Tana French’s debut novel In the Woods and her more recent follow-up suspense thrillers, The Likeness and Faithful Place have catapulted her to the New York Times Bestseller List. Tana French grew up in Ireland as well as in the United States, Italy and Malawi, and has resided in Dublin since 1990. Her novels take place in Ireland.
In the Woods tells the story of Detective Rob Ryan and his partner Cassie Maddox, who are assigned the case of a 12-year-old girl, Katy Devlin, who was murdered at the same spot where Rob and his playmates spent time when he was twelve years old. Rob is the only surviving member of that young trio since the other two disappeared from the site and have never been seen since.
Most detective stories are known for their attention to great detail and Tana French’s story is no exception. The reader feels bogged down in extraneous material which doesn’t always seem necessary to the advancement of the plot. If you can get past this, the premise and the surrounding happenings may keep you glued to the pages until the end.
Archeologists are part of the scene since they are working in the exact area where the young girl’s body was found. Rob and Cassie also investigate the fact that Katy’s death could be related to the fact that her father, Jonathan Devlin, has led a protestor’s group against a new highway which will be built where the archeological dig is taking place. Some sleazy facts come to light concerning Jonathan Devlin, which results in complicating the picture and distracting from the investigation that is underway.
It is interesting that Tana French is comfortable in presenting one of the main characters, Rob Ryan, as a flawed personality. Understandably, Rob has never recovered from the traumatic disappearance of his best friends when he was only twelve. His memory is blank about some aspects of the event, and the recent murder brings the gruesome experience back into focus. Only Cassie, his partner, is aware that Rob Ryan is actually Adam Ryan, the boy who escaped from the unknown fate of his friends.
I think that Tana French can be accused of Too Much Information which throws off the reader who is trying to solve the case on his/her own. We tend to think that the two main characters might possibly get together by the end of the story, although Police protocol discourages such relationships. You will have to wait until the last chapter to see what happens to their lives once the case has been filed away.
I do not believe I will read Tana French’s other two novels, although I have learned that Cassie Maddox is featured in the second one, The Likeness. You may find, however, that her style of writing may appeal to you; additional entertainment then awaits you.
