really good vocabulary words that I haven't even heard before. The time skip was also good. It showed how Detective Ryan wanted to know what happened and how he had grown from his experience. It was nice that Cassie and Detective Ryan’s relationship had changed a lot from when they first met, it showed a lot of growth throughout the story. I'm amused by all the types of figurative language you used in this story. I especially like all the similes, it showed all of the descriptions that anything could be referenced as. In this book, there were such various themes that came to mind after reading this. My favorite part in the book was probably the denouement, I liked it we found out that Rosiland persuaded Damien into killing Katie. We found out that not one person was involved in the murder, instead, there were 2 people. It was a good feeling when we found this out. This book was really good overall. Thanks for writing this book.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
I Loved This Book!
Another author I haven’t read before, though I’ve seen many of her books displayed in bookstores. I finally purchased this one, her first book. I admit that when I started reading, for a slight moment I thought, nah, I can’t get into this. It didn’t catch me right away, but luckily, soon enough, I couldn’t put it down. I loved it! The characters and setting are so drawn out that I felt I was there with them, seeing every emotion of theirs and the places they were at. I have purchased more of her books, standing tall in ‘to be read’ piles!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Phenomenal Mystery + Heartbreaking Twist
Tana French is by far my new favorite mystery author. This first book of the Dublin Murder Squad Series is controversial, but in all the right ways. The characters are so fully-formed and three-dimensional that you truly ache for them as the suspense mounts. I know many people have been disappointed by the ending, but I found it to be more realistic than the typical mystery novel that requires suspension of disbelief just to neatly tie up all the loose ends. Tana French's writing is truly immersive and beautiful. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com